key will not turn ignition switch in cold weather
Asked by ford_fusion Jan 23, 2012 at 07:45 PM about the 2010 Ford Fusion SEL
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
key will not turn ignition switch in really cold weather. happened on 2010 Fusion. Dealer witnessed the problem but couldn't solve. Due to the mystery problem the dealer replaced vehicle with 2011 model and now it has same problem! Have already tried the "turn the steering wheel" remedy. No luck
6 Answers
make sure it is all the way in park.
Jiggle it in park, move the car back and forth in park. Details on what model fusion might help
ford_fusion answered 12 years ago
Both vehicles were Fusion SEL , 4 cylinder, automatic. The dealer has witnessed the problem on both vehicles, but claims they have never seen the problem on any other fusion. They tried moving the shifter, moving the steering wheel. They have changed all kinds of parts but no solution. It eventually breaks free after much jiggling (seems like the warmth of the hand on the key passes into the ignition switch). Bizarre that it has happened on both vehicles. I thought maybe there was other Fusion owners with similar problem but have not found any others , yet.
I had the same issue. Key goes in but won't turn. The steering wheel was able to turn fully and wasn't locked and won't lock. Eventually after moving the steering wheel around the key was able to turn.
Guru9N63B8 answered 2 years ago
metal contacts shrink/erode over time. In cold weather 10 F, the ignition switch can fail. Get it replaced. This is currently happening with 2012 VW Tiguan. In warm weather, there are no issues.
