Help! I can't turn my key!
 

I can't get the key to turn in the ignition, anyone have any suggestions?

1. Are u in the right car?

2. Do u have the right keys?

3. Liberal squirt of lithium grease into the lock. Exercise.

4. Locksmith.

I know this may sound dumb, but sometimes if you like turn the steering wheel side to side a little bit, and if you have an auto if you move the shifter around a bit sometimes it will start. But im guessing your past this stage.

im sure its the whole steering wheel needs out of the lock position thing.

Yup....Try turning the steering wheel from side to side while turning the key.

1. Pretty sure

2. See #1

3. Didn't help

4. I'm going to try the side to side thing first. Apparently screaming obscenities at it didn't help.

Hello everyone, my name is Nickpisp and I wear two left shoes

I usually just need to keep playing with it and then it works ;)

Sometimes this happens to me and all I do is lower the steering colum turn the key and raise it back up. Always fixes it. :surprised

hmmm.....
I'll have to try that

sounds like a personal problem to me :run:

I've done that too, didn't work today.


Played with it for about an hour and no luck. Luckily I was at home this time.

hi,

this ignition problem happen to me before,

when i was at my brothers school the steering wheel was lock and i mean lock for a long time,

so i had to play with it before i could turn the ignition,

it was like it was frozen,

i did that thing for awhile and eventually the ignition good,

so i learn to never bump the steering, if i bump the steering i always unlock the steering before i leave the car so i don't have the problem,

the turning the wheel from side to side does help when you have this problem,

are you sure it's not just the steering wheel lock? here's what i do...turn steering wheel to the left -> then to the right -> back to the left (but hold it there, don't let go) -> turn key a little bit -> turn wheel further to the left -> turn key more, etc. it always works for me.

that should work to,

i have use that step to,

both steps work for me to

same here
sounds like more of a problem, there are enhancements for that! LOL j\p :spin:

I will take the little blue pill and try again when I get home. :thumbsup:

"I can't get the key to turn in the ignition, anyone have any suggestions?"

- too many pills aready in the keyhole?

Time to repLace.

i know this has been beat into the ground, but are you turning the key while you are turning the wheel back and forth? otherwise, go to walmart get a new key made, see if that works...its only a dollar.

My car does this too, but will turn eventually. It seems like the whole ignition assembly is a bit loose, so I sorta shake it up and down (with the key) while I'm trying to turn the key. Usually turns pretty quick, but doesn't turn at all unless I shake it.

hope your wife likes that idea

I'm married, no problem ;)

I'm having the same problem, I dont think its my key since my key (which is the master) seems to open everythign else (glove, trunk, etc etc...) I've turned and twisted the steergin wheel for 30 mins, moved the wheel up and down, rotated the key, used lubricant on the key/ignition assembly, tried everything.. But I still cannot seem to get it out of the steering lock position.. anyone have any suggestions !?!?!? HELPPPPPPP !!! I'm down to my last resort of taking it to the local Nissan dealership....

make sure the key is all the way in or not in too far. that could be it too.

This another physical metephore?

yup.. did that too.. i dont get it its really really annoying to the point of where it's pissing me off.. i've already resorted to calling AAA to get my car towed to the Nissan dealership....

this may not apply, but i remember back in the day i couldn't get my key out. this was because the shifter wasn't in park correctly. have you tried pushing your shifter up a little bit (if you have an auto, that is)?

Played with it for about an hour and no luck. Luckily I was at home this time.[/QUOTE]

It's ussually a good idea to do that at home last time I did that at work I was writen up.

Hammer a screw driver into the key hole, grip with good vise grips, hammer vice grips away from you. Worked for the Honda. After that I never needed to use a key again :)

I don't know if this suggestion had been suggested, but you could try and oil the **** out of it, maybe it will help, use the 10-30 engine oil, usually works wonder for rusted locks and such for me.

Other suggestion includes:

if the dealer charges an arm and a leg for the rapair, just get a new steering column from the junkyard with keys and such, and replace the whole thing.

cut the wires that wires up to the lock cylinder, then buy a switch panel from pepboys, then hook up the wires in such a way that you can start the car with a button and just break the lock altogether, might need an alarm afterward. Still would be cheaper than the dealer cost of repair.

Prety much the same idea the one I gave but mine gheto. lol :p

Is it stuck in ACC? I read a forum for Lexus with a similar problem. The key was pulled out somehow in ACC and after that it was not able to be turned. Of course this guy was a Lexus owner so he just opted to get the ignition replaced for a grand. Rich buggers.

So I just heard from Nissan.. my ignition switch is dead... and now I have 2 options... $500 to buy/replace the ignition switch and rekey all my locks so the new key works (doors, trunk, glove box) or... $679 to replace the ig. switch and all the locks (instead of re-keying them)... great options, huh ?

$165 shipped for the ignition lock cylinder with switch, brand new nissan :blah:

bahhh, if you don't mind carrying two keys around and put in a couple hours worth of work, then just find a replacement steering column with keys and such and replace the whole column. Either that or just go with the start up button idea, you know, the lexus style. either of those route will still be a hell lot of cheaper than the dealer.

forgot to ask, if you ask them to only replace your ignition lock cylinder, and not rekey the doors, trunk, and glove compartment, will they charge less?

what if oyu go to a junk yard and just buy all of the locks and such, most of the cars still have the keys with them, just my $.02

yeah.. they're gonna just replace the cylinder.. so I get to roll around for the next month until i go to japan GM styles with 2 keys, 1 for the ignition and 1 for everything else.... at least i dont need a valet key, i guess..... they are gonna charge less.. with the assessment and parts and labor its about 3-4 bills.. not exactly cheap but.. i dont have much options cause my car is at the dealer, and since i can't drive/steer, I can't really get it anywhere else, even with my 7miles of free AAA towing...

Locked steering
 

Try moving your wheel slightly to the right and turning the ignition. I recently had this problem when I tryed to open the glove box with the keys while doing 50 mph. The wheel locked for like 5 minutes moved it to the right and if freed itself. Also spray some WD it worked for me. :thumbsup:

So u were driving through Utah, bonneville desert? "...while doing 50 mph. The wheel locked for like 5 minutes..."

did you read this thread at all?? i think everyone already said that...twice. :wiggle: