Key stuck, will not turn, seems not all the way down?? Try popping the plastic surrounding ring back up - it worked for me!

[nazdackster]

Yesterday we almost gave up on getting the 2014 RT started. I've had this problem where the key seems to get stuck, so I oil it, and eventually it works.

Yesterday, after many bad words were uttered, the wife unit took over and noticed that the upper stainless plate (with the key slot) seemed lower than flush to the plastic ring, so it wasn't that the key was not inserted all the way, it was that the plate had not returned all the way up. She worked around that and eventually it popped up and she got it started. I'm now carrying a small pick in the bike to help lift that.

Just putting this mysterious and undocumented problem out there for anyone searching "key stuck".

 

[Bfromla]

That’s an odd 1

 

[JayBros]

It is not a good idea to oil the key and lock mechanism. At the most, you should use nothing more than dry lock lubricant, i.e., graphite. When you say the plate with the key slot plate is not flush with/to the plastic ring, I assume you mean the thin black plastic ring immediately at the bottom the black plastic lock ring with the On/Off writing on it? That lock ring turns about 1/8 turn anticlockwise and you can lift it out. Depending on how many times you have oiled the mechanism, you may have contributed to the problem, because it doesn't take much grit mixed with the oil to bugger up the push mechanism. In 92K+ miles, I have never applied any lubricant to the lock mechanism. It may be possible that a very good locksmith can inspect it and advise you what to do.

 

[nazdackster]

It is not a good idea to oil the key and lock mechanism. At the most, you should use nothing more than dry lock lubricant, i.e., graphite. When you say the plate with the key slot plate is not flush with/to the plastic ring, I assume you mean the thin black plastic ring immediately at the bottom the black plastic lock ring with the On/Off writing on it? That lock ring turns about 1/8 turn anticlockwise and you can lift it out. Depending on how many times you have oiled the mechanism, you may have contributed to the problem, because it doesn't take much grit mixed with the oil to bugger up the push mechanism. In 92K+ miles, I have never applied any lubricant to the lock mechanism. It may be possible that a very good locksmith can inspect it and advise you what to do.

The stainless plate with the slot was stuck about 1.5mm below the normal resting place flush with the black plastic ring with lettering. So it must have something to do with the push to turn tank or hood release. Naturally, it is working flawlessly now, so I haven't identified what causes it to get stuck low. I've since blown it out with a mild solvent, so it is very clean now.