i've been working on my car for the last 3-4 days. the center console has been taken out. (radio and trim around it)

Now when i'm done, i start the car fine, but when i put it in park and get out, the key will not go past ACC. it stays about half way and won't go to OFF. The ignition switch won't release my key from the ignition itself... this has happened before, but after playing with it for a few seconds, it would let it go. i've played with it for several mintues, and nothing. then drove it for a while, played more, still nothing.

the dealer said "you can bring it in, and we can take apart the steering column and get it out for you, but it won't be covered under warrenty. " which means i'm gonna have to pay out my ass to get my key back.

wtf would cause this, and how to i fix it??

(my key is still in there.... )


i've done NOTHING near the ignition, at all. The car is in park.... wtf! :pissed: :pissed: :pissed: :pissed: :pissed:

you sure its the ignition and not the shifter interlock? It happened to my parents once...they got their key stuck in the ignition and the interlock is what went bad. The car was in park, but it didnt know it was in park if that makes any sense at all.

maybe... but how would i fix such a thing?

i'm mostly worried about leaving my key in the ignition for an extended period of time...

i got my key out. its something with the shifter trim. when its all the way down, it won't allow the shifter to "release" the key. no idea what, its too dark to tell... i got some work to do the next few days now... :cry:

i had this same problem starting about a month ago and it still persists. i originally thought it was the freezing temperatures but my girl said maybe my gear shift wasnt all the way in park(she was thinkin outside the box for me)....and now everytime the key doesnt turn all the way to off i make sure i push the gear shift in the park position firmly, and wouldntyouknow now i can turn it off without a problem...

I had a similar problem with my old '89 Cutlass. I got to school one morning, went to turn the car off and take the key out, and it wouldn't come out! My dumb self didn't have the car all the way in park. I felt stupid because I was freaking out about leaving my key in the car during class! :blush:

i still haven't had time to figure it out... but its definitely some kind of wire i have in there that getting in the way of the shifter... the thing i don't get is why just popping the front of that trim piece up makes the difference. if its just a small wire that is in there (thats all i've added in that spot) There is no reason as to why the shifter wouldn't just move it out of the way when it slids up....

:pissed: ....still.

this happened to me also when i installed an after-market shifter
so what I did was move the shifter up or down a little on the post , I think the little white plastic piece in the center needs to be pushed in the right amount so the shifter can be push all the way up in the park position then allowing the key to pass the acc. position or the wire that you refured to might be in the way,not alowing the shifter move fully into the park position


hope this helps