What do I do when key wont turn in the ignition switch?

is it always the same key ? if so, do you have another you can use for awhile ? still under warranty ? dealer would probably want to witness it happen.

no, not same key, also happened once with husbands key. Yes, still under warranty, and you are right about them wanting to be able to witness it. thanks for your answer

Its the steering lock.. put the key in and turn the steering a bit (both sides) while turning the key and it should start. The steering gets locked when you remove the key and turn the steering.

+1 to answer above - do the steering wheel jiggle, finally figured this out today

common problem.... replacing the ignition lock cylinder (ILC) will usually not fix it permantly... my locksmith removed a broken plastic switch in the ILC area that keeps key from turning.. ILC WAS OK ... the I was instructed to use small plier to jurk the key to turn it ... it woked fo me so as to drive the car to the locksmith... call a locksmith that knows about this broken switch problem....

The steering wheel lock is a safety feature of our Élantra 2016. When you turn car off and steering wheel is not aligned then it locks. Put key in ignition and while turning key, press brake petal and turn steering wheel to the right ( all at same time ) and Walah it's unlocked! Abracadabra *

Hyundai keys wear down a lot faster than other manufacturers. I had the same problem, and it turns out my key was so worn down that parts of it were gone completely. Had my local dealership cut me a key for $13. When you try to turn the key again, turn the steering wheel hard at the same time to unlock the steering column (works best with 2 people). Worked like a charm for me. I'd even suggest getting a new key cut after 3-4 years even if you don't have a problem now to prevent one in the future.

My Santa Fe will not let me take key out and it will not start the car. Just came from town, parked and the key will not turn to the point of taking the key out, it will turn to where the car should start but it will not start. Any ideas, anyone. We have tried turning the wheel and key at same time. Don't know what else to do. Have not ever heard of this.

@Debjeancag, if you can't take the key out then the car doesn't think it's in park. Turn the key to the point where it should start then shift into park again. You should be able to take the key out now.

I see it must be a common problem. It has to be the key and the lock becoming worn. I sprayed a little bit of lube in the lock. Now, when I try to start the car, I push the key all the way into the lock it seems to turn toward the start position. I can then start the car.

My HYUNDAI SONATA 2015 and right now the key can't turn the engine on is like Is on a lock mole or something what can I do

It has happened 3 x on my 2010 sonata. Attempted to turn the steering wheel one way while turning the ignition and then the other way and neither worked. Steering wheel was straight. I activated the shift lock release and shifted to various gears and back and still ignition won't unlock. I tired locking and unlocking the car with no luck. Tried both keys. I haven't tried the keys upside down yet. Keys don't look worn but maybe. Of course my foot is on the brake as there is a lock switch on the brake too I believe.

Did you figure out what happened and why it did this

2010 sonata: As a last resort I followed some online advise tapping the end of the key with a hammer while in ignition. This worked. Then contact cleaner even tried wd40. But the problem comes back. Finally ii removed the ignition switch, not so difficult. There is a hole in the side of the switch that you need you use something L shaped to release the switch. So I used a Allen wrench to push in the hole while turning the key to the on position, or was it the accmposition, can't remember now. Replacing it was complicated because the key has a chip in it which means I would have to pop it back in, drive to the dealer, take it out pop in the new one and then get them to program the chip to vehicle, which I would be subject to their schedules. I needed the car so instead I took the switch apart. This is the tumblers part of the switch not the electrical connections. I did not have to take the electrical out although that would have been even easier. You don't have to take the side fuse cover and panel below the steering wheel off but it is so easy to do that it makes the job easier as you can see better to find the hole. When looking at the switch from the front, the hole is about 10 o'clock. I took the switch apart very carefully, on the kitchen table as you don't want to mix up any of the tumblers(I call them tumblers) and careful with the tiny springs. Have pen and paper ready to draw a picture of the switch labeled the left side and right side and which tumbler comes out of where. The tumblers each have a number on them from 1 to 5 which is your key combination. There was a lot of dirt inside so it worked great after I put it together.

