OK here goes, I put in my key, turn the key ...the security light flashes and al the little lights flash..i turn it to start ignition everything dies. Just flat lines. OK so I try it again...same thing..I try it again..same thing..then I can't take my key out..I tried pressing the little key release button...it doesn't press. I wait 10 min do something ..come back..unplug battery plug it back in (under the hood)...try the keyless entry master code..it starts beeping Ok..so I go in car..setbelt thing starts buzzing and works. I take out the key. Close door, go back into car..put key in..same fing thing happens again..security light flashes turn key several times engine doesn't start security light flashes and everything shuts off....I do not know what to do..I can't start my car back up!!?@?!What do I do?

 

try jumpstarting the car, I bet the battery is not charged enough to start the car but still has enough power to run some accessories

you can pull off the little plastic trim piece on the ignition and there is a small red lever behind it to push in case the key gets stuck and the button wont release it

 

The steering wheel lock might be engaged. Try tugging real hard on your wheel either right or left and turning the key. It's a security feature on all cars as far as I know, but a lot of people dont know about it!

 

yah i'm thinking it could be the battery..but the odd thing is..the key when it get's stuck in there...i can't turn it to the OFF position..just won't budge to off..i have to unplug th ebattery wait 5-6 min's..plug it all in..and then punch in the code and it will release ...also about the keypad while i'm on it....i punch in the numbers in the glove compartment (it's says KEY :_________ 4 digits..like 4214 etc) It goes beep beep beep beep beep beep ...what do I do when it does that? I can never get it to go a steady beep..but main question is about the key not going into the off position.

 

what it may be also is that the car is not fully in park. i found this out with the car right after i bought it. pulled in to my driveway turned it off, went to turn it back on and it wouldn't start i thought the lil piece of **** died on me, then my stepfather told me to try putting it into park and try again did that and it worked......
now everytime before i start the car i just push up to make sure its in park.....as for the key part i dunno.....maybe try turning the wheel like he said, but be careful not to break the key off in the ignition or else u'll be turning on ur car with a flathead screwdriver and tweezers
i crack my self up

 

Yeah that could be it because the car will not let you take the key out unless the car is in park. So it looks like he may have a problem with the switch. Try to start it in N and move the shifter around to see what happens.

Good luck

 

the key won't come out if it's not in park also.

 

umm ok I think that is what I just said

What he is saying his car is doing is just like a car that you try to start in gear so I think the transmission park safety(whatever you call it) switch is messed up or miss aligned.

 

oops, sorry about that. i didn't notice.

 

its the battery because i had the same problem when my battery was draining..

 

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....hreadid=128086

 

you have this way of knowing every little bit of info on this car...it's great!

 

Thanks guys, I appreciate all of the responses

 

Thanks

I've taken just about every part of the interior apart too many times

there are plenty others here that know as much or more (Matt, Dan, Kaleb, etc)

 

The key will not release from the ignition. Car is in Park, Wheel lock is not on, 2 week old battery. Can anyone help? Please respond AS soon as possible as I need to leave on a trip in like 1 1/2 hrs!

Thanks guys, counting on your help.
ps. not sure what the solution was on the previous thread related to this.

 

Ok the red lever thing worked to release it and know it seems ok!!! Kind of leary though, this seems like a treatment rather than a cure but I guess time will tell!
Thanks guys

 

hehe about a year ago I had a funny little thing happen to me (actually it scared the crap outta me). It was about 9:00pm when I was about to start my car. I am in the parking lot of my apartment complex, it's dark everywhere. I put the key in, turn in and then BOOOOOM! . I hear a VERY loud sound almost identical to a gun shot except under my hood. I was like "oh f*ck". I try to take the key out, it's stuck. No power anything. No lights, no power in the seats, no lights in the doors, nothing at all. I get out of the car. My heart is beating about 3x as fast and my hands are shaking. Remember this was at night, in the dark, and it felt like my car exploded (yes it was that loud). I waited for about 5 minutes, just to make sure nothing was on fire and then opened the hood. And there it was, my battery, with the top completely blown to hell and acid splattered over about 1/4 of my engine compartment. I wiped the acid off and got a new battery the next day.

 

Wow, that must've been quite an experience!

What could've made a battery to misbehave like that?

 

i have the same problem...the ignition key will only go back to 1 and wont let it go to 0.

do you mean the little button that says "push" i tried taking it off but its being a lil ***** and it isn't co-operating LOL!

so as of right now i have my maxima in the driveway with key in ignition in chicago...probably not a good idea

 

dont pull the button itself, there is a small plastic piece that goes around it and around the part of the keyhole that lights up, that should pull off

 

ok will do...will come back and post progress.... i really dont want to leave it open overnight here in the city...thank you

 

hey it worked but now everytime i got to do this or it won't release the key

i'm thinking of doing this:

http://www.annulardesign.com/maxima/keyrelease.shtml

would that fix my problem?

 

that makes it so that you dont have to push the brake to release the key but you still have to press the button

usually the key gets stuck in because of a dying battery and no power to trigger the relay to let it go, if this is the case, doing that mod should fix it
if the problem is the actual button, then it wont help you out

glad you were able to get the key out though
(and thanks for searching and finding this post )

 

thank you for helping out a noobie....will look into a new battery

 

I pressed the red button and that released it and so far so good. This happened to my folks when they first got the car and the dealer said it was a defect that mostly occured in the altimas. The dealer put a new ignition in it. I think it has something to do with a short in the wires in the relay that runs from the gear selector to the ignition. So when the car is in park the relay isnt activating to enable you to releas the key. I dont think the dealer fixed the problem, just put a bandaid on it.

Is this happening to only those with autos?

Thanks for the help and good luck to the rest of you guys.

BTW mine wasnt due to the battery.

 

my ignition switch is kinda lose and moves around a bit.and for the key that doesn't come out, i tried shifting the gears and moving the steering wheel and trying to lock it. someone told me that it can be the nutral switch. do i have to buy a new ig. switch or it's the nutral switch? thanks for the help.. f.max......

 

that happened to me, I jiggled the key while pressing the key release button till the fangle came out.