Work through these in order. The first two fix most cases in under a minute.
1. Steering wheel lock
If the wheel was turned as you got out, it locks against the key. Pull the wheel firmly one way, hold it, and turn the key. Try the other direction if needed.
2. Not in Park
An automatic must be fully in Park or Neutral. Move the shifter out and back in.
3. A worn key
Try your spare. If the spare turns, the first key is worn and should be replaced with one cut to the original code, not copied.
4. Dirt in the cylinder
A short burst of electrical contact cleaner or dry graphite can help. Do not use oil, which gums up over time.
5. A worn ignition cylinder
If neither key turns, or it only turns after jiggling, the wafers inside are worn. This gets worse until the day it does not turn at all, usually somewhere inconvenient.
What not to do
- Do not force the key. It can snap in the cylinder.
- Do not hit the key or the column.
The fix
A locksmith can often repair the cylinder and keep your existing key. If it is too worn, it is replaced and keyed to match your doors.
Related: ignition repair and replacement, broken key extraction.
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