Guys I need your help/input. Just pulled into my driveway and turned car off and my damn key is stuck in the ignition. Yes. It is in the park position.
I was trying to get it out for half an hour with no luck. Also, now it only starts in neutral. I hope my transmission didn't fail.

Please let me know if this happened to any of you before.

btw.. it is an auto.

Thanks!

 

Did ya move the steering wheel left to right?

 

The switch that is detects that the car is in P is not working (I believe its called the Park inhibitor switch or something like that)... unless that switch triggers (when the car is in Park) you can't start the car and you can't remove the key from the ignition.

 

Where can I find this switch and how much would it be to replace?

Yes, I did try to turn my steering wheel lef tand right to no avail.

 

pushed in that lil black button, right?

 

just put the car on neutral and straighten the wheels... might push it a little too...

 

What little button are you talking about?

 

He's a moron, autos have no little button.

 

Try to wiggle the steering wheel left and right. Sometimes the ignition lock needs the wheel to be straight in order to let go of the key.

 

I tried that. I even drove around the block. This is really frustrating. I know what you mean by that wiggling the steering wheel. I wonder if worst case scenario how much it would cost to repair at the dealer?

 

i had the same thing happen to me. it was on a date.

so instead of paying attention to my date I was frantically trying to get my damn key out of the ignition.

Turns out the girl left her chap stick in front of the shift lever. It was on park but the chap stick had wedged itself in there so it wasnt all the way in park.

There's a mechanical cable (I think) attached to your shift lever. Once the shift lever goes to park the cable releases a lock in your ignition lock and the key comes out.

I dont see why you cant disable the whole thing. Just remove that cable. I get confused between my Olds LSS and the I30. I think the Nissans have a cable and the Olds have a switch.

Maybe the other way around. Anyway open the thing up and try to disable the thing.

Its annoying too

 

Yes - I double checked in the Haynes manual last night (bedtime reading) - there is an ignition lock cable that runs from the shift lever to the ignition lock - that cable might have broken, disconnected from one of the two ends or might not be moving freely... get yourself a Haynes manual - they have all the instructions you need (not complicated at all) to diagnose and fix that problem yourself...

 

I vaguely recall that there is a procedure in the (Haynes/owner's) manual for removing the key when the P lockout has failed. It involves a button on the underside of the steering column and some coincident manuvering of the shift lever. Don't recall the details.

Check the owner's manual. There's an easy fix for this.

 

autos so did. my 88 max had one and it was auto

 

?Autos so did? A 88 max isn't a 4 th gen. 4th gen autos have no button.

 

i have no little button.

 

Wow I cant believe you guys dont know the solution to such a simple problem. And autos dont have buttons... sigh

Press the brake and move your shifter all the way down to L and back up to park, Your key will come out. The cable gets jammed and the car thinks its somewhere between park and reverse and wont let the key out.

 

 

Shift to L? What's the L stand for, let go? Stop making the kid go paranoid looking for a L by his shifter.

 

L is 1st gear

Excuse me I have to idiot proof everything here