car key locked/stuck in ignition slot, can't be removed

[EliseandFredBrink]

Our car key is locked into the ignition key slot and can't be removed.
This is after car battery ran down completely while sitting through cold spell, and then was recharged fully, and car started fine when key was inserted and turned, and drove fine.
Radio has failed to come on , even with the correct factory code for theft-protection was .entered
Now the key is locked into the key slot, and can't be removed.
-Tried turning off everything, wiggling everything, turning wheel, changing drive selection with hand grip, wiggling the button in the drive selector handle.

Any suggestions?

Fred Brink

[abscate]

The gear selector lever has to be firmly in park to release the last little turn of the key to POS 0, where it will come out. Have a good look at the key and see if it is stopping just short of KP 0

These things do gum up and get stuck with age, cold weather exacerbates this

[erikv11]

Make sure the shift knob is fully seated on the shaft - pop the knob downward with your palm. And make sure the shift lock override button is not stuck down.

If none of the "easy fixes" work then keep in mind: There is a metal piece for the steering lock mechanism that breaks off and jams up the key mechanism, a stuck key (or one that will not turn) is a common result of this. It gets stuck because the tumbler can't turn all the way back to position 0. Much more common with S/V/C70 than with 850 but can happen. Fairly easy fix with a dremel viewtopic.php?f=1&t=67531

[scot850]

On the radio front, do you know if it may have been swapped or are you 100% sure it is the original?

If the code does not work it may have been swapped so you will need the code for the current one. If you try to enter a code 3 times wrongly it locks you out. There is a procedure to un-lock but it take the car being left with the ignition on if I recall for a long time, or removing the radio and sticking it in the freezer. That last one may be just my bad memory.

You can remove the radio and contact a dealer. There is an ID stamped on the radio that you need to get to them and they can find the code for that head unit. There is a code finder but I think that may be only for the original radio matched to your VIN #.

Neil.

[jeringo]

My 98 does that in cold weather overnight even running ok. I have used a hair dryer set on it for several minutes and this frees it up every time. Some very tight tolerances must be shrinking and keeping it locked. Heat might help.

[MoVolvos]

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Could be a similar problem except yours won't allow your key to return to the "0" position for removal.

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[FireFox31]

Here's a good post in a good thread about the key being stuck in the ignition. A second good thread and a very technical post about it.

Ensure the shifter button is all the way out and the shift lock override button is all the way up. Spray around both with a tiny amount of silicone spray. I recently had to remove the center console (four bolts, not hard) to push up the shift lock override button from the bottom. Pulling it up wasn't enough.

[SirBrickWagon]

On the radio front, do you know if it may have been swapped or are you 100% sure it is the original?

If the code does not work it may have been swapped so you will need the code for the current one. If you try to enter a code 3 times wrongly it locks you out. There is a procedure to un-lock but it take the car being left with the ignition on if I recall for a long time, or removing the radio and sticking it in the freezer. That last one may be just my bad memory.

You can remove the radio and contact a dealer. There is an ID stamped on the radio that you need to get to them and they can find the code for that head unit. There is a code finder but I think that may be only for the original radio matched to your VIN #.

Neil.

on my car the radio code was on top of the head unit in sharpie when pulled out slightly. it's on both of my radios, i sure as hell didn't write them on. maybe it's the same for this one

[scot850]

I have done that with any radios I pulled as I have got the codes from the dealer and at this age it is unlikely anyone wants to steal them! Easy enough to pop the radio head unit out enough to get the code if I forget!

Neil.