Stuck Ignition Key - Page 2

Well, I took another look and I believe I found the switch. (a little thin metal paddle?) From what I can tell, it seems to be broken as it will stick to the shifter grease and then fall when tapped. In other words, the spring seems to be shot.

I guess it will have to go into the shop since replacing the whole assembly is far more work than I want to attempt for a family car.

Thanks for the help.

Abc

hello babyhuey

with your help i was able to figure out a trick that works, i installed a toggle switch under the dashboard or in the small space just like a cellphone compartment, and wired it to the hazzard fuse, so i dont have to open the fuse box near the pedals and pull it out then back, just fine solder the ends of the two wire plug it in the fuse socket where you removed the fuse, cut/break one line, put the fuse in between (solder or better yet make a socket for it), run the wires trough the dash and flip the switch when removing the key. also as an update you can use a push button switch so you wont forget to flip it back to ON when driving and wonder why you dont have signal lights hhehehe,.. hmm ok right now im thinking of putting the switch just beside the ignition key area so it may look like some other cars that you push the button to release the key hmm hehehe. how about that guys. :) make it safe ok.

alright ill see you guys again and to you babyhuey THANKS A LOT and GOD BLESS :)

That is a very clever idea osenessmpv.. Also a good idea to use a push button momentary switch so you will not forget to turn it back on.

Babyhuey,

I'm having the same problem. Where can I find that part retail (I'm having trouble locating anything online)?

To confess, I had problems with the pop-up camper lights today and believe I may have caused a short by being sloppy with the di-electric grease. Right after that, I had a brake light out and this problem began. Could that have caused it? I've been through the fuse panels and cannot find anything blown, and the hazard light fuse trick works perfectly, so I'm guessing it's this combo switch.

Thanks!

What year MPV do you have sprybot. There are different part numbers depending upon model year. It may be possible that shorting something in the trailer harness could affect the park switch but an outside chance. Since we have had so many with this problem of late I did a bit of investigating into ways you could check for sure and even disable without pulling fuses etc.

It's a 2003 MPV.

Everything else seems fine, so I was a little confused about a short causing such a specific issue without blowing a fuse, but the timing was pretty suprising. We had stopped for fuel and found a signal light out on the camper. The bulb seemd okay, so I tested some things and added the grease. Turns out it was the bulb after all, but after that moment, we couldn't remove the key and I later found a brake light out on the van itself.

Here is a way to eliminate everything else being a possible cause of stuck ignition key. About 5 inches straight forward of the ignition switch on the passenger side of the steering column is a connector with six wires in it. Three of them are black. First pic below is of that connector with the steering column covers off and lower panel loose and pulled down. Pic taken from seat area and you can see the relation of the connector to the ignition switch. Second pic is from the bottom with camera resting on the brake pedal. Easy access as you can see. Unplug that connector. If key can now be removed then the problem absolutely has to be a faulty park switch in the change lever assembly. If key cannot now be removed then problem is somewhere else. You could actually do a similar thing with installing a separate toggle or push button that osenessmpv used with the hazard fuse. His toggle interupted the power supply to the solenoid itself. Snipping and installing a toggle or switch at this connector wire would actually simulate the actual switch. The wire color at this connector for the park switch is Blue on 2000 and 2001 models. For 2002 and up you would want to use the Brown w/ White stripe wire. Shorting this wire to ground will simulate a Not In Park condition and not being able to remove the key. Not connected to ground would simulate an In Park condition and would allow you to remove the key. The other two colored wires are from the O/D OFF switch and is Black w/ Red stripe wire, Wire from the shift lock solenoid is White w/ Red stripe and is the solenoid that keeps you from taking out of Park position unless key is on and foot is on brake pedal. The other three wires in this connector are all black and are ground wires for each of these switches and solenoids.
Now if you do want to go ahead and fix the problem by installing a new change lever assembly then part number for 2000 and 2001 MPV's is LC62-46-10XE with MSRP of $246.90. 2002-2004 would be a LD47-46-10XB with MSRP of $250.40.
Pic from seat area

