this is the second time this happened... but this time i took pics with my camera phone.

so here it is.. keys in my hand... and the car is still in accessory mode. lights on, ect. cant lock the car with the remote even with the door shut.

 

I bet when it first happen and the radio and everything was still on, you were like WTF? My guess would be faulty ignition switch. Good luck with that one.

 

I agree with Maxima lover (aren't we all?), the ignition switch is most likely the culprit...weird, never heard of that happening before, on any car.

 

That doesn't look like accessory mode. That looks like "ON" mode. In accessory, your idiot lights for voltage, oil pressure, CEL, brake, etc should not light up.

However, the engine is off, as indicated by the tach. Do you have a hard time shutting off the engine? If the car was truly still in "ON" mode after it had been running, then the engine wouldn't have stopped running and it would continue to idle.

As for locking the car, you should be able to do it by sticking the key in the driver's door and turning it to the left. I used to do this all the time when had to let it warm up in a shady neighborhood in the wintertime...I'd put one key in the ignition and then use a duplicate to lock the car (ad unlock it again).

I think the problem goes beyond the ignition switch.

 

You're right. It's not the accessory mode.

How well does the car start up? Do you have the battery disconnected so it doesn't run down?

 

Here's another thought:

Is your fuel pump running, too? I think the fuel pump is supposed to be running whenever the car is in "ON" mode. I'd be concerned about damaging your fuel pump if it's on for too long without the engine using any of the fuel.

 

the car shuts off perfectly. it starts up ok. sometimes takes a few cycles of whatever the noise im hearing is before it catches and starts. lol when its warm it starts up immediatly almost every time. when dead cold it sometimes takes like a second to a second and a half. not a big deal IMO.

as to the problem.. i had been sitting in the car for a minute with it in the position where i can listen to the radio but the windows dont work. i then turned it all the way off and pulled the keys out pretty much at the same time(one motion). and thats when i noticed it still had all the lights on and stuff. it happened once before and that time i got out of the car and shut the door and didnt know/notice till i got back and it wasnt locked, and lights were still on.

weird freak problem eh?

to make it go away i had to put the key back in and turn it back to the "listen to the radio" position, then back to off.

 

in my car i can compleatly remove the keys form the ignition and still drive the car without having the keys in the ingition but i still need the keys to start the car and turn it off

 

holy wow!!!

i wanna see a vid of how you do THAT!

 

Replace your ignition switch before it gets any worse and leaves you stranded.

 

Mine does the same thing. There are two things that you should check.
First, when you turn off the car, take your time. Turn the key all the way to the off position and make sure it is really there. Then in a second motion remove the key. If you try to do it all in one motion, your key will come out just before the off position.
Second, make sure your car is in park. In the automatic you cant put the key in the off position if the car is in drive.
Try that before putting cash into parts like a new ignition.
Good Luck

 

my daily driver (94 saturn) does that sometimes..... it sucks

 

oh yeah.. i plan to do this. i dont think its a problem that will need any arts or work. its happened twice in 6 months, and i think its the "one motion" thing that cuased it. its a 5 second fix if it happens too so im not too worried.

good advice though!