Key Trouble with MiniVan

Factual Questions
1

I have a 1998 Plymouth Grand Voyager which I love but there’s a problem. Sometimes when I put the key into the ignition/lock, it doesn’t turn. Physically will not turn. Like I inserted it between two bricks rather than in a lock. When it happens, sometimes jiggling the car will get the lock to turn. Sometimes not.

We had our mechanic check it out - he spend a day fiddling with it and couldn’t get the problem to repeat. So he made sure everything was connected properly and that the lock was OK and said if the problem continues we take it to the dealer.

Happened again this morning - somehow the switch or lock isn’t getting the message that the van is in park and the lock won’t release. Is this my transmission going bad? Or is it just the switch? Any help is appreciated.

2

When I’ve had this problem is usually because I’ve left the steering wheel turned to one side or the other when I turned off the car. Wiggling the steering wheel, sometimes pretty hard, while simultaneously trying to turn the key has worked every time.

3

Well we been doing that for a couple of years now and it used to work, until recently - spent 5 hours waiting on a locksmith 2 weeks ago, thinking that the lock itself had gone. Thanks though.