My daughter just called saying the key is stuck in her 2001 Saturn SC2. She had driven a mile or two and stopped and couldn't get the key to move or release. With some encouragement, and after much wriggling, she finally got it to release. She has automatic transmission, and it's in park, and she said the steering wheel was not locked. From what I've read on here, I suspect it's a stuck tumbler. However, it's currently 10 degrees F and was much lower over night. Her car sits outside on the driveway. I'm wondering if the cold is the problem and if some lubrication (graphite?) in through the keyhole would help the tumblers move in low temps. Or does it need replacement?
Graphite may help temporary. But it will need to be replaced
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Thanks for the advice on the graphite. As a followup, my daughter admitted last week that she hadn't had it "fully" in park, and when she nudged the stick and it moved a little, the key freed up and came out. My *first* question to her over the phone when the key was stuck had been "Is it in park?" and she had assured me at the time that it was. Cold weather or not, my philosophy is to always check the obvious first :-(
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