2010 sonata cont.: there were 9 tumblers. Cleaning them up helps a lot but if the key or tumblers are worn it will not solve that. More picts to follow.

2010 sonata cont. after removing the dirt, I rubbed each one gently on a piece of 1000 grit (extra extra fine) sand paper to make sure there were no sharp edges. I considered taking the switch to a locksmith but I only found one that that auto switches and he was across town and this was not convenient. My thinking was if this doesn't work to figure out a next step plan. See next post

2010 sonata cont. back up plan. If I were to buy a replacement switch, how do I get around the chip in the key programming at least long enough to be able to drive the vehicle to get it to the dealer. There is a pickup coil at the front of the switch, you may have noticed it in one of my previous photos. It is removed with one screw. I wanted to know how close the key had to be to it so the vehicle would still start. I put the switch back in the vehicle without the pickup coil, let it dangle. I tried to start the vehicle but it would not, as I expected as the key was too far from the coil. Pict shows coil dangling. One key is in the vehicle I am moving my 2nd key closer to the coil until i can start it.

2010 sonata cont.: the chip (using the 2nd key) had to be almost touching the coil or having the key poking through the coil. Then I could start the vehicle with the first key. The pickup coil senses the programmed key and delivers the information to the cars computer. So I concluded that if I had to replace the switch, I could leave the pickup coil dangle and tape my old key (that was still programmed to the car) to the coil and use the new key in the ignition switch. This would allow me to drive the vehicle with the new ignition switch and unprogrammed key to the dealer to get programmed. Or tuck the coil up under the dash with the old key taped to it. Just a though. If doing this, check to see if this interferrs with other things that senses the keys presence. Such as, the car not locking if the key is in the vehicle, or the lights turning off etc, depending on what options you have. Btw, my steering has only locked once since cleaning the switch, so I had to tap it with a hammer. But it is much better. I may eventually have to replace he switch, but I have a plan to do it. I have not been able to find out if I can program a key myself for the sonata. An older vehicle I had, not Hyundai, you apparently could program a new key in the vehicle if you had both other keys. If anyone has info about this I am interested a knowing.

Thanks to this thread I just saved my mom from a towing fee, she slammed the key in hard and it worked. Thanks internet!

I had a similar problem, or so I thought. My key would not turn. The local dealer wanted $460 to install just the ILK. So I found one at a pic'a'part place and returned to install. It was then I noticed the actual switch was pushed out from the housing bottom. After removing it, I found the switch was broken, so I ordered one from NAPA, $15....but still, after installing all the parts, it would not work. Disassembled and found the mechanism from the ILK to the switch had shattered when I was trying to unlock the steering wheel. Now to my question...is it easier to remove one of the mechanisms from a junk car, or should I plan another attack?

I assume you are talking about the white plastic switch part that is broken. Removing the switch is easy enough so replacing it should be the same although I did not have to remove mine and I’m not a mechanic. I just learn as I go. Make sure to follow the proper steps like disconnecting the battery, having the key in the correct position, and pushing the release pin if you need to take out the ignition lock too. The removal instructions I followed were found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY2SmBvy3ls It was quite helpful as well as ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUb5l13q7kg good luck.

The white plast "switch" was the $15 part from NAPA. And yes, it is easy to replace. As is the actual Ignition Mechanism. My problem is, the piece that runs between the two, what the steering lock actually locks into, broke while I was moving the steering wheel back and forth in an attempt to get the key to turn. I have all the broken pieces out, and was wondering if anyone has replaced this before...or should I just unbolt the complete steering lock assembly and install that...

I have never replaced that. In fact, I was initially trying to find that thinking I cold disable that bit had no luck. Be careful if you get inside the steering wheel or anywhere where there is an air bag. One of the reasons to disconnect the battery. If you learn anything about the steering lock, feel free to add it to the post. I would be interested in knowing it.

