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If you find yourself in the unfortunate circumstance of having your vehicle key stuck in your car’s ignition, there are several things you can do to troubleshoot the issue. The reasons why your key might get stuck in your ignition are numerous and range from relatively minor to more involved. To find out what steps to take if your key is stuck in your ignition, read on!
To troubleshoot what is happening with your vehicle’s key, you will first need to make some observations and try a few things in order to try and properly diagnose the problem. Read through the following questions and keep them in mind for if you ever experience a stuck key in your vehicle’s ignition or if you are currently in this predicament.
This may seem like an obvious question to ask, but in the event that you attempt to extract your key from your car’s cylinder and find that you cannot, it can immediately be frustrating. Especially if you are in a rush or trying to get going quickly, this can almost immediately cause panic to not be able to extract your keys. Remember that your vehicle needs to be set in park mode in order for it to be turned off. If for some reason your car is still in drive or even neutral, perhaps, the car key may remain in place due to an automatic safety mechanism.
Another safety mechanism is a steering wheel lock, which is in place to help prevent your wheels from sliding around when there is no key in your car’s ignition. When the steering wheel lock is activated while your keys are still in the ignition, it may make it so that you are unable to extract the keys. If you suspect that your steering wheel may be locked, the easiest and quickest way to alleviate this and remove your key is to gently rotate your steering wheel from left to right. This side-to-side motion will help unlock the steering wheel lock and release the key.
It could be possible that your key broke inside of the cylinder. If you suspect this might be the case, you could try and extract your key, or at least part of it. Sometimes, especially because keys are used every day and spend time being jostled around, keys can wear down and break. This could, unfortunately, happen inside the cylinder itself. Try and gently remove part of your key, but do not force it. If the break was significant enough, you may be able to pull part of the key out. If not, do not attempt to force the key out.
Something may be inside the cylinder and blocking the key from exiting. You will not likely be able to see if there is something inside the cylinder and preventing the key from being released. Ignition cylinders are difficult to get to, since they are usually tucked into the lower part of your steering wheel. This can make the situation even more frustrating since you are unable to get a full picture of the problem, but resist the urge to try and remove the key if it is not happening easily.
Maybe something happened recently to your car, causing the ignition cylinder to be damaged, bent, or broken in some way. If this is the case, you may have been able to insert your key but may not be able to extract it. If your vehicle was recently involved in a fender-bender or an accident, this may indicate a hidden symptom from leftover damage from an accident. It might also be possible that your key cannot be extracted if your ignition cylinder was recently repaired improperly. If you had your ignition cylinder or even your car key looked at for repairs, it could indicate a repair was not done well.
Even if you have properly identified the issue or you are, at the very least, fairly certain as to what is causing the key to remain stuck, do not try to yank out your key. This is a bad idea for several reasons. If one of the following troubleshooting steps above did not result in the successful extraction of your car key, do not try and force it.
In most circumstances, if the basic troubleshooting steps have not worked for you, you will need to call a professional locksmith. This is recommended because locksmiths will know how to reach your ignition cylinder, correctly diagnose the problem, and get your key extracted. A professional locksmith will be able to do this with no additional damage to your vehicle. Working with a locksmith, regardless of why your key is stuck in the car’s cylinder, is generally recommended. Do not hesitate to call and explain to a locksmith what issues you are facing to receive additional troubleshooting steps over the phone or to call one out to help you.
