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add another successful rubber mallet user to the list.  this after calling our local Dodge dealer explaining the problem (key won't turn in our 2000 Grand Caravan) and the service man saying this was "very unusual" and he didn't know any tricks.  After seeing the numbers of other Chrysler product owners with this problem, I think this guy was either less than truthful, or really oblivious.  In any case I beleive he has seen the last of my business.  thanks to all of you who shared this experience - it saved me at least the cost of a towing.  

I have a 98 Grand Voyager and I had the same problem with the key not turning.  The problem is that the lock cylinder that you insert the key into has become loose and no longer fits the key.  The fix is pretty simple and it cost me around $100.  So simple I fixed mine last night in about 15 minutes.  First I had to go to a dealer and purchase a key lock cylinder from the parts department and they charged me $97 for the part.  They will take your key and set up the new lock cylinder to fit your key and then you can replace it yourself or have your mechanic do it.

This is what I did to my 98 Grand Voyager, other Chryslers should be similar:

1. Remove the plastic shroud covering the steering wheel column just behind the steering wheel.  I had to remove 3 screws and it popped of pretty easily.  

2. Underneath the column you can see the locking mechanism and on the bottom you will see a small latch.  If you look at the cylinder lock you just bought, look on the bottom of the cylinder and you will be able to identify the latch very easily.

3. Insert your key into the lock cylinder on the column and turn the key to ACC position.  If you can't turn the key, you will need to turn the key as much as possible to put pressure on the cylindar for the next step.

4. Take a small screwdriver and push up on the cylinder's latch and at the same time pull on your key.  The cylinder lock will slide right out.

NOTE:  It has been explained to me that for some ignition mechanisms, you will see a small hole on the bottom and you need to insert a small screwdriver up into the hole to release the latch.

5. Remove the key from the old lock cylinder and insert you key into the new lock cylinder.

6.  Insert the new lock cylinder into the ignition and you should hear a click when it locks into position.

7.  Replace the shroud and your good to go.

If your squimeesh about working on your car, have you mechanic do the job.  Depending on what he charges per hour it shouldn't cost you too much

Good luck,
Gene  

i WISH I HAD FOUND THIS SITE SOONER.
MY 2005 DODGE DURANGO I THOUGHT WAS AMAZING!
HAHAHAHAHA! WAS I WRONG. i AM A YOUNG MOTHER WITH 2 KIDS AND MY HUSBAND IS OVER SEAS. AND MY KEY ALL OF A SUDDEN ONE DAY WOULDN'T TURN! I CALLED MY DAD (HE CAN FIX EVERYTHING) HAHA. AN HOUR LATER HE DID.

-WE CALLED THE DEALER SHIP. THEY ACTED LIKE THEY'D NEVER HEARD ABOUT THIS PROBLEM IN THEIR ENTIRE CAREER.
DURN LIAR! AFTER READING ALL THESE POSTS. I AM GLAD TO SAY I AM NOT ALONE. BUT I HAVE TO SAY THANK YOU. MONDAY I WILL BE GOING TO A MECHANIC SHOP AND BUYING A NEW KEY SWITCH, I HAVE THAT NEW COMPUTER CHIP THING, I WOULDN'T DARE LET ANYONE DO IT THAT DOESNT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING.
THANK YOU ALL AGAIN.  

Yep worked for me too. Just tapped it lightly with a wrench. It's running out in the parking lot right now. And for the record - my 2003 Dodge Caravan is aweful. I had a 1996 and got 180,000 miles out of it. Best vehicle I ever owned. This 2003. Nothing really expensive so far, but everything small has gone wrong with it. It's amoung the worst! I say, let the american car companies go under!!!!  

Yet another successful mallet hit. I have a 2001 Chrysler Town and Country. After moving the car so I could shovel the snow around it and when I tried to move the car back the key was stuck. Tried all the normal things no luck. Jumped on the internet and found this thread. Didn't think the mallet trick would work for me but Yo and Behold it did. After 3 or 4 hits it worked. But I tried the key again and it didn't work, so I used the mallet again. This happened it couple of times but then I could turn the key a few times in a row and didn't want to push it.  Left the mallet in the car for my wife.

Thanks everyone!!!
Shawn  

Hi we have a 2001 chrysler town and country,and we have had the same ognition problem 3 diffrent times as i type this the van is in the garage and the key wont turn,PLEASE! tell me what to do or how to use the mallet to bang on the key. i suppose just straight on the key but not sure any help will be appreciated.  

Dude, this "rubber mallet" solution really works!

I must admit, at first I was like, "yeah, right a rubber mallet".  Then after trying to turn the damn key for fifteen minutes to no avail, I was humbled.  I didn't have a rubber mallet handy, so I found my hammer.  I tried tapping the key with the metal end of the hammer, nothing happened.  I then noticed that the hammer had a rubber handle, I thought, "what the hell".  I tapped the key a few times with the rubber end, and whadda' ya know! It work! I can start my 2001 Dodge Caravan again! Problem is I have to repeat this ritual any time I want to start the vehicle.

Anyway, thank you, to the person responsible for coming up with this effective albeit, unorthodox solution.    

