I have searched the achieves for past post on this subject and can’t find any.

My ignition key goes in fine, however when turning the car off it gets stuck half the time and it very difficult to get out. When it’s not getting stuck I find that if I turn the key a fraction past the point the car turns off, push in slightly as I do so, the key comes out without a problem. The car a ’97 Cab with 58,000 miles and is new to me. Is this a common problem? Any remedies?

 

Any chance your car is a Tiptronic? I have found that if the shifter is not properly engaged in "P" the key will not turn to the proper postion and release. If yours is a 6 speed, there may be a similar lock process.

 

It is in fact a Tiptronic. I'll see if that is the problem.

 

In that case here is more detail of what I found.

I have the wood **** option and I replaced the plastic shift gate and lettering to a 6 speed boot. The problem can occur when the stick is not positioned properly to allow the button to fully release. In this case the problem relates to the shift **** not being fully seated properly on the stick - or in the case of the boot, it was obstructing the travel of the stick so that it was not in its fully forward "P" position or interfering with lock switch located under the cover/boot.

Don't force the key as it will bend only adding to your problem. Hope this helps solve your problem.

By the way, I work in Agoura Hills - we could meet and try to sort things out if the above description is not clear.

 

Took the car in to RS Enterprices in Ventura. Jason tells me the ignition switch is bad.

Thanks for the info.

 

Chuck,

How much did you pay for the ignition. My key is stuck and I can't get my key out. Tumblers are bad and I'm towing it to the shop tomorrow. I knew I should've taken care of this a long time ago. First the rust, now this....

 

I have a manual. A few months ago, key would go in ok, but switch started getting hard to turn. A short squirt of WD-40 and it turns like new.

 

Chuck,
Just a thought before you swap out that ignition switch... I had the same issue with my Tip - tech told me it was bad ignition, but it turned out the shift **** was loose (not as painful as it sounds..) and wasn't properly seated on the shift lever, so the ignition lock was activating and I could not turn the key. I removed the **** and reattached it properly and it fixed the issue. It's at least worth exploring before throwing down the cash for an ignition switch.

 

I should have posted a reply. Fred (as usual) was right on the mark. It ended up that my ignition was fine. My car is a tiptronic and the shifter needed to be adjusted.