Fixing a stuck key or ignition on an early 90’s Honda Civic
Posted on November 10th, 2007 | 31 Comments »
Do you have a mid-nineties Honda Civic where the ignition key locking mechanism gets stuck and you can no longer remove the key? So did I until deciding to tear it apart and see what’s going on. Here’s how I fixed mine:
First remove the plastic shroud surrounding the steering column. There are a few screws on the bottom and then it just snaps together at the seams. This will reveal the steering column and ignition key system.
Directly beneath the key cylinder is a white plastic cover held in place by two screws. Remove this piece.
Beneath the cover is a metal and white plastic box that has a metal rod coming out the end. If you move the key you’ll see that this rod is held in place by small clip. If you pull down slightly on the box you can remove this metal rod. Removing this will now allow the key be removed again.
I’ve been driving the car for almost a week after doing this and haven’t run into any problems yet. More than likely this was put in place so you cannot remove the key while the car is in gear but I really don’t see this being a problem unless you leave the car in neutral and then take it out. If you don’t make sure your car is in park then you may find your car in the middle of the street or in a neighbor’s yard so pay attention! If anyone has any questions or can’t make out the blurry camera phone pictures just let me know. Good luck!
31 Responses
hey im having that trouble, my key wont go to the lock position..for the key to come out .. if i take that pin out it should fix the problem? also can the pin go back in if you take it out?
thanks.
I have a 1998 Grandprix the ignition key part of the steering wheel want turn because when i did some work to it i realized that i was bothering with the wrong part know an broke the cream colored part in the inside that allows the key to turn,”do you know what shops could fix that problem an a guess on the pricing on it”.
my car had gotten stolen last year and ever since i’ve been driving with a popped ignition. but recently purchased a new ignition but with no key was told u can get 1 made for it but need to remove the cylinder to find the number needed to create a key for it. is this true? need to know asap thanks.
also my car is a 1993 honda civic coupe ex.
Thanks so much for posting this along with pics. I’m a girl, and I have bad luck with mechanics charging me and not fixing things I bring my old Civic in for.
Just took the pin out. Hopefully I wont have anymore problems being stuck fighting to get my key out while I’m supposed to be making crew change at work (I’m an EMT). Leaving the key in wasn’t an option because it killed my battery, but fighting it for 35 minutes at work wasn’t either.
So thanks again!
Hi,
I have a slightly similar problem on a 93 civic. I lost the key and had a new one ordered from Honda. It opens the door but not the ignition. Any ideas?
I am kind of fed-up and want to remove the whole key-housing, steeringlock, etc. What’s the best way around all of this including removing the housing.
Any help appresiated,
Cheers
Thanks very much, I have same problem key stuck in for last 1 year. it drian my batteries in cold weather some times I have to boost the car.
I will try this tonight and give you the update
HOLY SH!T YOUR A SAVANT
My key is stuck in my 2003 Element too!!
Thank you so much!! I have a 2000 civic and my key got stuck today.
If this happens to you just follow the steps and you’ll save yourself about 200 bucks for a new locking mechanism.
Thank you for posting this repair procedure. My ’95 civic was driving me crazy when it got cold. The repair took about 10 minutes to complete and I haven’t had the problem since.
Thank yu so fliipin much. Was worried that I would have to invest $ome money that I rele dnt have. Wrkd out great.
thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou……ive been going crazy with my ignition key that sometimes came out and most of the time didnt come out ….for over 3 months!! thank you again,because a new cylinder was 300 bucks…you just saved me big .
I had the same problem on 96 civic. This worked and saved me from visiting a mechanic. Thanks.
Have had a prob with my key for the past few months, and this helped very much!! thanks 🙂
Thanks man, have a 94 Honda DelSol that was driving me crazy, finally found the part on eBay installed the ignition & it did the same thing, your fix got my key out, finally you made me a Happy Camper, just wanted to say thanks…..Who Hoooo Cheers!!!!Salud
My key won’t turn to the aux position so I can change out the lock tumbler. Any help would b great thnx
Fanatsitic instructions. Developed the prob on my 98 civic. Would not let me turn off and take the key out without a battery disconnect.
Got the cylinder out in 10 minutes thanks to the great instructions.
I decided to do this due to the fact my husband was the only one who could get key out instantly while it took me over 30 minutes.since he is heading out of town soon I’ll be stuck withy the horrible car the won’t release the key.it took like 5 minutes to do and I haven’t had a problem since I love it.
Thanks so must for the info and pics drove us crazy in sons 93 delsol but it worked great and he’s very happy !!!
i am confused, so lori, what did u do that fixed the issue?
Thank you so much for posting this. This is the only post I found that offer real solution to this key problem. I got my key out less than 5 min after seeing your post.
I’m experiencing the same problem but i remembered that my mechanic has already done this procedure few years before. The metal and white plastic box that has a metal rod has already been removed. I can put the keys but it wont go through. My problem is that it wont ignite anymore. Do I have to replace the entire key cylinder since the plastic box and metal rod has already been removed or is there another solution? Thank you in advance.
Would it work for a 2000 civic CX? Anyone ?
I did it. thanks and i don’t see any difference in driving the car. Thanks
i’m trying to replace the ignition switch as it has died… i have a 1993 honda civic Lx and every tutorial i find online about changing it out is describing something different than what i have! mine is just a solid block of shaped metal all around it! there’s no star bolt to take out and you can’t gain any access to the little release button on top of the switch! HELP!
Thank you!!! This worked..We’ve been trying to figure it out and the key would sometimes get stuck and eveeytime we had to cover up the key with paper so no one would steal our car.
I have a 1995 Honda Civic. My ignition Key got stuck in the ignition with the car turned on and you could not turn the car off. I took plastic shroud off the steering column and tried tapping on the ignition switch to try and jar the tumbler loose but that didn’t work. Tried tapping on the end of the key. Removed the little white plastic box attached to the bottom of the ignition switch ( which is the safety solenoid switch) and removed the safety pin plunger. Nothing worked. I could turn the switch to the start position III and back to the on position II but couldnt turn it to position I (acc) or 0 (off). I ended up sticking a metal dental pick along side of the key and started pushing up on the tumbler pins that the key moves to allow the switch to turn. A short time later I hit the right combination that allowed the key to turn to the acc I position where I could push in on the key to turn it the rest of the way to the off position. It turns out it was a badly worn key. I tried the spare key and it works fine. I tried putting the warn key back in and you could tell it was draging on the tumblers as I inserted it. I didnt try and turn it as I didnt want it to get stuck again.
Your fix is fantastic..!! My severely worn key would not go back to to “0”: stuck in the AUX position…Removing the little white plastic cover let the solenoid pop-out ; removed the plunger and immediately it worked… Threw that key away and used only the newer ones ; car operates perfectly without plunger in place….THANKS !!!
FYI, the difficulty that all of you are having is with what Honda calls the ‘Key Interlock System’. The purpose of it is to prevent knuckleheads, that would be us drivers, from turning off the car in any gear but Park and then starting it in that other gear. The system activates a solenoid which pushes a pin into the ignition switch that causes you to be unable to turn the ignition key fully off so that you can remove it. Unfortunately, the best safety features often fail causing the car to be even less safe than it was before the key interlock system was even dreamed about. You will have to download the procedure to troubleshoot your cars interlock key system.
We followed your directions for removing key. Worked great!!! Our key was worn badly so we tried another key and just put the pin back in. All works!!! Thanks so much!!! Saves tons of money.