No power, key stuck in ignition, wont shift out of park, truck is locked down... help!

[Ram1958]

Try moving your shifter. It is possible it's not in correct place and will prevent key from being released. If you have shift know instead of column shift there may be a problem there.

 

[Octane]

Goes to show you, new or even slightly used parts can fail

 

[Salty Ram]

My 2011 2500 had the same issue and had to have it towed (flatbed) to the dealer. Tuned out to the the Winns unit and was under warranty. Really pissed me off too because they had to drag it onto the truck and then literally "bounce" my truck off of the tow truck. I hope you don't have to have that done but hope this helps? Good luck with the diagnosis...

 

[Fergusontd]

I wouldn't trust any aftermarket add on. Dealer install only. Too many know it all idiots work at these stores installing stuff with little or no training.

 

[Tuggr2]

I think if you look under the dash you will find a big rectangular plug that goes thru the fire wall that might have dislodged maybe from the remote install action.. I had a similar situation when my truck would not start and things went haywire. kept on happening and mechanic found that the locking tang on the side of the plug was broken so they wired it tight and the problem hasn't showed in 4 years so all good now.. It's the main connector from the computer that comes thru the firewall. everything gets it's power from this main plug. If loose the truck systems go haywire.. it's up beside the steering column and hard to get at.. Hope this might be it for U.. Cheers

 

[jjsmith]

Same thing happened to my 2011, ignition switch replaced. Note, they have to reprogram the computer to work with the existing ignition fobs (take both).

 

[GTyankee]

Salty Ram

Why didn't the tow truck driver use the Park Bypass Lever

When it is pulled the truck shifts into neutral

 

[Skatulaki]

Just what we get with all this computerized garbage ! We made cars for decades without all this computerized garbage! Now you have a modern day useless truck that you can't get started without spending as much as a used car to get it fixed! Not all of this technology is useful let alone reliable!

 

[Skatulaki]

From what I see here, All the Taliban are going to get from whatever we left behind, is a lot of grief and aggravation !

 

[Jeepwalker]

There's a good chance your key switch is starting to fail. This happens commonly on some GM vehicles/trucks. Wife goes shopping, suddenly the trusty vehicle won't start. Dead. She gets mad. You show up and boom, starts up! Then it will start/run normally for a few days, and then just when you think it was a fluke it won't start again (always happens when yer in a hurry). After making a bunch of calls and swearing a lot, the SOB suddenly starts for no reason. It makes owners angry and suddenly can't trust their car/truck. The solution is usually to replace the key switch (on GM's). (assuming the batttery and connections are 'good')

Also sometimes the security alarm gets set and doesn't get 'un-set'. Did you try waiting like 20 mintues and try re-starting? To see if it would restart? Another trick that works is, if it won't start in your driveway, remove the battery cables from the battery, tie or tape the battery cable ends together and let sit overnight. This will drain the PCM and usually the vehicle will start in the morning. I've had it happen to my Hummer.



Also ....here's another possibility: It might not be your issue, but on my older Jeep, I found out the hard way that if the Jeep was 'locked' while the alarm was set (the alarm goes on when I lock with the fob), and the battery goes dead (or bad battery connection) ....which happened when we parked at the airport for 2 weeks. Then you come back and the fob doesn't work ....so you unlock the door with the key, the engine will crank over all day but won't start.

The alarm and security do not always disengage due to the dead battery. The solution in my case was to charge the battery (I had someone jump it), then close the door, lock and unlock the driver's door with the key. That tells the car's alarm you possess the 'correct' key and are likely the owner and disables the alarm. Jeep started right up! I just happened to discover it with a phone search.

This issue is not limited to Jeeps or Chrysler. Also when the key switch begins to fail...and the security does not get properly disabled. It thinks someone is attempting to steal the vehicle and will not start for some period of time (usually 20 min). If you wait, it may start up after the security lock-out delay. In some vehicles supposedly you can turn the key to the Rt and leave it there for 10 minutes and it might disable the alarm. You might also be able to lock the door and unlock it with the fob.

Not sure if this is your issue, but something to be aware of.

On my 2012, when the battery started to 'die' a couple yrs ago, there were a couple times it would 'hold' the key and not start. It was dead. In a couple days the battery died altogether (from age) ..key stuck. I did a load test on the battery and there was nothing, it really was dead (inside). New battery fixed the issue.

UNTIL today the key would not engage the start sequence. After a few tries it did start. I think I'm going to have to replace the switch. It's got 166k mi.

 

[mtwofeathers]

Its not the fob or the ignition. The entire truck is shut down, no power, nothing works, wont even shift out of park. Absolutely no power to anything in the truck.

Well when ever a dodge truck has electrical problems. I disconnect the battery, loosen the ground on the body and engine, and clean that connection, and i get power back. Been a common problem with dodge for more years than I can remember, and I'm old. Continuity checks work and easy to do. And is always the first place to start.

 

[Nathan Jon McCann]

Went to remote start my truck, no noise or any feedback (2-way remote). So i walk outside to manually start it, no lights flashing when i hit unlock... door wont unlock. I manually unlock it with the key inside the fob, and when i look at the guages, the small red "security?" light is on. I think its the security light, small red led diode looking bulb, bottom right of gauges.


Ok let me break down the key points real quick.

- 2012 Ram 5.7L Hemi
- Battery is 3-4 months old and is a premium battery (forget the brand but it was $270 before my coupon)
- Last drove it 4 days ago
- Remote start installed at Best Buy in December, not a single issue after install... not sure if its related
- Tried to remote start, nothing
- Had to manually open door with key
- No headlight flash or any door chime
- Gauges has small red light lit up for 1/2 a second when i opened door
- Tried to start truck, wouldnt start, key stuck in ignition. Wont turn to off position
- I can not shift the truck out of park into neutral or any gear. Stuck in park.
- I unhooked my Pedal Commander, no fix.
- I unhooked the battery (+ and -) for 10 minutes, did nothing at all

So now im stumped. Key still stuck in my truck, cant shift into any gear. No lights, no radio, no chimes, nothing. Its like the truck is in hibernation mode, or lock down mode. Not sure what to do.

I had an aftermarket remote installed in December. The remote start is the Compustar 4905S kit with 2-way remote (expensive kit). Like i said, ive had zero issues with the remote start since its install.

I have no clue what to even try to do next. I think im going to have to have it towed to a dealer because i am uncomfortable letting my truck sit out front with a key stuck inside. If i cant figure it out in the next couple hours im going to have to have it towed, i am not going to let it sit overnight with a key in it.

Does anyone know what happened or have a similar incident?

The exact same thing happened to me this winter. 2012 Ram 1500. No power. Key stuck. Battery wouldn’t take a charge. Battery replacement fixed the issue. My battery had less than 3000 miles on it and was the best battery they had for my truck. I always buy the best battery because winters are rough here.

 

[CandyBo]

The same thing happened to us! A mechanic friend of ours suggested that the computer probably got confused, and needs a reboot. He had us disconnect the battery (the negative terminal, not the positive) and reconnect after 5 minutes. We did that and everything was back to normal. 2021 Ram hemi 5.7L Hope that this helps somebody. A very easy fix, Thank God!

 

[monty ross]

im having this issue altinator went out causing batteries to go low i replaced altinator and charged batteries they are reading good but the key is still stuck in the ignition and wont start no radio display ether