Steps for Dealing with Your Key Being Stuck in the Ignition

Steps for Dealing with Your Key Being Stuck in the Ignition You may try to remove your key from the ignition before hoping out of the car but to your surprise, the key won’t bulge. This can be upsetting and frustrating all at the same time. You don’t know what to do at this point. The last thing you want to do is make things worse by pulling the key out and breaking it in the ignition. Rest assured that you do not have to resort to such measures. At Racine Locksmith in Racine, WI, we can tell you that this is a rather common occurrence. It could happen for several reasons; there might be a problem with the key itself or the ignition could be warped. Whatever the reason is, at this point, you likely do not care. You just want to be able to get your key out without breaking it.

Ways to effectively disengage your key from inside the ignition:

The Keys Position The first thing we would suggest that you do is to make sure that the key is not in the ‘lock’ position. Also, when your cylinder is old it might turn beyond the ‘on’ position and cause your key to become stuck. You may have heard someone say that it isn’t a good idea to have heavy objects attached to you key chain. It is for this very reason that you wouldn’t want to have a lot of things on your keychain; it affects your ignition, wearing out the cylinder. Also, if your key is not in the correct position within the ignition, it will not properly engage with the operating system, therefore, your key will not move. If you’re not sure if it is or if it is not in the right position, rely on a qualified locksmith to assist in getting your key out of the ignition and avoid breaking your key.

Slowly Repositioning the Steering Wheel Slowly and carefully begin to move your steering wheel back and forth as you ease the key out of the ignition. Sometimes your steering column will lock up causing your key to become stuck until you have been able to unlock the steering wheel. At this point your attention should be on repositioning the steering column so that the steering column will unlock and you can easily remove the key.

Your May Have a Dead Battery

This is important to do and could save you a lot of frustration. Check to see if your battery is dead. If it is, you will not be able to remove the key from the ignition. This actually can serve as a way to prevent auto theft. However, you will need to make sure you can recharge your battery, if it is dead, and it should be safe to remove your key from the ignition without damaging it.

Lubricate Your Keys This may not sound like a resolution but it actually is. You may be able to get your key out simply by lubricating it with electrical cleaner. All that you’ll have to do is spray a small amount of cleaner between your key and the ignition. We warn you not to put too much pressure on your key or you could damage the ignition.

Damaged Keys Your key may be damaged and you were not even aware of this. This can cause your key to become stuck inside the ignition. However small the damage might be to your key, it is a possibility that your key can get stuck. If you are eventually capable of getting your key out, do not, we repeat, do not put the key back inside. Call Racine Locksmith and let us make another key for you. It could be possible that you are using a spare key that was never properly cut. This isn’t a resolution once your key is already stuck but it can prevent it from occurring again.

These are simple things that you can do to get your key out of the ignition without making the situation worse. If you want to know why your key may have become stuck in the first place, here are a few reasons to consider.

Reasons for Keys Jamming in Ignition

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Loose cables If you have a loose cable in your dashboard, you might find yourself in this situation. The cables will need to be replaced in order to get your key.

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Lock Cylinder Damaged If your cylinder is torn, it will not be able to make a complete turn that engages your auto mechanisms, making it impossible for the key to come out.

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Dead Battery We mentioned this previously but it is certainly worth mentioning again, especially since this is one of the most common reasons for your key getting stuck in the first place.

When you have done all that you can do on your end to get your key out of the ignition, it may be time to break down and give us a call. We deal with this issue regularly and generally know very quickly, exactly what the problem might be. Give us the chance to get you going again. We don’t do anything to make the problem any worse. Our locksmiths take their time to make sure we do the job right. Rely on a reputable locksmith service that will offer you efficient services and will not make it worse for you. Don’t just use the first locksmith that you come across. Make sure whomever you use is reputable and reliable. Since you rely on your car so frequently, it is likely that you can’t afford for your key to be stuck. You need to keep moving.

Prepared with the above information, you can likely get yourself out of this predicament without even bothering to call us. However, we are always here for you when you need us. Some motorists tend to veer on the side of caution, not wanting to take the chance of breaking their car key; they turn to Racine Locksmith.