I will post pictures, and even give prices if I can. The dealership was nuts, $258 in labor to just replace the key switch. $460 for parts and labor. And.....they could not give me an appointment for 8 days. So far I have $36 wrapped up in this job. Plus whatever the cost for parts are tomorrow.

What do u do if doors r manual lock

If you replace the ignition switch, keep the old key as you will need it for the door.

After tapping key with a hammer & shaking the key, finally I got it to turn in my 1994 Cavalier. Then I found out that there is an off position on the ignition switch separate from the "lock position." The key is not supposed to come out from the off position, BUT IT DOES! So I just am committed now to never turn the cylinder to the lock position. I have no desire to spend $270 at autozone for a new cylinder, then pay even my low-priced Mexican mechanic to install it. LIve & let live.

Husband left the wheels turned the steering wheel locked up get in car put key in step on brake grasp the steering wheel with both hands and turn the steering wheel from side to side you feel it unlock turn the key we have a 2016 Hyundai sonatas it worked

My daughter has a 2011 Hyundai Sonata and after reading many of these posts, I advised her to push on the brake and move the steering wheel from side-to-side (key would not turn). This is what did it for her. One post did this with an Elantra; the other did it with a Sonata. Try this if you're stuck.

How can Car makers expect people to tug on steering wheel to start a nearly new car. Our 2014 Sonata has been having Key won't turn in Ignition. I can tug wheel to start it, but that's ridiculous. The Park sensor is not reading it's in Park. If Ignition Cylinder is bad, why such smoothe operation when tugging on Wheel? I keep reading to change ignition switch. Not on a car with 29,oo miles. Come on, there's more parts that are involved in allowing key to turn, and start car. WD-40, another bad answer. It's often a cable stretched, or out of adjustment. The transmission Shifter, or the Interlock system cable. There are other solenoids, etc., involved, but cables stretch, and if car doesn't think it's in Park, key and steering wheel won't turn. I've not found out what Tugging steering wheel does to allow key turn, but it's not fixing a bad ignition momentarily. Such an abundance of poor information, then repeated, online

I just had the same problem with my 2006 Sonata. The Key would only turn a couple millimeters. Couldn't even get it to ACC. I tried everything suggested on this thread. The steering wheel was not locked, and no amount of jiggling of the steering wheel made any difference. My key was pretty worn, so I was hoping that was the problem. So my wife took me, my VIN number and proof of ownership to a local (Greeley) Hyundai dealer where I paid for a new key (they actually did it while I waited, and only charged $35, which was far below what other dealers would have charged. Highly recommend them!). Anyway the new key did not work either. Again, no amount of turning the steering wheel or stepping on the brake made any difference, and the transmission was firmly set in Park. Then I used a very small allen wrench to dig around in the key hole, thinking I might remove some little obstruction. That didn't help. Then I tried the neanderthal method of hitting the ignition with a rubber mallet, hoping to loosen or dislodge whatever might be jamming it up. I was reluctant to hit it very hard. I also tried hitting the key (my original key which was all metal, no plastic) while it was inserted as suggested one this thread, but no luck. Then I thought I would just remove and replace the lock tumbler (as described here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUb5l13q7kg ). That video says that in order to remove the tumbler you must depress a little spring-loaded lock button while the key is turned to ACC, which I was unable to do. But I thought I would try it anyway, thinking maybe if I depress the button it might help me move the key to ACC. But after disconnecting the battery and removing the lower portion of the instrument panel (very easy) I found that I could not depress the button, and no amount of fumbling and turning the key would help. So I reverted back to the neanderthal method of whacking my old metal key while in the ignition, but this time with considerably more force. Well, the second whack bent the key, but no biggie since I now had second key. But that whacking still did not help. I had one last idea. I first straightened out my old key (whacking it flat on a nearby curb) and made sure I could still insert and remove it cleanly from the ignition. Now I happened to have a pair of needle-nosed pliers with me (which I had brought for no specific reason except that they might come in handy for something). I put the old metal key back in the ignition and grasped it firmly with the pliers, intending to use that additional leverage to forcibly turn the key. Of course the risks here were the same as the neanderthal whacking method - the key could break, or I could more seriously damage the ignition assembly. But at this point I figured I was screwed anyway, so I gave it a shot. Bingo! I was able to turn it to ACC. Now I debated whether I should stop there while I was ahead and return to my previous plan of removing the tumbler since I now had the key in the requisite position for removal. But I decided to push my luck. I was able to turn it all the way to START. Nothing happened, of course, since I had disconnected the battery. Then, still using the pliers, I turned the key back to the LOCK position. The I turned all the way to START again, and back to LOCK a couple more times. The I ditched the pliers and found I could now turn the key easily again with my fingers. I re-attached the lower portion of the instrument panel, hooked up the battery, and started the car easy as pie. In fact, the key now seems to move even more smoothly than before. Still don't know what obstruction was preventing the key from turning. But I will just continue driving the car with my trusty pliers in the glove compartment. So as a last resort I am introducing Neanderthal method #2: Grab the key with a pair of pliers and turn! Note that I would only recommend you try this with an all-metal key. If yours has plastic, have an all-metal duplicate made at your local hardware store and use that one. Good luck!

