Strange no start, stuck key problem

Reply Subscribe

Thread Tools

Search this Thread

08-04-2003, 07:47 PM

Snuff

Newbie - Just Registered

Thread Starter

Join Date: Aug 2003

Posts: 1

Strange no start, stuck key problem

Ok, bear with me on this one... Wife goes shopping, returns to dead car. She couldn't get the car to turn over, and the interior light comes on and off intermittently. She can't get the key out of the ignition now either. First thought, dead battery, and somehow she got the car out of park. Wrong, and wrong. I get to the car, and the interior light is on, but the car won't start (I know, the interior light doesn't really mean anything.) I check the transmission, and it is in park. I can't get the key out either. The button on the ignition doesn't feel busted or anything. I'm still thinking battery problem though, so I turn on the headlights to see how dim they get when I try to start the car. This doesn't work, because now the car starts! Now I'm thinking key switch is busted, or maybe even an interlock relay going bad (I'm not even sure if my car has one... its an automatic). I look at the stereo, and the presets are gone, and the clock is at 12:00 (It was 4:30). Why would the car lose battery power, and the key get stuck in the ignition then regain battery power just because I turned on the headlights? I haven't been able to duplicate the problem, and everything is working perfectly now. I need to figure it out soon before my wife kills me for letting her get stranded again. Oh yeah, its an 89 model Maxima, automatic trans. I'm stumped.

08-04-2003, 08:06 PM

MaximaGuy719

Senior Member

Join Date: May 2003

Posts: 329

I have a 89 auto and I know exactly what you're talking about. About 3 months ago it used to happen to me almost every 2 weeks. I would turn the key and the seat belt thing would start to come back and then stop and all the power would cut off. My key would be stuck in the engine and would not turn. The way I got around it was I closed the door, locked it, unlocked it and then opened the door. Then the security light would blink and it usually started after that. Sometimes I did have to do that a couple of times.

I really can't tell you if the problem has been fixed b/c I haven't driven my car all summer. I even disabled the factory alarm and it happened after that.