# That little button you have to push before removing keys out of the ignition. Why? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 29, 2004, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-button-you-have-to-push-before-removing-keys-out-of-the-ignition-why/266753 "2004-09-29T23:16:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Road\_Rash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@Road\_Rash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Road_Rash)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2004, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-button-you-have-to-push-before-removing-keys-out-of-the-ignition-why/266753/1 "2004-09-29T23:16:57Z")
This should be an easy question. I do not understand why automobile makers need to put a devise that keeps you from turning the ignition switch all the way off so you may remove your keys unless you push a little button lever. I’m not real mechanical. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2004, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-button-you-have-to-push-before-removing-keys-out-of-the-ignition-why/266753/2 "2004-09-29T23:26:00Z")
Its so that if your engine stalls while driving, when you go to restart it you don’t accidentally turn your ignition all the way off **and lock your steering wheel** while coasting! ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2004, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-button-you-have-to-push-before-removing-keys-out-of-the-ignition-why/266753/3 "2004-09-29T23:57:29Z")
They don’t. Neither of my cars have one. ---
**Author:** ![whatsittoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@whatsittoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whatsittoya)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-button-you-have-to-push-before-removing-keys-out-of-the-ignition-why/266753/4 "2004-09-30T00:15:24Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > They don’t. Neither of my cars have one. Your cars must be automatic. AFAIK it is mandatory on stick shifts and on autos the key can’t be turned off until the car is placed in park. Some automatics have the button instead of the park lockout but they must, AFAIK, have one or the other. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-button-you-have-to-push-before-removing-keys-out-of-the-ignition-why/266753/5 "2004-09-30T00:28:56Z")
Hmmm… never seen anything like that before on cars over here. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-button-you-have-to-push-before-removing-keys-out-of-the-ignition-why/266753/6 "2004-09-30T00:30:14Z")
> [@Hail Ants](#): > > Its so that if your engine stalls while driving, when you go to restart it you don’t accidentally turn your ignition all the way off **and lock your steering wheel** while coasting! Isn’t the correct procedure under such circumstances to bring the car to a safe halt, then restart the engine? ---
**Author:** ![zippyh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/839c29/32.png) [@zippyh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zippyh)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-button-you-have-to-push-before-removing-keys-out-of-the-ignition-why/266753/7 "2004-09-30T00:41:31Z")
I’ve never owned a car that had that little button and they were mostly stick shifts. The only car I’ve driven in recent memory with that button was a rental Ford something with an automatic. ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-button-you-have-to-push-before-removing-keys-out-of-the-ignition-why/266753/8 "2004-09-30T02:38:40Z")
You didn’t mention make and model. That is always helpful information to assist in answering an inquiry. My '94 Buick must be in ‘Park’ before the ignition key can be removed to prevent damage to either the engine or the transmission for reasons already stated. ---
**Author:** ![The\_world\_s\_most\_deadliest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@The\_world\_s\_most\_deadliest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_world_s_most_deadliest)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-button-you-have-to-push-before-removing-keys-out-of-the-ignition-why/266753/9 "2004-09-30T02:51:26Z")
My husband’s '94 standard Jeep Cherokee has one of those little knobs in question. My '97 Hyundai (also standard) didn’t. I don’t recall ever owning a vehicle (the rest were all automatic) that had one. I’ve often wondered this myself. Seems more trouble than its worth. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-button-you-have-to-push-before-removing-keys-out-of-the-ignition-why/266753/10 "2004-09-30T03:10:56Z")
My MR2 had one of those buttons, but on the other cars I’ve driven (all stick shifts), you have to push the key into the lock while turning it to “off”. It serves the same purpose: keeping you from locking the steering wheel accidentally, even though the wheel doesn’t actually lock until you _remove_ the key. ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-button-you-have-to-push-before-removing-keys-out-of-the-ignition-why/266753/11 "2004-09-30T03:16:06Z")
> [@whatsittoya](#): > > Your cars must be automatic. AFAIK it is mandatory on stick shifts and on autos the key can’t be turned off until the car is placed in park. > Some automatics have the button instead of the park lockout but they must, AFAIK, have one or the other. I’ve owned three different manual transmission cars in the past 6 years (model years 1994, 1997 and 2004) and none of them had this. I have seen it before, though. ---
**Author:** ![aerodave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f08c70/32.png) [@aerodave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aerodave)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-button-you-have-to-push-before-removing-keys-out-of-the-ignition-why/266753/12 "2004-09-30T03:49:28Z")
It’s something particular to different makes. You’ll never see it on most European cars, for example. My wife’s last vehicle, however, a 2000 Chevy S-10 (manual) had one. ---
**Author:** ![gouda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c77e96/32.png) [@gouda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gouda)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-button-you-have-to-push-before-removing-keys-out-of-the-ignition-why/266753/13 "2004-09-30T11:25:57Z")
I’ve never seen or even heard of this system. The system as described by **Mr2001** is the only one I’ve experienced so far, on cars and bikes. While I have driven a fairly large number of cars from around the world, I’ve never actually driven an American car, so maybe it’s only an American thing? ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-button-you-have-to-push-before-removing-keys-out-of-the-ignition-why/266753/14 "2004-09-30T11:35:14Z")
In order to remove the key from both of my Hyundais you have to turn it all the way counterclockwise, then push it inwards, and then turn it a little more. But this is no button. Do you have a picture? I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of these buttons. ---
**Author:** ![alimarx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@alimarx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alimarx)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-button-you-have-to-push-before-removing-keys-out-of-the-ignition-why/266753/15 "2004-09-30T16:01:28Z")
I once drove a Ford Fairmont something or other that had this feature. The button mechanism screwed up and I was unable to remove the key from the ignition _at all_. Wouldn’t have been able to lock the doors (stupidly I had no spare), and anyone could have started the car. Had to practically take apart the whole steering column. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-button-you-have-to-push-before-removing-keys-out-of-the-ignition-why/266753/16 "2004-09-30T16:10:27Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Isn’t the correct procedure under such circumstances to bring the car to a safe halt, then restart the engine? OTOH, if your engine starts uncontrolled acceleration, you may want to throw it into neutral and switch it off, yet retain the limited control of the unpowered steering/brakes while coming to a stop. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-button-you-have-to-push-before-removing-keys-out-of-the-ignition-why/266753/17 "2004-09-30T16:23:09Z")
Both cars we used in driver’s ed when I was a young’un- '93 Pontiac Sunbirds and '95 Pontiac Sunfires- used the button system. None of the cars I’ve driven since except a Chevy Cavalier had it. I’m thinking it’s just a GM design convention. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-button-you-have-to-push-before-removing-keys-out-of-the-ignition-why/266753/18 "2004-09-30T16:24:37Z")
It must be a Ford thing cause my manual Ford has that little button ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-button-you-have-to-push-before-removing-keys-out-of-the-ignition-why/266753/19 "2004-09-30T16:52:13Z")
My '84 Toyota Corolla (manual ) has the button, but my '02 Toyota Camry (automatic) doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2004, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-button-you-have-to-push-before-removing-keys-out-of-the-ignition-why/266753/20 "2004-09-30T17:20:50Z")
I susspect it is correct that it will stop you locking the steering wheel accidentaly. My VW Cabrio doesn’t have a button, I’ll check if the steering wheel will lock with the key in, or if it only locks when the key is removed. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-little-button-you-have-to-push-before-removing-keys-out-of-the-ignition-why/266753.md?page=2)