Mechanic pulled keys out now wontcrsnk upany idea besids lock smith?They saying $ 2

Put it in neutral and step hard on the brake pedal. Then try to turn the key

Will give that a try in the morning... sitting in fenced lot now key will come out now but not crank

Maybe "jiggle the handle" of the gear shift. Sometimes that neutral lockout switch is just a tiny bit misaligned

What year and make of vehicle? Manual transmission or automatic? Could have a bad neutral switch depending on the age.

My 0-1 S-10 requires a jiggle of the key to turn to start.

We jiggles edough to made butter. was 3 of us taking turns at it

An '02 Toyota Tundra. Automatic

YouTube set me on the right track with mt Wifes Nissan Titan when we were having similar problems. Hers was steering column lock out.

What do you mean by no crank? The key won't rotate the ignition cylinder or the engine won't crank?

If the ignition cylinder won't rotate, it could be the steering wheel lock, try rotating the wheel a bit to take the pressure off the lock. Could also be the shift interlock. There should be a manual release somewhere on the column for that.

If the key turns but the engine doesnt crank, could be a theft deterrent issue, or a host of other problems.

steering wheel will move back and forth some can pull the key out but wony crak it over W as doimg good until ke was pullrd out.

I have a 2002 Toyota Tundra and I think you are having the same problem I had a couple years ago. The key and the lock cylinder get so worn down that they eventually quit working. I had to replace the lock cylinder. I searched Youtube and it had a video showing exacting how to replace it. You have to drill out the old one and turn the new one to "accessory" to install it. It wasn't too hard to replace by following the video.

Now I have a new set of keys to start the truck and still use the old worn down one to unlock the truck.

Probably the theft deterrent system, leave the key out for about an hour and then try it. I have had this happen to me on a tundra and a tacoma.

… isn’t there a little red lock flashing on the dash when that happens?

… I vaguely remember dealing with something like that

… of course I may have just been getting into the wrong Tacoma or something lol

I don't remember a little flashing light, there definitely could have been. Both times it was pretty cold and I had left the keys in the ignition with the truck off to help the hounds work out a lion track, when I got back to the truck, it wouldn't start so I just followed the dogs and when I got back it started up just fine.

The key turns enough to unlock the wheel........ but not enough to engage the starter.

This has happened before multiple times. But always before jiggling the key/wheel for a bit would allow it to turn enough to start. We just ALWAYS leave the key in the ignition and it has not been a problem. Did not think to mention that tidbit to the mechanic...... and now no amount of jiggling seems to help.

Sounds like the cylinder needs to be replaced

Its a long shot, but have you tried a different key?

My son had an Chrysler van that did the same thing. Couldn't get the key in or out, and couldn't turn the ignition. We jumped the battery and it worked as it should. No idea what a low battery had to do with it, but it fixed the problem.