(619) 340-1518Call

Key Stuck in the Ignition: How to Get It Out Safely

Usually the shifter stopped a hair short of Park. Foot on the brake, seat the lever fully in Park, turn the key to Lock and draw it straight out.

The engine is off, the key has turned back as far as it will go, and it still will not slide out. Usually an interlock is doing its job, and the fix takes seconds once you know which one.

Automatics are built so the key leaves the column only in Park, which keeps a parked car from rolling away. The Park switch, the column release, the car's battery and the key itself all play a part, and any of them can hold the key.

Programming happens through the port under your dash.

Try this first

  • Foot on the brake, then move the shifter out of Park and settle it back in until it clicks.
  • Rock the steering wheel gently while easing the key back toward Lock.
  • Look at the dash. If nothing lights up, the car battery may be what is holding the key.
  • Keep the key square and pull slowly. If light pressure does not free it, stop there.
  • Once it is out, slide the spare in and out. If the spare moves smoothly, the old key is the problem.

Most likely causes, in order

  1. The shifter is not fully in Park

    Tell-tale sign: the key turns back to Accessory but stops short of Lock, or reaches Lock and stays put. The lever can look parked while its detent sits a fraction away. Fix: foot on the brake, move the lever out of Park and back in with a steady push until it clicks home, then turn the key to Lock and draw it out.

  2. The steering lock is loaded

    Tell-tale sign: the wheel feels rigid and the key seems caught between positions. A wheel turned against its lock pin after shutdown can leave the cylinder under load, so it will not rotate the last few degrees. Fix: rock the wheel gently in the direction that has a little give while easing the key toward Lock. Light hand pressure is enough.

  3. A flat car battery

    Tell-tale sign: no dash lights, no dome light and no door chime. On many cars the key release in the column is electric, so with no power it stays latched, and the shift lock may hold the lever as well. Fix: a jump start or a charged battery, then Park and Lock as usual.

  4. A worn, bent or roughly copied key

    Tell-tale sign: the spare comes out cleanly and this one catches. A blade worn thin, bent by a heavy ring, or copied with burrs on its cuts can snag a wafer on the way out. Fix: keep the key square in the slot and draw it out slowly, with no side pressure. Once it is free, retire it and have a fresh one cut by code.

  5. A worn cylinder or failed release

    Tell-tale sign: every key sticks, the problem has been building for weeks, and the cylinder sometimes lets a key out in the wrong position. Fix: a replacement cylinder matched to the key you already use, fitted at the car. If a blade has already snapped inside, the piece comes out with thin extractors first.

Known problems by make

If your car is one of these, the make page is the faster read: it names the years, the part that fails and what the repair costs.

Honda ignition repair

Many Honda and Acura ignitions built from 1998 on develop worn or broken wafers, and the key sticks or will not turn.

Volkswagen ignition repair

On 2005 to 2016 Jettas and 2012 to 2016 Beetles the lock housing fails and the key sticks; 2006 to 2010 Passats have an electronic steering lock...

Dodge and Chrysler key won't turn

On 2008 to 2014 Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram models with a push-in fob key, wear in the ignition node can stop the key turning or being read.

Chevy and GMC truck ignition repair

Chevy and GMC trucks and SUVs from 1999 to 2014 wear out ignition cylinders and keys until the key stops turning.

Car key problems by make, and what each dash message means

When to call

Call when the shifter is seated, the dash lights up and the wheel moves freely, yet the key stays put. At that point the cylinder or its release has failed, and harder pulling tends to end with a snapped blade. Tell us whether the key reaches Lock and whether the engine still runs, since those answers point to the part.

If the car still starts, book the repair for whenever is convenient. No tow comes into it, because the cylinder is swapped wherever the car is parked. The ignition repair page describes the replacement in detail.

What the fix costs

From the same price sheet as every other job. Confirmed on the phone before we drive.

Key or jobTypical dealerValue Car KeysYou keep
Worn cylinder or release replacedMatched to the key you carry and fitted at the car, relearn included where one is needed. $350 to $700 $179 to $349 $171 to $351
Key snapped in the ignitionRemoved with thin extractors, no drilling, and the cylinder checked afterward. A new key is priced separately. n/a $89 to $149 see note
Replacement for a worn or bent keyChip key cut to factory depths and programmed on site. Remote head keys run $165 to $259. $230 to $380 $125 to $199 $105 to $181

Questions people ask

Why is my key stuck in the ignition?

Most often the shifter is sitting just shy of Park, so the interlock will not release the key. Other causes are a steering lock under load, a flat car battery on cars with an electric release, a worn or bent key, and a worn cylinder. The first three usually cost nothing to sort out; the last two need a new key or cylinder.

My car is a manual. Why will the key not come out?

Because many manual cars need a release step before the key turns to Lock. Depending on the car, that means pushing the key in slightly, or pressing a small button or lever on the column, and the owner's manual shows which. If the release step does nothing, the cylinder or its release has probably worn.

What will a stuck key cost to fix?

Often nothing, because seating the shifter or rocking the wheel frees many stuck keys. When the cylinder has worn, replacing it at the car costs $179 to $349, matched to your current key, and dealer quotes run $350 to $700, tow not included. A key snapped in the cylinder is $89 to $149 to remove.

Should I pull harder if the key will not come out?

No. A stuck key is being held by something, and extra pull moves the load to the thinnest part of the blade, which is where keys snap. Go back through the shifter, the wheel and the battery. If none of them frees it, leave the key in place and call, since a whole key keeps the repair simpler than a snapped one.

Can a new key fix a key that keeps sticking?

Sometimes. If only one key sticks and the spare slides out cleanly, the sticky one is worn or bent, and a replacement chip key, priced $125 to $199 and cut and programmed on site, ends the problem. If every key for the car catches, the cylinder has worn and a new key helps only briefly; the lasting fix is replacing the cylinder.

Prices by make

Toyota keys

from $129 at your car
Keep up to $251 vs the dealer

Honda keys

from $139 at your car
Keep up to $241 vs the dealer

Ford keys

from $129 at your car
Keep up to $211 vs the dealer

Chevrolet keys

from $125 at your car
Keep up to $211 vs the dealer

Dodge keys

from $145 at your car
Keep up to $211 vs the dealer

Get the dealer's key without the dealer's bill

Call or text (619) 340-1518 with the car's year, make and model. If a dealer already quoted you, send that quote over for our answer on the same key.

Call (619) 340-1518Text us your car
Call me back

Every day, 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM.

Call (619) 340-1518Text us