Car key stuck in ignition and green flashing light
The key becomes frozen in the ignition cylinder while still turning partially, often accompanied by a failure to shift out of park and a flashing green immobilizer light. This sudden mechanical jam prevents drivers from removing the key or starting the vehicle entirely.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1pressing the key fob near the ignitionDid this help you?
- 2wiggling the steering wheelDid this help you?
- 3shifting firmly back into parkDid this help you?
- 4Wiggling the shifter while trying to turn the ignitionDid this help you?
- 5Pressing firmly into park or neutral while turning the ignitionDid this help you?
- 6Flicking the shift lock release button to pop it outDid this help you?
- 7Replacing the ignition housing or switchDid this help you?
- 8trying contact cleanerDid this help you?
- 9confirming the vehicle is in parkDid this help you?
- 10placing the vehicle in neutralDid this help you?
- 11spraying graphite spray into the key cylinderDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“My key is stuck in my 2009 Honda Civic and I'm getting this green flashing light, what the hell do I do???”source ↗
“I’ve had maybe 5 times where the key would be frozen in there where take the key out or start it.”source ↗
“It’s wierd because it’s still turning but not all the way”source ↗
“I’ve done that a lot yesterday and I couldn’t get out out of park”source ↗