2013 hyundi sonata. Just got a new engine and starter from dealership 1 month ago !! Car is stuck at home today because it is completely locked up. Key won't turn , steering wheel locked up, brakes won't push down either.

I had a problem with the ignition key not turning on my 2008 Hyundai Accent. Releasing the turning preload on the steering wheel did not help. I tested the steering wheel lock system by trying to turn the key when the steering wheel was preloaded and then turning the key when I had released the preload by turning the steering wheel slightly. The ignition key turned slightly more when I released the preload pressure but still would not turn to Acc or Start. I then pressed the shifter side button while closely watching the ignition key several times and noticed the key moving slightly when the shift button was pushed in. I guessed that the steering lock was OK but the problem could be in the shifter interlock. I removed the upper and lower covers from the steering column (after watching it done on Youtube) and began removing shifter interlock. This is very difficult due to lack of room for the Philips screwdriver. I tried to remove the knee bolster panel, but did not know where all the screws and bolts are located. I removed everything as per repair manual but the panel is still firm in place. I used an offset screwdriver (2 ends with 90 degree bends) to remove 5 screws and pulled shifter interlock away from steering column. Pushing the shifter button in while watching the interlock device showed me that the white plastic pin of the interlock moves toward the front of the car. I put the offset screwdriver into the steering column where the white plastic pin would go, and pulled toward me. After pulling and pushing it back and forth for a while I was able to turn the ignition key easily. I started the car and drove it home. I do not know if this is a safe repair. I do not know if the car steering can now randomly lock up while I am driving. This fix got me home without a towing charge and I must now investigate how and why it happened, and how much is it going to cost to repair. Richard Z.

I have a 2007Sonata. The key will not turn. Tried my backup key, that did not work. I then used the original key given at time of purchase. Worked fine. Good Luck.

