Why won't my key turn past the accessory mark in my 09 jetta

Also - I have tried to 'unlock' the steering wheel by turning it, but no success with ignition. I can't even start the car to take it to the dealership. Thank you in advance!

it wears out, try spraying lube in the ignition hole, just maybe your lucky

Thank you. It won't hurt it - WD40?

these cars have a bad habit of having the key cylinder breaking loose Only way to fix it is have the entire ignition unit replaced. Just had this done in my 2012 jetta. You probably won't be lucky and it wont be cover under warranty so expect a 600$+ bill from the dealership. Your best bet to getting the car started tho is try to get the key as straight as possible and maybe pull it back a little and make sure the steering lock bar does not get in your way by holding the wheel dead center of where the lock hits between. Your just going to have to get lucky on this one and make slow movements with it till it moves past the broken segment. your other option is to remove the ignition unit and cranking it over from the crank pin while your key dead locks the security. You could possible jump the starter with a piece of metal if you can get to power on position. I would jsut install a switch that jumps the starter temporarily tho its safer. Just use a house light switch and wireing:P

if you have a Manuel car you could just bump start it to

Thank you - it's actually my daughter's car and she's in college in a different city, so it makes it very hard. Thank you for the insight - and I hope the news is $600; we just spent $700 on replacing a sensor two months ago (thankfully, my cousin works for a dealership and was able to get me used part and a break on labor). This time, the car had to be towed so we couldn't take it to my cousin's dealership (it's about 100 miles away). Thank you, again.

Thank you - hopefully the shop will call today with the diagnosis.

My car key want turn once I put it in ignition but will go out of gear

I have tried turning my key in the switch but I can't get it to turn over to start

if you key wont turn you need a new ignition boys it helps to read the answers before posting cheers.

Ok so we had a 2005 jetta come in with issue some are having key goes in turns a small amount but won't turn to start position ect there is a set pin for the steering wheel lock that wears out your options are replacing lock cylinder or there is a small pressed on cap that has a spring that causes the lock mechanism for the column lock to become stuck drilling this out and removing the pin and spring does not damage anything else and frees up the key so that it is at that point able to turn happened on my 01 jetta the customer opted for this solution over a new lock cylinder because of the cost of the part and then removing steering wheel and everything else required to remove the lock cylinder that is one solid assembly

I'm having a similar problem with my son's 2006 VW Rabbit. The key will turn just far enough to turn on accessories and temporarily unlock the steer, but no further. I've tried WD40, jiggling, tapping, etc.-- but still no movement. I'm curious about Chris' remedy of drilling out the "small pressed on cap". Chris: could you say more about this? Exactly where is the "pressed on cap" located and what does it look like?

I would recommend drilling anything off your car. The issue is after years of use the key cylinder gets weak and missaligned. Also if you are constantly parking with your wheel turned and let the car role onto the park position it puts the full weight of your car on the lock cylinder To get it to fully release try turning your wheel away from spot it is stuck on which should relase the lock properly. Replace the lock cylinder and it will fix the problem.

My 2013 jetta has had ignition switch problems for quite a while. Couldn't get the key out sometimes, and its locked so i couldn't turn my car off. Turns out, the other day i received a notice from VW extending my warranty to cover the failed ignition switch. Only certain models are covered so check it out before you pay to fix it. VW acknowledged a problem and are covering it in a warranty extension

‘13 Jetta SE now has the issue where I can’t turn the car off. Recent extended warranty from VW related to steering lock which MIGHT be the problem. Anyone else have the warranty fix the key problem?

yea its a defect in the part. try wiggling the key and steering wheel. the ingiton comes apart and gets stuck which is why it happens. repair is to replace the whole key slot

In order to remove the lock cylinder dont you need to be able to turn the key? My key wont turn but a few mm's i've had it turn on drl once. Steering wheel can be rotated. Tried graphite with no luck.

Ok so on the vw lock cylinders there is a lock pin that has a cap on the cylinder there is a spring and set key that prevents tumbler from turning the lock cylinder itself will wear out and not allow for that pin to release the only way to fix that everyone is going to tell you is lock cylinder replacement however that cap that holds that pin in can be removed and spring and set key can be removed to allow cylinder to turn again have done it 2 times for customers that didnt want to spend the additional money to replace entire cylinder if I had a photo I would post however if you look it up on utube there are a couple videos regarding this issue

Chris, Thanks for the immediate response. Ill see what I can find on youtube later. Any suggestions for what to search for on YouTube?

just search key cyclinder replacement. and i would not advise the removal of the lock pin as it jsut makes the car easier to be stolen its there for a reason as it also locks your wheel from turning from say when your parked on a hill. with out a lock pin the wheel can straighten and roll away..

