I started having an issue yesterday where I couldn't turn the key all the way to the "lock" position in the ignition and pull it out. It would turn to the "ACC" position and shut the engine off, but the accessories are still on, and the key stays in. This happened 3 out of the 4 times I shut the car off. The only way for me to resolve this is to start the engine and shut if off again.

I believe the culprit might be the new touch screen stereo I installed. When I turned that off first, I had no problems turning the car fully off and removing the key. Is there a feature that prevents the car from releasing the key unless the stereo is off? I could have sworn I was able to remove the key before without turning the stereo off.

 

The key is all mechanical. There's nothing electrical that could be causing that problem.

There is a steering wheel lock that locks the steering wheel when the key is out. Sometimes if the key is being tricky you have to jiggle the steering wheel.

I would find a local locksmith and have them take a look, they may be able to spray some stuff in the cylinder to get it moving good again. One of the RX-7 guys here in town is a locksmith and they have some good chemicals they use that can really free up sticky locks.

Dale

 

I figured that's probably the case - just an odd coincidence this began to occur after installing a new stereo. I'll look into that - thanks for your input!

 

Graphite powder

 

Locksmith (-- they put food on their table by opening/closing/making & fixing locks.

I'm 100% sure they'll fix your problem , easy.