When I turn key, car is not turning on.

LVITALE89

MEMBER
2000 CHRYSLER SEBRING
198,000 MILES

Hello, I am having some issues with my 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible.

I am putting my key into the ignition, as I turn it the battery lights & everything goes on as usual, and then when it gets to the part where the car is supposed to actually turn on, nothing happens, the car does not fully turn on.

This happened a few times yesterday during the day & I would either have to push/turn the key extremely hard & wiggle it a certain way in order for it to turn on, & last night it took me over 2 hours in order to get it to turn on. Now this morning as I was about to go to the mechanic, it won't turn on at all. I tried my spare key & the first time I put the spare key in, it sounded like the engine was starting to turn on, but then nothing, it didn't fully turn on.

It is not making any clicking noises. I've tried putting it in neutral and then back in park & trying, and nothing.

My dad who knows a little about cars said that it must be something electrical / tech related about the ignition lock or something (I could be quoting him wrong). Or possibly that the key transponder is not relaying to the engine properly.

Please let me know if someone can help me with this problem. Thanks.

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,917 POSTS

The clue is it works sometimes when you turn the switch really hard. Most likely there are arced contacts inside the switch and a replacement will solve the problem. It is possible the switch's mounting screws are loose allowing the switch body to rotate a little so the movable contact can't go far enough. It's also possible the end of the key cylinder is bent. It looks like a flat blade screwdriver. The clue there is the radio and other accessories will turn on when switching to the "accessory" position sooner than normal. After unbolting the switch, you can see that screwdriver end and bend it straight if necessary.

Also look at the switch terminals and the terminals in the connector to see if any are blackened or the connector body is melted.