Same thing key wouldn’t turn or come out Mechanic fixed $500 Now steering light is on dash ?

2008 be Jetta btw

Also same car 2008 Jetta Strange noise coming from behind glovebox? Sunroof randomly opens and closes ? Thank you

what you might be hearing is the realy that works the sun roof next time it happens listen and see if it hapen when the sun roof is mucking up. if your button is worn it may be that but could be the relay in the dash.

Chris where is this cap and set pin located?

Hi, I have the same issue with the key not able to turn to start ignition. Could a dead battery also be a factor? Thanks

So i have the same issues i have my ignition removed but cannot turn key to align holes to remove the key lock mech what can i do ?

I have the New lock cylinder for my 2006 Jetta, i have’t install yeat, the question. Is if i have to reprogram the key or reprogram the new Cylinder.

I used Rubbing Alcohol and rag. Wiped down key, then took rag to the ignition switch. Car starts perfectly.

I have the key issue as well. Difficult to turn car on and off. Met with resistance, but with some wiggling was able to get it to work. Called the dealership to come in for service but could only get an appt 4 days later (weekend in between). Yesterday was my appt and the key would not turn at all. After about half and hour of struggling I called CAA. Tow came and the driver attempted to override the car into neutral (thru the shifter) to be able to tow the car. We told him to stop for fear of damage to the car but he already had the shifter plate off and was inside the mechanism with a screwdriver. Long story short the dealership says my shifter has been damaged with a cost of repair at over $1200. Called CAA to report and they are trying to say the shifter was already an issue bc both the Key lock cylinder housing and shifter can be affected with this issue. I was driving the car with absolutely no issues moving the shifter while having the issue with turning the key in the ignition. I have read that the shifter can affect the key if you have issues removing the key from the ignition. I never had that problem. Can anyone offer any comments on the possible shifter/ignition connection? Thanks.

Same issue. What i need is a picture refrence to getting to thekey cylinders where the mechanisms in question are located

My 2007 jettas key will turn and start the vehicle. shirter also moves to drive, neutral, reverse. but the steering wheel wont turn. will i only need to replace the ignition lock housing?

THE ONLY ANSWER YOU'LL EVER NEED!!!. . . . . . . . .The problem's inside the "ignition lock cylinder", inside of it, there's a thing called the "steering lock mechanism", that eventually breaks from normal use, and will have to be removed. You don't have to replace the whole "ignition lock cylinder", you just have to remove the broken pieces of the "steering lock mechanism" inside it. Here's a video the shows this issue spot on: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=nykkay9TuIw

‘07 Jetta- I was having no problems until a noise was coming from behind the glovebox. I looked it up as some stripped part that wouldn’t affect operation. A few days later, my car would not allow me to turn the key or shift gears. The steering was not locked. I didn’t do any of the wriggling suggested here, but did have it towed to my repair guy. What I want to know is why VW hasn’t made this a recall? Is replacing pieces instead of the whole cylinder best? And, is the cost of the replacement ($1500) worth it?

2009 5cyl model automatic- I know this is old, but before investing in a dealer, or taking the column out, and after you’ve trying all the typical tricks, try this as it work for me surprisingly: You’ll need, electronics spray cleaner, high pressure air, silicone spray lubricant. This is of course only if nothing is broken, and if key can be removed. In my case, the key would go in and out, but only turn to accessories. It would not turn all the way forward to start vehicle. -spray electronics cleaner in keyhole (a few sprays) -immediately take hp air to blow the cleaner out. -repeat this step several times while also inserting key in and out twisting and turn(if able) also true n steering wheel several times both ways(if possible). -at this point spray the lubricant in and start turning steering wheel left and right while trying to turn the key back and forth in and out etc. -I ended up spraying more lube in and blasting it with air a few more times. In all took around 20 minutes before the key starting the motor. -I let it run for about 10 minutes, then turned car back off and took key out. -I then went to restart, and had same issue, however, after about 30 seconds it turned again. I kept repeating trying to start car and each time became easier. Until finally it was effortless. -The next morning I went to start vehicle, and again it was effortless. It’s been weeks now and starting has not been an issue. I hope this helps someone