Why Is My Key Stuck in the Ignition? A Guide to Causes and Fixes

On some aging cars you may notice once in a while you park your car and for some reason the key won't come out of the ignition. One of the most likely culprits for a stuck ignition key is the steering wheel locking mechanism. When a vehicle is parked, the steering wheel can lock. A couple of things to check: see if the shifter is detented completely into park; sometimes a binding shift lever (cola sticks the mechanism exteremly well). Just turn the wheel a little bit and the key will come out. :rolleyes: Heaven doesn't want me and hell is afraid I will take over. On my ignition I always have to push it in just slightly to get it to turn fully forward to remove it. It's become habit now and it's one ... Why is my Car Key Stuck in the Ignition? · The key may have become worn over time so the ignition keyway no longer registers the cuts properly ... I get that. So apparently all they did was spray it with graphite (this is the common lubricant to use on any lock) and then wiggled my key out. A few main reasons why a key may get stuck in the ignition are might be, problems with certain components of the vehicle, issues with the key ... Sometimes lock cylinders just wear out and get sticky. I would go ahead and replace the lock cylinder. I had the same thing happen on my Chevy ... If you park you car,shut down the engine, then turn the wheel, most cars will lock the wheel in that position, at least my Wrangler, Cherokee, ...