Ignition key won’t turn

[zupta82]

Hello everyone, my brother had to go to work this morning and put the key in the ignition and it would not turn. I told him to wiggle it a little and it freed up. It is a 1996 volvo 850. I replaced the electrical switch about a year ago due to intermittent electrical gremlins. I’m thinking the tumblers where the key goes in are dry and need lubrication or the steering wheel lock is binding. It couldn’t of happened at a much worse time, sorry I’m in panic mode.
Thank You!!

[bmdubya1198]

Is it automatic? Check to make sure the button on the shifter is all the way out and not stuck in. I don't know if that will prevent the key from turning on though, typically if the key is in, it'll prevent it from being turned back to the 0 position and removed.

[erikv11]

This is a very common problem on 98+ cares, maybe your 850 has something similar going on: viewtopic.php?t=67531

I would try the Dremel fix right away, it is fairly cheap and easy and not going to cause further problems even if it doesn't fix it.