# Key gets stuck in ignition **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 16, 2006, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/key-gets-stuck-in-ignition/380741 "2006-11-16T22:14:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![voodoonirvana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f17d59/32.png) [@voodoonirvana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voodoonirvana)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/key-gets-stuck-in-ignition/380741/1 "2006-11-16T22:14:28Z")
I used to have a Honda a few years back that would have this problem only in the Winter. My wife has a Honda and it has the exact same problem. It’s starting up again now that it’s getting colder. It NEVER happens in warm weather. Every winter, after driving the car and putting it in park, the red ‘P’ light does not turn red until several minutes have passed. If it’s in park and the ‘P’ is not red, the key won’t come out and you can not put the trans in any other gear. Sitting patiently is the only option. Me: Honey, why are you still siitting in the car? Wife: I’m waiting for my ‘P’ to turn red. ---
**Author:** ![voodoonirvana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f17d59/32.png) [@voodoonirvana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voodoonirvana)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/key-gets-stuck-in-ignition/380741/2 "2006-11-16T22:15:30Z")
Oops. Wrong forum. I’ll ask a mod to move it. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/key-gets-stuck-in-ignition/380741/3 "2006-11-16T22:16:18Z")
Sounds like the cold weather is affecting whatever sensor the car uses to determine if it’s in park. ---
**Author:** ![voodoonirvana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f17d59/32.png) [@voodoonirvana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voodoonirvana)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/key-gets-stuck-in-ignition/380741/4 "2006-11-16T22:17:10Z")
Can a mod please move this to GQ? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/key-gets-stuck-in-ignition/380741/5 "2006-11-16T22:20:22Z")
Off to GQ. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/key-gets-stuck-in-ignition/380741/6 "2006-11-16T23:07:46Z")
Is the key the original key you got with the car, or is it a replacement key? I had a problem a little like this with my Pontiac Sunfire. Turns out, the problem was the replacement key I had gotten made at Home Depot- it wasn’t _quite_ the right shape or size. When the weather was warm, it wasn’t a problem, but I had trouble starting the car when it was cold. ---
**Author:** ![voodoonirvana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f17d59/32.png) [@voodoonirvana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voodoonirvana)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/key-gets-stuck-in-ignition/380741/7 "2006-11-16T23:20:07Z")
I don’t think it has anything to do with the key. It works fine as long as the ‘P’ is red. It’s probably more along the line of what bouv said, and is an electric or electronic issue. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/key-gets-stuck-in-ignition/380741/8 "2006-11-16T23:33:27Z")
Will the starter crank when this is acting up? If not, it’s a pretty good bet the the neutral safety switch is the culprit. It may be adjustable. If it isn’t, replacement is the cure. If the starter does crank when this happens, there’s likely a different shift indicator switch that needs to be adjusted or replaced. ---
**Author:** ![voodoonirvana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f17d59/32.png) [@voodoonirvana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voodoonirvana)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2006, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/key-gets-stuck-in-ignition/380741/9 "2006-11-16T23:38:56Z")
[QUOTE=Gary T] Will the starter crank when this is acting up? If not, it’s a pretty good bet the the neutral safety switch is the culprit. It may be adjustable. If it isn’t, replacement is the cure. [/quote] Yes. You can shut the engine off and turn it back on again. QUOTE=Gary T]If the starter does crank when this happens, there’s likely a different shift indicator switch that needs to be adjusted or replaced. [/QUOTE] Thanks. I’ll look into that. Hopefully it’s a job I can handle. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2006, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/key-gets-stuck-in-ignition/380741/10 "2006-11-17T01:00:01Z")
[QUOTE=voodoonirvana] Me: Honey, why are you still siitting in the car? Wife: I’m waiting for my ‘P’ to turn red. [/QUOTE] Try punching her in the kidneys. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Harmonix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonix)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2006, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/key-gets-stuck-in-ignition/380741/11 "2006-11-17T02:15:32Z")
