Your car key is a valuable and essential instrument that ensures you can open the vehicle's doors and trunk and, most importantly, start and drive your car. Therefore, losing these keys can inconvenience you greatly. Having the keys stuck in the ignition can also be frustrating and disruptive. In such cases, hiring an expert to resolve the issue is the most effective means to get your key released. DIY options like forcefully yanking or jiggling the key can easily cause it to break and leave bits inside the lock.
Read on to discover why your car key can get stuck in the ignition.
Disfigured Car Key
If your car key becomes misshapen in any way, it is more likely to get stuck in your ignition. Car keys have specific grooves and cuts that fit the ignition port perfectly. Therefore, a bend or chip, however slight, may interfere with how the key inserts into the port. Therefore, if you notice that your car key is disfigured, it is best to take it to a professional car locksmith to fix it before it can get stuck in the ignition.
Damaged Ignition
The ignition port may also be a reason your car key gets stuck. Like any other lock, this port has specific springs and pins positioned in a specific way. However, the springs can become misaligned due to frequent rotation, resulting in a stuck key. A car locksmith can inspect the ignition port and address any malfunction.
Gear Setting
Vehicles with automatic transmissions are designed to ensure that your car key automatically locks into the ignition unless the car is in park. Thus, if you do not change the gear, you will not be able to get the key out of the ignition. While this is fairly common knowledge, it may slip the mind, and you may conclude that the key is stuck. In the case of manual vehicles, the gear needs to be neutral for you to successfully remove the key from the ignition.
Dirty Key
You might spend a lot of time trying out DIY fixes for your ignition tank based on an incorrect idea that it is the culprit behind your key getting stuck. Yet, your car key may stick in the ignition because dirt inhibits proper functioning. Thus, an important first step is to examine your key and clean it. Moreover, ensure that you consult a professional to diagnose the reason for the stuck key accurately and provide an effective solution by dealing with the cause.
Surfing the internet for solutions to your car's lock problems doesn't provide lasting solutions. So, it is essential to hire the service of a car lock professional for more permanent solutions.
