Recently my Bonneville'* been screwing around with me. When I go to park my car, I go through the usual routine (shift up to park, put the brake on) and when I go to take the key out of the ignition the ignition won't unlock. This happens sporadically at best. I've taken it to mechanics and it was assessed as being a misaligned transmission. It also could have been some cable under the hood was messing up. I personally don't know what could possibly be wrong. If anyone'* got an idea, please let me know! Thanks!

Ross

Sounds like what happened to me about a week or so ago. If the trans doesn't get completely put into park the ignition won't let you take the key out. My friend had the same problem with his camero and he told me just put into park a few times and it went in fully and the key came out with no problems and hasn't happened since.

Could a couple of things: Worn tumblers in the Ignition Cylinder; Faulty Park/Neutral switch; or worn parts in column.

Well.. this happened to me a few times too.. and in my scenario.. it was that Park was engaged fully ( even though it seems like it ). And I found on mine was due to the shifter **** coming up a lil so it doesn't allow the shifter to shift into park or out of fully. So I would just simply slam the shifter **** down on the shifter shaft and it works for me.. this has happened to mine and Tamara'* Bonneville.. just a food for thought before having to go out and spend all the money if you dont' have to. Just a lil timbit and let us know if that'* it.

You mean "Park was _not_ engaged fully," I assume. Yes, I had the same problem with my old '82 Cutlass. Generally speaking, the console shifter on the floor has a linkage back to the steering column which prevents you from removing the ignition key unless you're in Park, since removing the key also locks the steering column. If you have a column shifter, that'* obvious, but if you have a floor shifter, you might not notice that the outer shift bowl still rotates when you move the console lever. That'* the linkage that enables the floor shifter to control the column lock, backup lights, neutral safety starter interlock, brake pedal shift interlock, etc.

Anyhow, on my Cutlass, the engine had sagged down when the motor mounts rotted out, and that changed the geometry of the linkage at the transmission so the steering column bowl wasn't in synch anymore. Mainly this just screwed up my backup lights, since those are driven off the steering column linkage just like the starter interlock and the steering column lock, but in extreme cases you do find that either you can't crank the starter in Park or Neutral like you're supposed to, or else you can't get the key out, like in your case.

I would get under the car and find where the steering column linkage meets up with the floor shifter cable, probably in the area of the transmission (haven't had to find it on my car yet), and there should be an adjustment for that somewhere to get your steering column linkage back in synch with everything else.

when I had this problem (same as Drifter420 the shift **** was loose and moved up a little), I also noticed the release button on the shift **** still seemed to work, but the button had more play than usual, when you press it before you feel it unlocking the shift lever and since it doesn't completely unlock the shift lever, you can move the shifter through most gears, but can't engage park properly.

the shift **** should be secured with a C clip that slides into a horizontal slot in the front of the shift ****, the C clip is supposed to engage slots in either side of the shift lever to lock the **** in place. Problem is the slot in the shift **** is too wide, so there is room inside the shift **** for the C clip to spread apart, the C clip is no longer engaged in the shift lever slots, and the **** is no longer locked in place.

what I did was remove the shift **** (C clip is removed by prying out with small flat blade screwdriver), start with a new C clip, about $2, using pliers to squeeze the open end of the C clip until it is a tight fit in the slots on the shift level, then install shift **** with properly fitting C clip.

I had the same problem but I have a short fuse so when it wouldnt come out I snaped the key off... Anyways I replaced the key/tumbler and it works fine now. So... Do that I think that is your problem.