Key Gets Stuck In The Ignition

[Sundown94]

Hey Everyone! Just today I started having a problem that I have seen several other people have up here on the forums. My deal is that when I shut off the truck, the key won't turn all the way back and is stuck in the ignition. However, I can press down on the brake pedal, move the shifter back and forth AS FAR AS POSSIBLE (making sure to end with it in Park), and -- after a few tries -- the key finally releases. I can actually hear the cylinder lock electronically disingage just before the key finally comes out, so I know the ignition lock does not need WD40 or graphite powder. The questions I have are: what could be causing this problem to happen all of the sudden today and do it intermittently? Why does it suddenly release my key after moving the shifter a few times? Is the problem in the ignition, the wiring, or the switch in the shifter? What can I check or do to diagnose the problem? I hate to remove my cup holder (around the shifter) again unless I absolutely have to because the damn clips that hold it in are practically destroyed from a previous removal...they are the worst design for holding the cup holder in place but that is a topic for another thread.

[HUMTECH]

Broken wire on connector at the rear right side of shifter, if it is intermittant its a partial break. If you can move shifter out of park without pressing the shifter button as well then the shifter mechanism is sticking, but i will put my money on the broken wire. Usually the yellow wire if i remeber correctly and usually broken right at the connector.

[Sundown94]

Thanks HumTech!! So I guess I have to remove the cup holder. If after I work on it this weekend I still have the problem, is there any way to disable the ignition lock at least so that my key does not continue to get stuck? Thanks!!

[Mr. I - Man]

Originally Posted by HUMTECH

Broken wire on connector at the rear right side of shifter, if it is intermittant its a partial break. If you can move shifter out of park without pressing the shifter button as well then the shifter mechanism is sticking, but i will put my money on the broken wire. Usually the yellow wire if i remeber correctly and usually broken right at the connector.

Mine was the red wire, and I have fixed three times and the wire keeps breaking off must be defective, because I have hadthat happen a couple of times in the tech industry where there are not enough strands of wire in the conductor or the copper alloy they spun the wire off of wasn't a good batch.

[Sundown94]

Well, I guess while I'm in there I might as well check all wires and repair as necessary. So if the wires have broken several times, the question that begs to be answered is this: do these wires move with the shifter when selecting Park, Reverse, Neutral, Drive, etc. such that this problem is eventually going to happen to every H2 owner? If they don't ever move, then why would these wires break? Maybe the copper is bad and corrodes within the inuslation.

[HUMTECH]

Once you do the repair you need to remove the harness retainer that holds it in place to allow for more slack, also ensure when installing the cupholders that they will not put pressure on the harness. Just use best judgement on how to reroute harness. About removing key when this happens you need to access the interlock switch at the steering column, right near the ignition switch and you can operate it manually. Have not worked on one for a few months and the exact location i cant remember right now. If i get a chance i will try to look it up for ya.

[Sundown94]

Thanks again HumTech for the details. I am on the way outside in the next couple of minutes to work on the problem...just waiting for the truck to warm up first and get some heat inside since it's a cold and cloudy day here in the Northeast. I fully expect my key to be stuck in the ignition today before finally getting the problem fixed, so if you can remember how to get to the "interlock switch" on the steering column, that would be great. For instance, do I have to pull apart my steering column, or is somewhere under the dash?

[Sundown94]

Quick update: it took me a few minutes to pull the shifter and cup holder out (and I lost two of the three cup holder clips down into the tranny hump) and what have I found? The yellow freakin' wire is broken in two!!! So now I'll go back out and try to re-attach what little bit of yellow wire is left on the connector to the yellow wire on the rest of the harness. This looks tedious, but definitely do-able and will save me the cost/time/effort of going to the dealer. I'll post pics later in case anyone else has this problem (and from the looks of the design, it is inevitable that this will happen to EVERY H2 owner over time).