5 Common Car Ignition Problems?
No one really pays attention to their car ignition until their vehicle won’t start, and by then it is too late. There are quite a few reasons your car ignition might stop working, and many of them can be prevented by being careful and checking for issues every once in a while. Here are the 5 most common causes for car ignition failures and what you can do to repair or prevent them:
Defective Key Due To Manufacturing
Many times the ignition key is worn-out, defective or lost sync with the immobiliser and will be hard to turn, not turn at all or just won’t start the car due to a cutting or programming error. There isn’t much you can do about this other than take the car in for a repair or call a mobile auto locksmith to your location. If you are under warranty there shouldn’t be any issue getting the ignition replaced for free, especially if you go to an authorized repair center. In most case the key can be reprogrammed or duplicated.
Wrong Key In The Car Ignition
Depending on the make and model of your vehicle, you may have a car ignition that is large enough to fit other keys inside. It’s not uncommon for people to place the wrong key (such as a house key or locker key) in the ignition and have it get jammed inside. If this happens, don’t try to get the key out yourself because you could do even more damage. It’s recommended that you talk to a professional locksmith to remove the key.
Worn Car Ignition Cylinder
Over time your ignition cylinder is going to wear down which in turn can wear down the wafers inside the tumbler of your car ignition. As this happens, your car key won’t be able to press down the correct wafers and the ignition will not be able to turn over. In this situation one or few pins inside the cylinder is broken and the whole ignition needs to be replced.
Transponder Stopped Communicating
Inside many keys there is a small transponder that talks to your car when you try to start it. When you try to turn the ignition over, a signal is sent to your car’s computer (PCM) and if the signals match the car will start. If the programming has gone haywire, your car may not recognize your key and you will have to have the key reprogrammed with the original codes.
Objects Or Dirt Stuck In The Car Ignition Cylinder
Even though it looks hard for dirt to get inside an ignition cylinder it happens quite often, especially on a lot of Toyota models. Over the course of a few years enough dust can build up to prevent the key from working correctly. Other issues like part of your key breaking off in the ignition (even a tiny piece) can make it impossible to start your car.
Have your ignition lock cleaned once or twice per year and make sure you have your keys checked by a professional every year—tiny fractures in your key can lead to breaks later on which is more expensive to deal with than a simple re-key.