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1998 Chevy Malibu Key won't turn

11K views 2 replies 3 participants last post by  ChevEE 
#1 · (Edited)
Hello all, My sister's 1998 Malibu key will not turn to start the car. Her husband was driving it, but when he tried to get the key out it wouldn't come out. Well anyway he got the key out, but now he can't turn the key to turn the car on. The ignition has been replaced before with Chevy parts;(Last year I think) Could this be a repeat? Another guess is that it may be the gearshift or transmission although the car appears to be in park. Also the steering wheel is not locked(although I don't know if its supposed to lock on a Malibu).
 
#2 ·
Being an older car maybe the mechanism coming off the trans or the shifter is worn or streached out. I don't know if a cable or some other linkage is used but I'm sure both could become worn to the point that the key lock out still thinks your in gear. Any chance your sister is using a re-cut key in place of the original? For that matter I guess even the original key could become worn down to a point that the ignition might not recognize it. Maybe the ultimate fix is just to go out and buy a new '08 Malibu.

DrD
 
#3 ·
Two things come to mind. If it is a new key, it could be the resistor chip on the key is wrong. Assuming that is not the case, I think your problem maybe at the Neutral Safety Switch. It is what allows you to remove the key and for the steering wheel to lock. If you are auto savvy, pick up a haynes maual and check the relay. IIRC, it is a pink wire on the tranny, but it has been a few years since I have been under my old Lumina. If you are not auto savvy, have Aamco or Cottman check it out. They each have a free check.

Of course it could be the ignition module, but this is somewhere else the problem could be.
 
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