Key Stuck in the Ignition? Ignition Repair in Jacksonville, FL

Before you call: two things to try

If the key will not turn, wiggle the steering wheel gently while turning the key; a locked steering column is the most common cause and costs nothing to fix. If the key will not come out, make sure the car is fully in Park and try pressing the brake while turning the key back. If either works, you may still want the cylinder looked at, but it is not an emergency.

If the key turns freely with no resistance and nothing happens, or if it is physically jammed or snapped off, stop forcing it. Forcing bends the wafers inside and turns a repair into a replacement.

Repair or replace the cylinder

Worn wafers, a broken return spring or debris in the cylinder can often be repaired on site. A cylinder that is seized, damaged by a break-in attempt or worn past adjustment gets replaced. When we replace it, we key the new cylinder to your existing door key so one key still does everything, which the dealer often will not do.

On many vehicles from the mid-1990s onward the ignition also carries the transponder antenna. Our technicians handle that, so a replaced ignition still recognizes your chip key.

• Most jobs done at the car in about an hour
• Worn keys diagnosed and cut fresh rather than replacing a good cylinder
• Broken key extraction with tools that do not scratch the cylinder