Ignition Repair & Replacement

Ignition repair and replacement starts from $250. Locksmith Auto fixes ignition cylinder problems on-site for all major vehicle makes. No towing, no dealer markup. Same day service with parts in stock for the most common models.

The ignition cylinder is the part where your key goes in. After thousands of turns, the internal wafers and springs wear out. You'll notice the key getting hard to turn, getting stuck, the steering wheel locking up randomly, the car stalling on you, or dashboard lights flickering when you wiggle the key. Any of those means the cylinder is going.

People say "the ignition" but there are actually two separate parts. The ignition lock cylinder is the mechanical piece the key slides into. The ignition switch is the electrical component behind it that sends the start signal. A worn cylinder runs $250-350 to fix. A bad switch is $300-400. Sometimes both need work, and that's $400-550 total.

Some vehicles are repeat offenders. GM cars (Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, Cadillac) from 2003-2014 had a massive recall for faulty ignition switches. Honda Accords and Civics from 2000-2010 eat through wafers. Ford F-150 trucks usually need a cylinder swap somewhere around 100,000 miles. Locksmith Auto stocks replacement cylinders for all of these.

The repair goes like this. We pull the old cylinder out, match the new one to your existing key so you don't need a new key cut, install the replacement, and test the full ignition sequence: accessory, on, start, and back to off. If the new cylinder can't be matched to your key, we rekey it on the spot.

Don't try to force a sticky ignition with pliers or WD-40. Pliers chew up the key head and make everything worse. WD-40 attracts dust inside the cylinder and within a few weeks it's worse than before. If your key is hard to turn, try graphite lock lubricant first. If that doesn't fix it, the wafers are worn and it needs a proper swap. Call Locksmith Auto before a $250 repair turns into a $600 problem.