The following summary is based on a massive review of the available web info regarding ignition lock-up problems. It specifically targets the 2007 Hyundai Sonata, but applies generally to nearly ANY of the "newer cars" (eg. 2000 or newer). Ignition lock-up problems (usually the key won't turn) seem to be endemic to "newer cars". Ignition locks and keys are typically made out of brass (which is a soft metal), and bits of brass from you car key(s) can eventually start to clog up the ignition lock cylinder. I don't know why this (potentially lethal) problem is more prevalent in "newer cars, but the severity/cost of the problem is significantly exacerabated by the host of closely coupled security (aka. anti-theft) features in the newer cars. More specifically, the steering wheel will lock up if you try to turn the wheel when the car isn't started. The gear shift remains locked in park until you start the car. And in many cases, your car won't start unless the key contains a specially coded chip. If your newer-car's key locks up in a remote location, you will probably die. The fix usually requires removing and cleaning (or else replacing) your "ignition lock cylinder" (the cylinder that you put your key into). Others have fixed their problem -- at least temporarily -- by replacing their old key with a new one (the dealer and some locksmiths can cut a new key based on your VIN number). Removing/replacing your ignition lock cylinder is a fairly straightforward process -- but only if you can turn your key to the ACC position. So what do you do if your key won't turn? Well, the intent is to clear the "crud" from inside of your ignition lock cylinder that is stopping its tumblers from moving up and down freely. In most cases, the "fix" involves rotating your locked-up steering wheel to the extreme left or right position and then turning the key. Next, you can try clearing blockage with compressed air or by spraying WD40 into the the lock cylinder. Next, you can try tapping on the key with a hammer (while twisting the steering wheel). If that doesn't work, tap harder. Next (and this is the one that worked for me), use brute force and a pair of pliers to turn the key. See [NO KEY remove and install ignition cylinder -1998 toyota camry - YouTube] for an overview of your options. If that doesn't work, then you have entered the realm of the pathological; and you should probably call a mobile locksmith who specializes in fixing key-doesn't-work problems. But desperate, poverty-strickened, DIYers may want to attempt more extreme fixes: (1) heating the lock cylinder with a hair dryer, (2) pounding a broad, flat-head screwdriver into their keyhole and twisting, (3) drilling out the spring-loaded pin that blocks you from removing the lock cylinder unless the key is in the ACC position, or (4) drilling out the lock cylinder. A locksmith will probably want you to have a new ignition lock cylinder ready for him to install when he arrives. As of June 2021, you can buy one at AutoZone for $160. You can buy the exact-same part on Amazon for $80, or a budget-basement part on Ebay for $45. The new lock cylinder will come with a new set of keys (so you end up with two sets of car keys -- one for the ignition and another for everything else). After you have successfully turned your key to the ACC position, removing/replacing the ignition lock cylinder is a fairly straightforward process. You will want to either (1) replace your old ignition lock cylinder with a new one or (2) clean and lube your old one. You should use a dry lube (ie. a PTFE-based lube -- teflon for example). WD40 may help to clean the crud out of your old cylinder, but it is not a dry lube. In fact, it isn't a lubricant at all. DIYers can disassemble, clean, and lube their ignition lock cylinder as shown at [2007 - 2010 Hyundai Sonata Ignition Disassembly and Rekey - YouTube]. You gain access to the lock cylinder by removing the panel below your steering wheel. This requires removing 4 phillips-head screws (2 on the bottom and 2 on the left side after popping off the fuse-cover panel). Remove the attached electrical connectors by pressing inward on their squeeze tabs. For improved access/visibility, you might also want to remove the plastic cowel from beneath the steering column. The cowel is held in place by 3 phillips-head screws. Unfortunately, these screws are deeply recessed. I ended up upside down peering upward into the recesses in order to see the screw heads, and cursing Hyundai's "engineers". Once you get the screws out, you can easily separate the top and bottom cowels by pressing inwards between them on either side. Disconnect your car's negative terminal (using a 10mm socket). Disconnect the wires to the ignition cylinder's illuminated bezel by pressing inwards from the left on the connector squeeze tab that is located at the 10 o-clock position. Place the key in the ACC position. Use a small allen wrench to press inwards on the spring-loaded pin located immediately in front of the bezel-wires' connector. The lock cylinder will slide in/out with little fuss. See [Ignition lock cylinder replacement, Hyundai Sonata 2007 - YouTube]. Good luck.

I have a 2010 hyundai sonata gls my ignition wont turn pass ACC I tried turning my steering wheel right while turning the key but my steering wheel just locked up is there anything I can do to start my car?