What to Do if Your Car Key Gets Stuck in the Ignition

There is a reason that there are so many auto locks on your car. These locks help keep your vehicle from getting stolen and help keep its contents safe. Some locks even protect children that ride in the car from accidentally opening a car door during movement. No matter what the case, locks definitely are a necessity on any car. The only problem is, sometimes the locks or the keys that go in them may fail and greatly inconvenience you. Such is the case when a key gets stuck in the ignition of your car.

This can be a big problem for you. That’s because in many cases the car will not be able to be turned over to start it. When that happens, you are not going anywhere. Even if your car will still start with the stuck ignition key, you can’t leave it because you will have to leave your car door unlocked. This will increase the risk that someone steals your car. That leaves you no choice but to find a way to free up your key and get it removed from the ignition. Here is how to do that.

What to Definitely Not Do If You Have a Stuck Ignition Key

Before we suggest some ways to free up a stuck ignition key, it’s best to tell you what not to do if your ignition key ever gets stuck.

• First of all, never wedge anything alongside your key in the ignition to try and free it up or help pry it out. Not only will this be hard to do but it may damage your ignition cylinder beyond repair and create even more problems for you. 
• Never try to grab onto the end of the stuck key with pliers or vice grips. This can cause the stuck key to break into pieces which will make it even more difficult to remove. If it’s a transponder key it may break the sensitive plastic end too.
• It’s a good idea to never try and take your ignition cylinder apart unless you really know what you are doing. Otherwise, you may damage the ignition cylinder while taking it apart or not be able to get the ignition back together once the key has been removed.
• Resist the temptation to give your ignition cylinder a wacky here or a bump there with a tool to try and free up a stuck key. This most likely will do more harm than good despite the fact it may make you feel better.

Steps You Can Try to Free Your Stuck Key from Your Ignition

Here are some of the steps it’s ok to try if you are having trouble removing your auto key from the ignition. 

• The very first thing to check is to see if your key is indeed in the off position. If it’s not your ignition cylinder will not allow the key to be removed. This is your car’s way of alerting you to the fact that your ignition is not turned all the way into the locked position.
• Jiggle the key back and forth very slightly in the ignition. Sometimes this is all it takes to free up your stuck key so you can finally pull it out of the ignition.
• Sometimes the lock mechanism on your car will fail to go into the correct position even though it looks right. To correct this, get a firm grip on the steering wheel with one hand and pull up on the shifter with your other hand at the same time.