Schaumburg Locksmith

How to Deal With A Car Key Stuck in the Ignition

Imagine yourself in this scenario: you drive for several hours to get to the spot you and your friend or family agreed to for a nice getaway trip, eager to get to your hotel room for the night so you can get some sleep and then go exploring in the morning. You’ve had a long drive, and you can’t wait to just climb into bed and relax. Or, you get home after a long day at work, ready to get inside and cook some dinner. In both situations, you are happy to be at your destination.

But then a problem arises…when you go to cut the ignition, because you finally arrived to your destination (wherever that might be), you realize that the key is stuck. You try to pull it out, but it doesn’t budge. You try the trick of gently moving the steering wheel from one side to the other, but it doesn’t loosen the key. It is completely trapped. What are you supposed to do?

Call in an expert!

These are beneficial for those all over the country who are dealing with a car key that is trapped in the ignition. You can try to avoid breaking the key or doing any damage to your vehicle. Of course, if you don’t want to deal with it at all, you can just pick up the phone and call a local lock and security provider to help you. Many companies offer 24 hour a day emergency assistance for problems such as this. How convenient!

Steps to take

What you don’t want to do is pull the key too hard. You can end up breaking parts that are important. If the key truly can’t be removed, then ignition cylinder replacement is generally the next step. But here are some things to try if your key is stuck in the ignition (remember to first try moving the steering wheel from side to side in the event that the key is locked in)…

1. Check the position of the key. Is the key in the lock position? Ignition cylinders can start to show signs of age, meaning they can get easier to turn over time. If your key has heavy objects attached to it on the same key ring, you could be putting too much pressure on the ignition cylinder over time. One way to prevent putting too much pressure and weight on the ignition cylinder is to avoid having heavy key chains attached to the same key ring as your transponder key. This might sound simple, but one might be surprised at how many people are lugging things around they don’t need.

2. Make sure that the problem isn’t something else, such as a dead battery. If you noticed a dashboard light go on, you might have a dead battery, which could prevent you from removing the key. It sounds simple enough, but when a person is in a state of panic, they might neglect to check the basics.

3. Note your parking position. If you can’t get the car into the park position, meaning you are still able to move the gearshift lever even though the car is turned off, there might be a problem with the linkage being worn out.

4. You can attempt to use a household object to loosen the key. If you happen to carry around pliers or a bobby pin, you might be able to use them to wiggle the key out of the cylinder. If you have some sort of oil or electrical lube, you could use these in an attempt to loosen the key as well.

5. Assuming your vehicle is turned off, you can attempt to start the car again, and then turn the wheel in either direction. Sometimes, this helps when it comes to removing the key.

6. Try WD-40. While the issue with your key being stuck could in fact be the console – over an extended period of time, wires can become loose, and then the vehicle will not recognize if you have shifted into the park position. If you have determined already that wiring is not the issue at hand, then you could try spraying WD-40 into the key hole. This can add the lube you need to get the key loose.

These are just some of the things to look into if your key is stuck in the ignition. It is easy to become panicked and to want to force the key out by pulling it excessively – do not do this. Try to take a deep breath, stay calm, and try the steps listed. You should also be able to reach out to a locksmith in Schaumburg, Illinois or wherever you happen to be located, as they tend to offer 24/7 emergency assistance as previously mentioned.

It shouldn’t matter if you drive an Acura, Audi, Honda, Infiniti, Jeep, Kia, Mazda, Chrysler or any other vehicle. The steps to take are the same. No one wants to have to deal with being stuck somewhere because of a problem that was completely out of their control. The safest option is generally to call in a professional as they will know what they are doing and will not cause any damage to your car. A good piece of advice is to keep the phone number of a local locksmith saved in your smartphone, whether you live in Schaumburg, Illinois or anywhere else. You can never know when 24 hour a day emergency service might be needed.