My Key Is Stuck In The Lock, What Do I Do Now?

For almost all of us, keys are vital to our everyday lives. They are essential instruments that allow us to gain or prevent entrance to our homes and offices, how we operate our vehicles, and how we keep our possessions secure. What happens then, when the keys you depend on so much fail to let you in, or get stuck in a lock? It happens more than you think, and it can happen in your car, home, or office.

Fortunately, Brothers Locksmith is there for you when it happens. You can give us a call, and we can help you avoid damaging your door lock or vehicle ignition when trying to retrieve your key.

To better help you understand how keys get stuck and what you should do when it happens, we’ve included some helpful information below.

How Keys Get Stuck in the Ignition

There are a few main reasons a key may get stuck in a car ignition: problems with related components of the vehicle, issues with the key itself, or issues with the ignition lock cylinder.

1. Transmission gear selector is not in park . An automatic transmission is designed so that you cannot remove your key unless the car is in park. If your key gets stuck in your ignition, there may be a chance that you didn’t shift entirely into park when you turned off the car. If this is the case, there’s an easy fix. Shift into park and remove your key!

2. Dead battery. If there is no power running through the electronic ignition system in your vehicle, it may fail to release your key. A quick way to determine if you have a battery problem is to open your car door and see if your inside lights come on. If they don’t, a battery issue may be to blame, and your local Pop-A-Lock will be able to diagnose, andl likely even fix.

3. If you don’t have a transmission gear selector or battery issue, the issue may be with the key itself. Over time, keys can get dirty, bent, and worn down from daily use. You can also bend your key out of shape if you’ve used it as a tool to open things or for any other reason than it’s designed use.

Gently wiggling the key can sometimes free it, but you don’t want to use excessive force as this can cause much bigger problems.

4. The car’s lock cylinder not operating correctly. Just as the key can get dirty, the inside of the lock mechanism can, too. Debris in the lock mechanism may be prohibiting the key from being released. In this situation, it is best to call an experienced locksmith as wiggling the key too much may further push debris into the lock mechanism, worsening your problem.

How Keys Get Stuck in Door Locks

Keys can get stuck in door locks for similar reasons as vehicle ignitions, such as the key being dirty, or the lock mechanism needing lubrication.

Dirty or misshapen keys and lock mechanisms are also common causes of keys getting stuck in door locks. Debris or worn grooves can prohibit the lock pins from sitting properly against the key, which can cause it to get stuck inside the lock. A lack of lubrication can worsen this issue. Lightly jiggling your key while spraying a pump of WD-40 into the keyhole may release it, but if not, don’t resort to breaking windows when experienced locksmiths are available to help you get the key out of the lock without doing any damage.