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Pic from floorboard area

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I am a new member on the forum. Thanks for all the helpful advice. The forum is a Godsend now just as I remember it when I made the decision to purchase the MPV 3 years ago. The ignition key in my wife's 2003 MPV just became stuck this afternoon. I disconnected the plug and corrected the problem. However, the power sliding rear doors do not work. I can understand the logic of these two issues being connected, but I needed a sanity check to be sure. If it is as I suspect, I assume the only way to correct it would be to change the $250 lever assembly. I am a mechanical engineer with a good bit of mechanical aptitude. What would be involved in changing this lever assembly? I guess what I am asking is if it would be too difficult for someone who is not a trained mechanic? Would you give me a basic run through of the steps it will take to change this part before I decide to take on this task myself? Thanks in advance for the info.

The power sliding doors get a park signal off of this switch too. Replacing the change control lever is not a difficult procedure.I did one this evening so I could get some pics and step by step. Give a check back tomorrow when I have some more time to type in a story and download the pics. Total R and R time took approximately 15-20 minutes.

That sounds great! Thanks a bunch! The wife will be excited to get the power doors back. Looking forward to your next post.

Tools you will need to replace the change control lever with park position microswitch so you can remove your key like normal people.
#2 phillips screwdriver
very small flat screwdriver or small prying device
ratchet and 4" or 6" extension
10mm, 12mm, and 21mm socket

First thing to do is to disconnect the negative battery cable and wait at least 5 minutes for the air bag backup battery to deplete stored energy. You will be removing the drivers air bag and this will make it safe to do so. Go grab a beer or something.




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Remove these small hole covers on both sides of the steering wheel with small flat screwdriver.

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Use 10mm socket to remove both of the bolt heads that are under the hole covers. If horn honks then you did not disconnect the battery cable so get-er-done.

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Pull the air bag out and turn it air bag over and use the small flat screwdriver to pry the BLACK portion of this connector up. It should pop up approx 1/4 of an inch and the connector will easily come loose. Do not pry on the orange or yellow connector part with out releasing the BLACK lock in tab or it will break!!

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Use ratchet, extension, and 21mm socket to remove the large nut in the center of the steering wheel. Turn nut counterclockwise while holding steering wheel to remove. Release the connector I am pointing to. Notice that I have marked a yellow, vertical line on the steering wheel and steering shaft. This is so you can easily reinstall the steering wheel in the original position so steering wheel is not off-center to one side. Grasp the steering wheel at 3 and 9 o'clock and rock back and forth to release steering wheel from shaft. If is being stubborn then alternate between grasping at 12 and 6 o'clock position. If you have a steering wheel puller handy all the better. Make note of how the wires feed thru the hole in steering wheel as you remove. Use a piece of tape to keep the clockspring from turning.

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Now remove the steering column covers. To remove the upper cover just lift straight up. It will unsnap from the lower cover. Remove lower column cover by removing the three screws that retain it. The one more towards front of van is a different color and thread so make note of that for reinstalling.

Continued from last post


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From underneath, use a 12mm socket to remove this nut. Mark nuts position on the cable so it can be reinstalled in same place. You will see that the slot it goes on is elongated for adjustment. Pull off cable and set aside. This is the cable that runs to the transmission for changing from Park to Drive to Reverse, etc.

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Back up top remove the three phillips screws that hold the clockspring. Note that I have used a piece of tape to keep the clockspring from turning. Will just make it quicker to reinstall later. If you think it might have turned already then there is a reseting procedure printed right on the front. I did not disconnect the electrical connectors for this as it easily pulled toward you and off of the steering shaft. Can just let it hang there.

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3 more phillips screws to remove the combination switch. These screws are different then the ones you just removed so make a note of that. Again, did not remove connectors but easily pulled toward you and off the steering shaft.

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If you have not already unplugged this connector for the change control switches then now is the time to do that.

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Use 10mm socket to remove the two nuts on left side and one bolt on right side that retain the change control assembly to steering shaft. Pull straight off toward you and you are halfway there..

continued. Last one I promise.


