[Cwm]

My key is stuck in the accessory position, meaning i CAN turn it to 'on' and 'start' (and car will start) but CANT remove it from the lock or turn car off.

The car is in park, but the first few times this happened i just jammed the conrol to park hard and the steering lock engaged and all was good. Not so this time.

What exactly is the mechanism that controls the key/steering lock/transmission park combo, and how do i go about finding where exactly the issue is.

Sometimes i pump the brakes a few times and it causes the cylindar to release the key, but not this time.

I tried wd40, but nothing still.

So to recap: foot is on brake, vehicle is in park, ebrake engaged, steering column will not lock, key will not turn 'off'. Anything im missing with simply turning a car off?

[JayRolla]

It can be all those things. Cylinder lock, brake sensor, park sensor. Jiggle the steering wheel, shifter and start at the same time. May need your 3rd arm. Good luck!

[the great him]

pull the shifter boot console and under there you will find a white plug with several wires(6, maybe 8) running over to the shifter assembly area unplug that connector and see if the key will come out. its the shift lock safety switch you are unplugging

-note in doing so you will now be able to move your gear selector through all gates without your foot on the break or the key in the ignition, but you will also be able to get your key out of the ignition. also you will be able to shut your truck off and pull the key without being in park.

i had to do this several years ago as i could also not get my key out of the ignition. its been like that ever since, i have not bothered to track down the issue.

[Cwm]

Originally Posted by the great him

pull the shifter boot console and under there you will find a white plug with several wires(6, maybe 8) running over to the shifter assembly area unplug that connector and see if the key will come out. its the shift lock safety switch you are unplugging

-note in doing so you will now be able to move your gear selector through all gates without your foot on the break or the key in the ignition, but you will also be able to get your key out of the ignition. also you will be able to shut your truck off and pull the key without being in park.

i had to do this several years ago as i could also not get my key out of the ignition. its been like that ever since, i have not bothered to track down the issue.

I will give that a shot. My truck is basically a beater i love too much, so one more "safety" feature disconnected wont make a difference to me. Thank you, now to wait for the kid to wake up from her nap to start the loud cursing that comes with interior wrenching. Ill update as to whether it worked or not.

[Snowden]

Most interesting. Mine has done this on the very odd occasion and I just assumed it was the steering wheel lock causing it. So far it hasn't lasted more that a few seconds and I assumed by my jiggling the steering wheel that was what was freeing it up. But apparently it's the sign of more difficulty with it to come. It sure does not sound like an easy fix to hunt down so this is useful to know especially what @the great him noted as the immediate solution if in a jam.

[the great him]

well it took me about 45min in the hot heat 100*+ 300+mi from home to figure it out. i was in southern oregon and couldnt get my key out, and i was not about to leave my truck on the side of the street with the key hanging in the ignition lol, so i stated tearing into things and unplugging things... talk about a royal PITA...

[Cwm]

Well, that did it. Pulled that plug (located just forward of the shift lever) and the key pulled straight out. Who knows what it was, but i took a photo in case someone else needs a reference point.

[runnyrunnerton]

If it gets stuck, or wont turn "ON" or"OFF" look at your key, if its all smoothed out and lacks nice sharp ridges, the key is the culprit. I pulled my key cylinder and took it to a lock smith and had a key cut "By the numbers" which is locksmith for cutting a keys teeth based on the pin size in the tumbler and not using your current key at all. My key started refusing to go either direction, this solved it. Costs about $20. If you solved it electronically, make sure you can duplicate your solution before ruling this out, once the key stops pushing the pins up far enough, you're dead in the water.

[Nixid]

Originally Posted by Cwm

Well, that did it. Pulled that plug (located just forward of the shift lever) and the key pulled straight out. Who knows what it was, but i took a photo in case someone else needs a reference point.

Had same issue, replaced the blue bushings in shifter solved problem.

[jme4282]

Glad I found this website! I'm having this same problem right now! Just one of the many helpful threads I've had to use so far.

[jme4282]

I unhooked the same white plug as in the earlier photo. I could finally get my key out of the ignition! Although, I had to charge my battery first!

[dtederick65]

Do you have the part number for the blue bushing you replaced?

[RiverRunner]

2000 4R Limited: I had this problem and found this old thread; disconnected the clip as instructed and it worked! However, now my shift lever is very hard to work and doesn't always want to come out of park. Could this a consequence of disconnecting the clip or is it an unrelated issue? Thanks...