98 Kia Sportage Key Stuck in Ignition

[metrogirl]

Help! My key is stuck in my ignition in accessory mode and won't come out. I have to put the spare key into the little access panel beside the automatic gear shift to even get it out of park. Once I get into gear I can drive ok but then when it goes back in park it's stuck all over again. This is causing my battery to go dead on a fairly regular basis as the key will only go as far back as accessory mode. I should note that when the battery goes completely dead, the key will come out very easily but once the battery is charged it is stuck all over again. I have tried different keys but it does it with every key I have. Any suggestions? Someone said maybe the solenoid? Is this expensive to fix?

[metrogirl]

For anyone else who may have this problem, make sure they check the wires first. This ended up being just a loose wire and not the solenoid or a bad ignition. So I hope I can save someone the aggravation that I had trying to figure out what this problem was!

[missy27017]

Originally Posted by metrogirl

For anyone else who may have this problem, make sure they check the wires first. This ended up being just a loose wire and not the solenoid or a bad ignition. So I hope I can save someone the aggravation that I had trying to figure out what this problem was!

I have this exact same problem. I took your advise and had my husband check all the wires. He did not find any loose. I bought a used ignition switch, but he said it was not the exact one we needed. I have a 96 Kia Sportage 4 wheel drive. Do you have any other suggestions. We have even called the closest Kia dealer we could find and they gave us no help. It has turned into an aggravating situation. We have to leave the vehicle in neutral and use the emergency brake. If we put it in Park it happens everytime and each time it is harder and harder to get it out of Park. The key has been stuck now for months. My battery did eventually totally die and then the key released. We had to purchase a new battery and on the first start up the key was back stuck. It is totally embarrassing when you are at a store and you forget and put it in Park and it takes nearly an hour or more to get it to release. I think Kia should do a recall on these vehicles. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[featherfall]

I don't think it's just a problem with the Sportage. My girlfriend has a Rio and the same thing is happening right now.