Deeply FRUSTRATED

[angeno]

Well, my third week of VX ownership has not gone particularly well. Car has been sitting in service, collecting dust, at a Kia (formerly Isuzu) dealer in Wayne, NJ. Several intractable issues, most depressingly to do with a defective ignition interlock. As others in the community have noted, my VX has a tendency to prevent me from removing the ignition key after placing the car in park and turning the vehicle off. After checking the transmission cable (perfectly fine) and other potential causes, the problem was narrowed down to the ignition lock cylinder. So fine, we ordered a replacement ignition lock cylinder from Isuzu. Several days later the part arrived. Wrong part. Reordered the supposedly correct part. Again, wrong part. Then, Isuzu says, oh sorry, we don't stock this part anymore (!!??). Okay, so we ordered three different aftermarket parts. You guessed it. None fit. So now I have a nice VX that as often as not, refuses to let me remove the key from the ignition. I'm thinking of printing up a STEAL ME sign just to complete the 'key stuck in ignition' package.

Seriously though. I am at a loss as to how to solve this. I have a friend with an aftermarket repair facility and I think we might try to measure the ignition lock dimensions so maybe we can find an alternate unit that works. The last option is to somehow basically break the unit in my VX so that I can easily remove the key without having to wrestle and curse it out of the cylinder.

I've already considered the junkyard route. Problem there is that even if the replacement unit works, it is "used" and maybe in a day or a week or a month it too will break and I'll be back to square one.

I don't necessarily expect anyone in the community to have a solution here. Maybe this is just another facet of the downside of VX ownership. Regardless, I'm sure everyone reading this can appreciate the importance of a car's owner being able to remove the !$^#$ key from the lock when exiting the vehicle. Kind of a basic prerequisite, that. Agreed?

Any advice will be welcome...

best wishes,

Angeno

[RickOKC]

That sounds awful - sorry to hear about your troubles.

Are you buying parts through Merlin @ St Charles Isuzu (800) 727-8066? He's really great when it comes to all things VehiCROSS.

[VXjunky]

negative energy breeds negativity

[MSHardeman]

Would any of this help:

http://www.vehicross.info/forums/sho...=ignition+lock

I don't know if the ignition lock out has anything to do with your key issue, but I know a few members have run into problems similar to yours.

Maybe contact etlsport, looks like he's had a similar issue:

http://www.vehicross.info/forums/sho...=ignition+lock

[Y33TREKker]

I would say just paint the key black so it's not noticeable in the ignition, then use the keyless remote to lock and unlock your doors, but that wouldn't help you get into the back hatch unless you have an extra key. Not only that, the fact that the key won't come out could be an indication that the tumblers in the switch itself may have something wrong with them and could stop working altogether.

[JoFotoz]

I have had a similar problem now and then.
The cure for me...

When in Park, and the key wont come out....
... give the shifter a good "nudge" forward..
.... without depressing the shift button.

This seems to properly engage the key release.

I hope it works for you too.

jo

[VX KAT]

Don't know if this will help but here's some info:

see post #21
http://www.vehicross.info/forums/sho...6&postcount=21

see post #36
http://www.vehicross.info/forums/sho...0&postcount=36

start at post #42
http://vehicross.info/forums/showthr...=lock+cylinder

After Dub's experience, I bought this lock cylinder on ebay...."says" it fits ours, but I don't know for sure as never installed it. The 2 keys it comes with are NOT marked as ISUZU or have the logo, but they do "look" like our OEM Isuzu keys.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ignition-Loc...#ht_1279wt_875

My box says:
IGNITION CYLINDER W/KEY
P/NO US-244L
AZUZW5
1 PCS
MADE IN TAIWAN

[pnwdawg]

I have the same problem that Jo has and the same trick work's for me "give the shifter a good "nudge" forward..' causing the key to release from lock. Is this a sign of trouble in the near future?? I bought the car about 4 months ago and been doing it off and on ever since taking ownership

[etlsport]

My problems were related to the shifter. Id be happy to look at it for you if you want to bring it out my way

[SilverBullet75]

X3 with Jo's method. Both of my VXs had this issue. The "nudge" fixes it every time.
Seems simple but... It really is.

[Grif]

Transmission mode selector switch perhaps. I dunno, just saying. The mode switch is the electrical switch that actually tells the VX what selection the shifter is in. Its a known point of failure due to its location at a high temperature point on the side of the transmission. It gets brought up often for a myriad of transmission problems.

But imagine this scenario: The faulty, dirty or wet and shorting internals of the switch still thinks you are in Drive (or any other mode) when in fact the shifter is in Park position. I can imagine such a condition could prevent the ignition interlock from releasing the key.

Yeah its a remote possibility, but a possibility nonetheless. I had a Volvo at one time that had a similar issue with the same symptoms. The ignition lock would not give up the key no matter what position of the shifter. It was the neutral safety switch in the Volvo, and as i understand it, the Mode Switch in the VX provides that same functionality. In the Volvo, I simply bypassed the switch (hey it was a $300 car) and was able to remove the key no matter what position the shifter was in.

Unfortunately you cannot simply bypass the Transmission Mode Switch in the VX. As I understand it, it provides the safety switch functions as well as signaling other shifter modes. You can only clean out its guts or replace it. Its just a much more complex unit than the one-function switch in my 1970's Volvo. Fairly simple to replace tho, and not TOO spendy. Opening it up and cleaning it has been done too, and is documented on this site.

[bearandbee]

My VX came with a remote starter and alarm...there's your answer. Arm the alarm and leave the key and use remote start everytime.

[atilla_the_fun]

Actually, you can wire a ON button downstream of the lock cylinder or add a remote starter, then use a dremel to CUT the key so that only the shaft of the key is inside the lock cylinder, and so it can never be removed OR used to turn. Then put a JB weld cap over the thing, and you'll "remove" the key entirely. =)

[VXorado]

I have had a similar problem now and then.
The cure for me...

When in Park, and the key wont come out....
... give the shifter a good "nudge" forward..
.... without depressing the shift button.

This seems to properly engage the key release.

I hope it works for you too.

jo

I have the same problem that Jo has and the same trick work's for me "give the shifter a good "nudge" forward..' causing the key to release from lock. Is this a sign of trouble in the near future?? I bought the car about 4 months ago and been doing it off and on ever since taking ownership

X3 with Jo's method. Both of my VXs had this issue. The "nudge" fixes it every time.
Seems simple but... It really is.

Auto trans linkage is out of adjustment, you're in park but the shifter is out of position. I had this problem after the body lift when I didn't adjust the trans linkage just right. Making a small adjustment to the linkage will fix your problems

[Y33TREKker]

I'm curious why the Shift Interlock system would affect the ignition key switch anyway. There's no electrical solenoid in the steering column associated with the ignition switch that actually locks the key in place until certain conditions are met as far as I can see in our repair manuals. Did I just not find it? Has anyone who has ever replaced their ignition switch noticed any sort of additional mechanical linkage that runs from the transmission shifter to the ignition switch in the steering column?