When a Car Key Will Not Turn in the Ignition
A car key refuses to turn in the ignition because the steering lock is under load, the gear selector is out of Park, the key is worn or bent, or the ignition barrel is worn or blocked.
Inta-Lock Car Key Guides. Updated October 2026.
The steering lock is the cause to rule out first, because it clears at the car with light pressure on the wheel and the key. A spare key then separates a worn key from a worn ignition barrel. Force is the one action that makes the fault worse, since a key blade that snaps leaves a piece inside the lock.
A table further down sets each sign at the wheel and the key against its cause. Where the checks change nothing, Inta-Lock repairs and replaces ignition barrels at the vehicle, and a quote is agreed before work begins.
Why Does a Car Key Not Turn in the Ignition?
A car key does not turn in the ignition for one of four reasons, a steering lock under load, a gear selector out of Park, a worn or bent key, or a worn or blocked ignition barrel.
- The steering lock is under load. When the front wheels press against the bolt of the steering lock, the bolt binds and the ignition lock stays held with it.
- The gear selector is out of Park. An automatic car links the ignition lock to the gear selector. With the selector between positions, or left in Drive or Reverse, the link holds the key.
- The key is worn or bent. The cuts along a key blade set the moving parts inside the lock. Rounded cuts or a bent blade set them at the wrong height, and the lock stays shut.
- The ignition barrel is worn or blocked. Worn or stuck parts inside the ignition barrel, dirt in the keyway or a broken piece of metal stop the lock turning for a sound key.
The first two causes clear at the car without a tool. The last two are faults in the key or the lock, and neither improves with force.
How Is a Locked Steering Wheel Released?
Four steps release a steering lock that is holding the key, and none of them uses force.
- Take your hand pressure off the key, and leave the key fully in the ignition.
- Move the steering wheel a little each way. One direction is solid and the other has a small amount of give.
- Hold the steering wheel toward the side that gives, with light and steady pressure, and turn the key gently at the same moment.
- Stop when the key still does not turn. Repeating the movement harder loads the key blade and changes nothing in the lock.
A key that turns freely after these steps had nothing wrong with it. The steering lock was doing its job, and the front wheels were pressing on it.
Which Sign Points to Which Cause?
Each sign at the steering wheel and the key points to one cause, and the table sets five signs against the cause, the first check at the car and the work that puts it right.
| What you notice | Cause it points to | First check at the car | What puts it right |
|---|---|---|---|
| The steering wheel is locked solid and the key goes fully in | The steering lock is under load from the front wheels | Ease the wheel toward the side that gives while turning the key lightly | Nothing further, where the key then turns freely |
| The car is an automatic and the key stays held | The gear selector is out of Park, so the link to the ignition lock is holding | Press the brake pedal and move the selector fully into Park | Nothing further, where the key then turns freely |
| The spare key turns and the main key does not | The main key is worn or bent | Lay the two blades side by side and compare the cuts | A new key blade cut for the car, in place of the worn key |
| Neither key turns and the steering wheel moves freely | The ignition barrel is worn, stuck or blocked | Look into the keyway for dirt or broken metal, with nothing pushed in | Repair or replacement of the ignition barrel |
| The key stops short and does not go fully in | An object sits in the keyway, or a part inside the barrel has dropped out of place | Stop, and leave the key out of the lock | The barrel cleared or repaired at the car |
Each cause has its own remedy, so the cause is identified before any part is changed. A quote is agreed before work begins, so the figure is known before the key or the ignition is touched.
Key held fast in the ignition in Leicester or Leicestershire, with the steering lock already ruled out? Matt attends the car himself, and a quote is agreed before work begins.
Call Matt on 0116 442 2084What Happens When a Stuck Key Is Forced?
A stuck key that is forced bends or snaps, because the blade is the thinnest part between the hand and a lock that is being held shut.
A key blade carries the turning force of the hand into the ignition barrel. When the barrel is held by the steering lock, by the gear selector or by its own worn parts, that force stays in the blade.
A blade that breaks leaves the ignition blocked, and having a snapped car key removed becomes the first job before the original fault is reached.
Pliers and a tap on the key raise the load on the same weak point. A bent key is not straightened and tried again, because the bend has already weakened the metal.
What Does a Spare Key Show About the Fault?
A spare key shows which side the fault sits on, since a spare that turns points to the worn main key and a spare that also stays still points to the ignition barrel.
The spare key has spent most of its life unused, so its cuts are close to the shape the lock was built for. Where the fresh blade turns the ignition and the worn blade does not, the lock is sound and the key is the fault.
Where neither key turns, with the steering wheel free and an automatic in Park, the wear or the blockage is inside the ignition barrel.
A copy made from a worn key carries the wear across to the new blade. A key cut for the lock itself does not.
What Is the Steering Lock and Why Does It Bind?
The steering lock is an anti theft device that holds the steering column when the key is out, and it binds when the weight of the front wheels presses the column against its bolt.
