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Car seems fine now (2005 SL500) but i had a strange scare earlier today. I pulled to a friends house parked and put car in park and shut car off but when i went to take the key out it was stuck and it would not let me start it either, i would hear a clunk when i would turn the key to turn it on but then nothing. The message even said remove key
Eventually i turned the key to the on position put it in nuetral and let it roll back a little bit put it in park againand then it worked fine
what the heck is this, i am now worried about getting stranded, i love this car but man these things are temperamental
I had this sort of happen to me once as well. I found it happened if I tried to stop, shift to park and turn off the ignition really quickly. It's an old habit when dealing with less intelligent ignition and engine management systems (i.e.- old metal key and switch) and it doesn't play well with the SL's computerized systems that have to check everything before letting go. Just take an extra second after engaging park to let go of the brake and just slowly but firmly twist the key to the left. I haven't had a problem since I've taken the extra time. I'm not sure if this is what happened with you, so you could be screwed for all I know... :O
I occasionally find that the auto stick has not gone fully to park, even if minutely it will not let the key out. Usually it is something just stopping the lever going fully home IME, usually a charger lead or some such item. Cured by putting it into drive and then park again - or move the object.
I am having an inverse problem. My car is a garage queen, but this morning I decided to stretch its legs and take it to work. It was 29 here in FL this morning, and I went to go start the car. Both batteries are fully charged bc I have a charger for them. I put the key in, and it wont let me turn it. So I tried the other key, same thing. Even the keyless go-card could not be recognized. None of the keys will allow me to lock/unlock the car either. Any ideas?
It seems the issue is that the car does not recognize that it is in park. Maybe it's a problem with the shifter? The OP was able to get his key out by manipulating the shifter.
I'll share just in case it's something simple like an issue I had. I could not get the key to release after shutting off the engine. Initially I had to put pressure on the key lifting upward whilst trying to pull it out. Then after about a week, that no longer worked. In preparing to investigate the issue, I went to start taking out the ignition key module and noticed that it was loose and I could make the whole housing move just a bit when manipulating the key. I simply tightened the trim ring in the clockwise direction, stabilising the ignition module, and have never had difficulty getting the key to release ever again. Worth a try just in case it's something that simple for you...
350 SL, R230 - 300 SL, R129 - 1964 Corvette Sting Ray Sport Coupe - Porsche 911 Twin Turbo (sold)
Originally Posted by Aussiesuede
I'll share just in case it's something simple like an issue I had. I could not get the key to release after shutting off the engine. Initially I had to put pressure on the key lifting upward whilst trying to pull it out. Then after about a week, that no longer worked. In preparing to investigate the issue, I went to start taking out the ignition key module and noticed that it was loose and I could make the whole housing move just a bit when manipulating the key. I simply tightened the trim ring in the clockwise direction, stabilising the ignition module, and have never had difficulty getting the key to release ever again. Worth a try just in case it's something that simple for you...
I know this is a long overdue response,. But in hopes it helps someone else in the future,. I'll answer:. The trim ring is just that, a trim ring. It simply secures the ignition module. Over thousands of starts it can simply become a bit loose. Or if the ignition module was ever removed to investigate an issue,. Someone could have simply forgot to fully tighten it. No inherent poor design issues as it's only purpose is to secure the ignition module and if it becomes loose for any reason then it can't perform it's only purpose. Since it's literally the easiest thing to check,, and has a cost of zero, it's worth a quick cursory check.
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