Stuck key

My wife just came home in her 1998 Passport. Pulled in the garage per normal and the ignition switch will turn off but will not go into the locked position. Is there an "easy" for this or is it time to replace the switch. Tried a little WD-40 hoping it was just something stuck. HELP!

If its automatic I would make sure the gear is in "Park" position. Just jiggle the shifter in the "P" sometimes you will hear a faint "click" and then jiggle the key off. Mine does it once in a while too. I hope this helps.

Thanks but I have wiggled the shifter and I got the click but the darn thing still won't come out.

try reading through this post:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=320620&highlight=key

try reading through this post:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=320620&highlight=key


Good tip, dude...

98PPORT, let us know how it works out. Its always good to post on how an issue is resolved for everyone. Good luck!

I had the same problem with my '98 Rodeo. Sometimes the key comes out and most times it doesn't. I had to go ahead and change out the key switch. It costs about a $100 with parts and labor.

Along this same line I have been having some trouble with mine, but it is going in not comming out. When I put the key in sometimes it won't turn, I have to take the key out and turn it over. I am not sure if the problem is with the key or the cylinder. These have double sided keys but I am not sure if the cylinder is a doiuble or not. Any ideas.

I had the same problem with my '98 Rodeo. Sometimes the key comes out and most times it doesn't. I had to go ahead and change out the key switch. It costs about a $100 with parts and labor.

Please note that you will likely need to aquire a steering wheel puller to accomplish this.

It may not be required, but it sure should make it easier!

Steve

My wife just came home in her 1998 Passport. Pulled in the garage per normal and the ignition switch will turn off but will not go into the locked position. Is there an "easy" for this or is it time to replace the switch. Tried a little WD-40 hoping it was just something stuck. HELP!

I just had this same exact problem. I'm not much of a "car person" but I'll try to explain how I fixed it. I took the two main screws out of the steering column and opened it up. The mechanism to release the key is right next to ignition in the steering column. You should see two white plastic pieces on the release, Just push down a little on the one towards the back and it should pop back into place and release the key.

It was getting dark so I haven't figured out how to keep from having to do this everytime to get they key out, but when I do I'll let ya know.

Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions. Don't know what the cause was but she came in from work one day this week and she felt it go into the lock position and the key came out. Guess this is a bit of luck but since I didn't get to try any of your suggestions while it was still messed up I am still at at a loss and will wait for the next round. Thanks again!

Au Coop is right on.Drop the lower cover and give the mechanism a shot of wd 40 and work it back and forth.Sometimes they just get a little dirty.Carl

I had my keys stuck in the ignition and I ended up taking a lot apart and figuring out how everything works. This problem can be either electrical or mechanical.

If it is electrical you will not hear anything when switching the selector to park and also when pushing on the brake. The stop light switch is depressed when you let of the brake. You will find it near the brake pedal. There is also a switch that is activated when the selector is in P. These connect to the relay switch which activates the solenoid next to the selector. You can hear the relay switch when you put the selector into park and also when you depress the brake pedal. To check if the relay is bad replace it with one from under the hood (I used the one for the headlights).

http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/6383/1004500eg1.jpg

I would imagine that if any four of those electrical components (stop light switch, solenoid, relay switch or selector park switch) goes bad that it would cause the keys to get stuck.

The mechanical side is a bit more straight forward. There is a mechanism in the steering column that won't let you turn the key to lock when the car is in gear and also won't let you put the car in gear when the key is not in and turned.

http://img92.imageshack.us/img92/153/1004502oz5.jpg

If the cable between the selector and the ignition switch is too loose you can put the car in gear without the key. Too tight and the key won't turn to lock. This was what happened to mine.

To fix it I tweaked a bracket that held the cable, but it was too loose. Then I saw the device on the other end that looked like it was to adjust the tension on the housing.

To really fix it you must get the little lock off of the adjustor. There are two little tabs on each side that you can release with a small screwdriver.

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/4683/1004501zo9.jpg

Put the adjustor back into place without the lock and put the key in the ignition, switch it to on. Pull the cable housing near the adjustor tight and place the lock back in. The lock is designed to add the right amount of slack in the cable when it is pushed all the way in.