Try jiggling the shifter. I had an automatic 92 accord that did this. It turned out that if you pushed the shifter fully forward it didn’t read as being in park. if you tapped the the shifter backward a tiny bit(without actually shifting to reverse) the “P” would come on and you would be able to remove the key. I never bothered to get mine replaced as it seems that it was simply just slightly out of alignment. As gary said, it’s probably just a sensor that detects what gear you’re in. ---
**Author:** ![voodoonirvana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f17d59/32.png) [@voodoonirvana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voodoonirvana)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2006, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/key-gets-stuck-in-ignition/380741/12 "2006-11-17T03:41:04Z")
Believe me, when this used to happen to my Honda, impatient me would do a lot more than jiggle it! It’s definitely not a loose connection or anything like that. It only happens when cold and the ‘P’ would turn red when it felt like it, jiggling or no jiggling. I remember putting it in park while at a red light once. I got a lot off beeping when the light turned green. 😃 Nothing I could do but sit and wait for my ‘P’ to turn red. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2006, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/key-gets-stuck-in-ignition/380741/13 "2006-11-17T05:29:18Z")
I have no clue how Honda does their key lock system (What keeps you from pulling the key out until the car is in park) On all of the cars I have looked at the key lock is a cable that runs from the shifter to the ignition lock. The display on the dash showing which gear is from the gear position sensor. I guess it is completly possible they could both be off an electrical sensor with no cable, but I have never seen that style. **Gary T** the OP didn’t list a year, but if it is a fairly current car I am guessing there is no N safety switch, just a gear position sensor that inputs to the TCM. You might drop a dime on the Honda service department and see if they sould like they have heard it before. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2006, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/key-gets-stuck-in-ignition/380741/14 "2006-11-17T18:12:01Z")
[QUOTE=Rick] **Gary T** the OP didn’t list a year… [/QUOTE] Yeah, with a year and model I could do some research. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2006, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/key-gets-stuck-in-ignition/380741/15 "2006-11-17T18:48:50Z")
In the meantime all we can do is consult tea leaves. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![voodoonirvana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/f17d59/32.png) [@voodoonirvana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voodoonirvana)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2006, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/key-gets-stuck-in-ignition/380741/16 "2006-11-17T19:30:50Z")
My wife’s car is a '95 Honda Accord. I had a '90 Honda Civic that did the exact same thing. I did a Google search and I found some posts in other forums also making the same complaint in Honda’s. Here is one guy with the same exact problem, but he doesn’t mention the year of his Accord. > **[Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos](https://www.yahoo.com/)** > > Latest news coverage, email, free stock quotes, live scores and video are just the beginning. Discover more every day at Yahoo! ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2006, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/key-gets-stuck-in-ignition/380741/17 "2006-11-17T20:18:21Z")
There is a gear position switch at the left of the shift lever base. It seems to be the only component that could affect both the key interlock and the Park indicator lamp. It is adjustable. I would mark the switch so it could be returned to its original position (you never know), then adjust it slightly so it signals “Park” a little sooner in its travel. With any luck, that will fix it. If it doesn’t, replacement is probably the only fix. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2006, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/key-gets-stuck-in-ignition/380741/18 "2006-11-17T21:30:53Z")
I sometimes have to jiggle the gear shift thingie in Park to be able to turn the key to off. The Park light comes on fine. Would that have anything to do with the shift position thingie? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2006, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/key-gets-stuck-in-ignition/380741/19 "2006-11-17T22:30:31Z")
[QUOTE=gigi] I sometimes have to jiggle the gear shift thingie in Park to be able to turn the key to off. The Park light comes on fine. Would that have anything to do with the shift position thingie? [/QUOTE] What’s the year, make, and model? ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2006, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/key-gets-stuck-in-ignition/380741/20 "2006-11-17T22:33:07Z")
Also a Honda, Civic 98. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/key-gets-stuck-in-ignition/380741.md?page=2)