OK, so my wife has been fighting this "key won't turn" issue for 2 days.  Couldn't get it started to go to church this morning.  I had to drive home and pick up her and the kids in vehicle #2.  I got around to looking into it this afternoon.  Tried the standard stuff that has already been mentioned here...No good.  Came inside, found this thread with a google search starting with "Town and Country key w"...and what do you know it auto completed with..."on't turn".  I too said, "Come on, really, a rubber mallet???"  Yeah, it worked.  However I found this to be unacceptable to expect my wife to beat on the end of her key EVERY time she wanted to start the van.  As I read through the rest of the posts I saw a couple of things that stuck out to me....

1.  Some intermittent success with WD-40
2.  Locksmiths "cleaning" internals of the cylinder
3.  Locksmiths saying parts were sticking inside

I went to the garage and got some aerosol can penetrating oil, I used a drinking straw and sprayed a little in the key hole through the straw.  I worked the key in and out scores of times.  At first this didn't seem to be working as I was still using the mallet, but only whacking once or twice, then I noticed that there was really dirty residue on my key every time I pulled it out of the keyhole.  Some of it was from the oil, but it had metallic flecks in it as well.  Continued to work the key in and out, and back and forth.  More residue, more metal flecks.  Voila! After working this oil around the insides of the lock tumblers for about 10 minutes I have gotten in and started the van without an issue several times this evening.  I am not ready to say that I have solved this, as I left the mallot in the van until it proves unnecessary, but there seems to be promise in this method.  The exact oil I used is not available in stores, it is from KANO Industries and is called Kroil.  I suspect that any penetrating oil would do the trick. (WD-40 has some, but poor penetrating qualities) I'll post if this stands the test of time.  I hope to help everyone here and who knows how many more out there keep the mallets out of cars!  Good luck everyone!  

I found this forum while my 2000 dodge caravan had left my wife and daughter stuck at the local shopping mall with the "key won't turn" issue. This was late Thursday night before the start of Easter weekend, everything closed on Good Friday here.
After reading the many posts on the forum I was able to return to the mall, tap my key with a screwdriver a few times in the ignition, get my van home and cancel the tow truck. Easter weekend, and a lot of money and hassle saved - thanks so much automotive.com.
I have since sprayed out my ignition switch with electrical parts cleaner as sugested in the forum, and no problems since. I did not use, nor would I not recommend using wd-40 because even though it may be good for some things as a quick fix, as a lubricant it tends (I have found in other situations) to dry out after a few weeks and cause things to freeze up again, perhaps even contributing to the re-occurance of this problem. I have chosen an old hockey puck as my cheap weapon of choice to keep in the bottem of my center console.  

Thank you all sooooo much! My car had only been parked for about 2 hours. I went outside, put the key in the ignition and nothing!!!! It would not budge.  I called my mother's fiancee.  He brought some powder lubricator and squeezed it in the ignition hole.  Still nothing!  So, I came inside and found this site.  I grabbed a screwdriver, went outside, and did my thang!  It worked!!!!  Thank you all!!!!  I just kept seeing dollar signs until I found this site.  I will be back!!!!  

I have a 2001 Dodge Caravan, which I hate. Anyway, the key stopped turning in the ignition. My friend told me about jiggling the steering wheel, which worked okay for a couple of days. Now everytime I try to start the van, I have to really turn the wheel hard several times to get the dumb key to turn. It's a good upper body workout. Just read about hitting the key with a mallet. Don't have a mallet....used a large Lego, banged the key, and was able to successfully turn the key twice in a row! Hallelujah! Thank you for this simple solution to a frustrating (and scary) problem!  

I have a 2000 Grand Caravan that had the same problem that everyone else is mentioning.  The key suddenly stopped turning and left my wife stuck at the grocery store.

I called the Dodge dealer and they wanted almost $300 to fix the problem. When I complained about the price, the dealer actually referred me to www.amazingkeys.com for a switch replacement.  Amazing Keys charged $49.99 for the switch and matched it to my key.  I had to provide the serial number of my vehicle.

I ordered the switch, chose overnight shipping and received the switch the next day.  My neighbor put the switch in and I bought him a 12 pack.  Works good as new.  

This happened to my 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan.  After freaking out, I checked online and found this forum.  Thanks Guys!!  Here is what I did.  I shot a little brake cleaner into the ignition.  Then I shoved the key in and out and wiped it off.  Repeat till there is no more moisture on the key.  I then used this graphite lubricant I purchased at Napa years ago.  I puffed the graphite into the lock, then insert the key and did the hammer thing.  I hit it 3-4 times and the ignition released.  I then turned the key several times and pulled it out.  It stuck again, so I puffed the graphite into the lock a couple more times.  Repeated with the hammer and the turning.  This time, when I pulled out the key, I was able to start it again withOUT the hammer.  I inserted the key several times, tested the ignition several times and then for good measure, puffed a little more graphite into the ignition and played with the key for a little while more.  I think the problem is solved - permenantly.

Saved me a whole heap - Thanks for the advice folks!  

Thanks to everyone on this thread.  I had the problem today on my 2005 Dodge Durango.  I whacked the key a couple of times and it didn't work.  So, the second time I whacked it 6 or 8 times and it did work!  I'll contact a locksmith tomorrow.  

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