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And there is the offending microswitch that cost you all that time and money. Looks like a little 25 cent part doesn't it. If you have a new change control assembly to install then reverse the order that you took them apart. Not all that bad eh?
Oh, and make sure to give that switch a good whack with something heavy for making you go thru all of this.


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One last diagram that may show how to release the stopper plate on the air bag connector. Make sure that when you reinstall the connectors (They are color coded and will only fit in one direction by the way), That you press that black stopper plate in untill it is flush with flat of connector or the air bag light will be on first time you start it up.

Not too intimidating (the wife lost all confidence in me when I showed her the pictures LOL!). Thanks for taking the time to help me out. If you were close enough, I would buy you a nice dinner somewhere.

Once again, THANKS!

Brad

Restore the confidence Brad by making the repair seem easy. It really is an easy thing to replace. I put in so many pics just to be as specific as possible.Thought of reducing down to just 5 as that is all you can download in a single post but thought that the extra views would help out and make much easier to do. The hardest part was probably getting the steering wheel to release from the shaft, otherwise just a matter of removing a few screws and bolts. If you have any difficulty at all then give a post back and will help all I can.
Dinner would be nice but I would rather get a post back from you saying that all went well and the MPV is back to normal. That would be a much greater reward to me.

Well, once again, my dealer has scored points with me. I called about getting my shift lock solenoid replaced under my extended warranty. They just informed me that the salesman sold me an "aftermarket" warranty, not Mazda, so the shifter and related items are not covered under this warranty. Over the 4 yrs I have owned this car, there have been few issues with it, but for each small thing, the dealer has managed to say it is not covered under warranty.
I have been A plan eligible for my entire adult life and have never used it until my wife liked the Mazda. The car itself isn’t too bad, but the dealer has put such a bad impression in my mind, I doubt I will ever purchase another one.

Sounds like a change in dealership is more in order than the MPV that you seem to have had few problems with over the years!!!!!!

There is an MTOL for 2000-2004 MPV's with this problem to have the change control mechanism replaced. There is an update Park micro switch integrated, not a recall rather a bulletin.

Not only an MTOL but now there is even a TSB #05-006/06 regarding the switch. There is also an undated and supposedly modified change lever assembly for the 2002-2006 models. The new part number is LD47-46-10XB. 2000-2001 still using the same replacement change lever assembly with part #LC62-46-10XE. Make sure that if you get a change lever for the 2002-2006 that you get the latest part available.

babyhuey- just had this problem with my 2000 mpv. thanks for your help on this topic, it saved me a lot of grief. your pictures were especially helpful. here's my question - my dealer wants $270 for the change selector. this seems a little steep, so my question is why not just unplug the connector permanently? i don't use the o/d button, and the two park switches, well, it seems i can live without them. am i missing something?

I have same problem after I reflash eeprom mileage. I have to disable solinoid. I think came from microprocessor in instrument cluster.

New member and I found this topic just after my 1995 MilleniaS would not let go of the key from the ignition. It will release after I disconnect the battery post cable. The dash board shift display registers the proper position for being in park but the key acts like it doesn't get the message. Is one of the previous post responses the answer to my problem? I haven't taken it to be diagnosed and have simply been disconnecting the battery cable when I arrive at my destinations. What steps do I need to do to diagnose the source of the problem?
Thanks for any help,
Tom

Similar problem tvax1 but just in a different spot. No need to disconnect the battery however. Removing the 15 Amp 'ROOM' fuse in the underdash fuse box will also disable the key interlock solenoid.
The most proabable problem is a faulty "Not In Park" microswitch. Best I can tell, it is build into the shift lock actuator assembly and is not a serviceable switch. A new shift  lock actuator will run you aroud $150 MSRP.

I took out the room fuse in my Millenia 2000 and just like you said I able to get the key out. It still kills my clock radio and alarm system but I can  gladly take the key out.

Hey BabyHuey, quick question. How will disconnecting the key interlock affect the rest of the electronics system? I.E. is it safe to just leave this interlock disconnected, or could that in turn cause further problems? Thanks