Removing the key and turning the steering wheel lets a steel bolt drop into a slot in the column. Turning the key in the ignition draws the bolt back out.
Front wheels turned against a kerb, parked on a slope or left on full lock push the column sideways against the bolt. The bolt is then gripped by the slot, and the ignition lock has no freedom to draw it back.
The MOT inspection manual section on the anti theft device covers the steering lock on passenger cars first used on or after 1 September 2001 where it was fitted as original equipment. The manual lists a steering lock that engages inadvertently as a dangerous defect, so a steering lock that catches with the key in use is a fault to act on.
When Is an Auto Locksmith Called for an Ignition Key?
An auto locksmith is called once the steering lock check and the spare key have changed nothing, or as soon as the key bends, stops short or feels close to breaking.
The call goes to Matt on 0116 442 2084, and the phone is answered 24 hours a day, every day of the year. The make, the model, the year and the registration of the car are the details to have ready, along with what the key and the steering wheel are doing.
Inta-Lock repairs and replaces ignition barrels at the vehicle, so the car stays where it stands. Matt is with you within the hour in Leicester, and the same day across Leicestershire. A quote is agreed before work begins.
Where the answer is a new key, identity and authority to request the work are checked first. The V5C vehicle registration certificate, which names the registered keeper, and photo identification are common examples, and what applies is confirmed on the call.
What Else Goes Wrong Around the Ignition Lock?
Five situations sit beside a key that does not turn, and each one leads to a different check or a different job.
How Does a Worn Key Differ From a Worn Ignition Barrel?
A worn key is a fault in the part you carry, while a worn ignition barrel is a fault in the part fixed to the car. The first is put right by a new key blade, and the second by work on the lock itself.
Both faults grow slowly and both begin with a key that turns stiffly. The spare key tells them apart. Where the barrel is the cause, the work belongs to ignition barrel repair, which covers the repair and the replacement of ignition barrels at the vehicle. What applies to a given car is confirmed on the call.
Why Does the Key Turn and the Engine Stay Silent?
This is the opposite situation. The key turns, the dashboard lights, and the engine does not start. The ignition lock and the steering lock are both working, so the fault lies in the electronics.
A key that the car no longer recognises is traced through immobiliser diagnostics, which is a different job from any repair to the ignition barrel.
What About Push Button Start Cars?
A car with a start button has no key blade to turn, and its steering lock is released by a motor in place of the key. The MOT inspection manual notes that some electronic steering locks, generally on vehicles with keyless ignition systems, activate only when the driver door is opened or closed.
On these cars the cause is electrical, so the checks for a worn key and a worn ignition barrel do not apply.
Does the Same Key Refuse the Door Lock?
A key that also stays still in the driver door points to the key and away from the ignition, since two separate locks are unlikely to fail on the same day. The checks for a car key that does not unlock the door are set out in their own guide.
What If the Key Turns and Then Stays In?
A key that turns, stops the engine and then stays held in the lock is a separate fault. The holds at the ignition and at the door lock, and the release for each one, are set out in the guide to what to do when a car key sticks in the lock.
Inta-Lock repairs and replaces ignition barrels at the vehicle, and the phone is answered 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a flat battery stop a car key turning?
A flat battery does not stop a key turning in a mechanical ignition barrel, and it does stop the release on a car with an electronic steering lock or a start button.
On a car with a mechanical ignition the key turns and the dashboard stays dark. On a car with a start button the steering lock is released electrically, so a flat battery leaves it on.
Is it safe to spray oil into an ignition lock?
No, oil sprayed into an ignition lock is not confirmed as safe by any manufacturer source read for this guide, and no oil or spray is recommended on this page.
Oil does not take the load off a steering lock and does not put back metal worn from a key blade, so two of the four causes are untouched by it. What suits the ignition lock of a given car is confirmed on the call.
How does the MOT treat a faulty steering lock?
The MOT inspection manual lists a steering lock that engages inadvertently as a dangerous defect, and a steering lock that is missing or not functioning as a minor defect.
The check applies to passenger cars first used on or after 1 September 2001 where a steering lock was fitted as original equipment. The manual accepts a missing or not working steering lock where the car has an engine immobiliser.
How much does it cost to fix a key that does not turn?
The cost of fixing a key that does not turn depends on the cause, and a quote is agreed before work begins.
A steering lock under load costs nothing to clear. A worn key leads to a new key, a worn ignition barrel to a repair or a replacement barrel, and a snapped key adds an extraction to the job. The key type and the make of the car move the figure as well. No price list is published.
Is an ignition fault ever a safety recall?
An ignition fault is a safety recall only where the manufacturer has recalled that vehicle for it, and the recall service on GOV.UK shows this from the registration number.
A recalled vehicle is fixed by its manufacturer, and the owner does not usually pay for the repair or the parts. A fault with no recall behind it is a repair like any other.