Help! My key is stuck in the ignition. The button on the automatic shifter is stuck down. I think this might have something to do with it…like it can’t go fully into park because the button is still pressed in.

 

well ur in luck take it to the dealer theres a small pin in the automatic shifter thats broken and they will fix it for free lucky u its monday had it happen to me on a friday and around here trying to find service on weekends is like winning the jackpot

 

Thats what I was thinking...something wrong with the shifter.

Thanks for the help.

 

dont take it in.

stop. put ur foor on the brake and hold it.

under ur key there is a little compartment with a rubber piece over it, take the rubber piece off.

now stick ur finger in there, there is a little button that when pressed will release ur key.

this happens sometimes with 2.2s

if it happens multiple times then take it in and have the steering column replaced, its a common problem, there is even a tsb on it.

 

Its your shifter linkage that gets worn out over time. I took mine in a few months ago. They replaced the shifter assembly and it works like a charm again.

 

and a little note, unless u see the actual repair report from the dealer, u would have no clue wht they replaced under warranty, not even if they "told" u. they could have just pressed that little button and sent u on ur way. not saying thats what happened but dealers do that all the time.

 

not unless you work there, and are friends with techs and service advisors.

 

my dealer always gives me a copy of the repair report...

 

do u have an auto? becuase thats wht the OP has. it is pretty rare for an auto shift linkage to go, and in that case you can easily tighten it. The problem with the key being stuck has been around since 05 with autos, i have seen it many many times, dont think it has ever been the shift linkage, always the steering column/iginition. (both are controlled by ur auto tranny BTW, if it dosnt sense that it is in park then the key will not release, what is happening is its in park, the column does not realize and is keeping the key in)

zWTF i should start asking for a full repair report. i have never gotten one for warranty work, ever.

 

i never had to ask, but they shouldn't deny it to you, especially if you pay for work to be done. then again i had a cool dealer, they offered to install any parts, and even said they would order certain things to the dealer for distributer cost.

 

this is work being done under warranty so no paying, but they did say that one time they ordered a fuse box for me on "goodwill" because it wasn't covered.. personally i think they were feeding me BS.


i wonder if they keep backups of customer warranty work on file?
edit-^ of course they do.

 

just walk in and ask, they have to keep that stuff on file, and there's no reason for them not to give you a copy.

 

i kno it might sound like overkill but i might just do that, its my car, i pay for it, and i should have a copy of everything the dealer ever did to my car.

 

that's just smart on your behalf. i keep all mine, and i think all owners should.

 

Do cobalts have that shift lock thing on the side of the shifter? Maybe try that? If not then definitely go under the steering column, remove the back thing, and press the button to release the key.

 

Right after I got my car I had the same problem. They said a release solenoid went bad on the shifter. All under warranty.

 

Just take it in

 

i use to do the button thing under neath the steering wheel....and one day i just happen to go to the dealer cuz my car would not start and they replaced my shifter for free....i didnt even know it was broken...but yes that is the cause of ur key being stuck....just go to the dealer...they will replace it for free

 

I took my car in after work. They said it is probably a broken pin in the automatic shifter. They said that it is a known problem and even though my warranty is up (bought the car in 05 so warranty expired a few months ago) they would fix it for free.

 

That was pretty nice of them. I'm sure their hoping your gonna give them a good word to others, plus the price of the fix is cheap.

 

My car has no warranty (salvage title), is the shifter hard to replace?

 

I am not sure how hard it is to replace or how long it would take...but like I said, my warranty had expired and they fixed it for free because it was a known problem.