Key will not come out

[ericcellis]

Hello, I have a 2001 Toyota Corolla S (4 door with automatic transmission). Last night I pulled into the driveway and turned the car off. I wasn't able to remove the key. The key wouldn't turn all the way to the position where you can remove it. I tried starting the car and driving up and down the driveway and stopping again. Still no luck. I popped the cover off the button on the transmission selector. The button allows you to override the lock on the transmission lever when there is no key in the ignition. Anyway, I hit the button and ran the lever up and down through P - L multiple times and then the key was able to be removed.

Has anyone had this problem and been able to fix it. The car is my wife's and she had the same problem again today. The same button solution fixed it but it seems like this is going to be a reoccuring problem. Anyone know if there is a simple solution for fixing this? Times are hard and I don't have the money to go to a mechanic. I'm guessing I need to adjust something because it acts just like I left the car in gear when I turned the motor off and try to remove the key.

Thank you for any help you can provide!

[SuperRA]

There's a switch that activates when the lever is put into park. I think it activates a circuit that allows your key to be removed. Perhaps it is becoming faulty. I would check it with an ohm meter. The switch is on the shifter assembly.