I have a 2008 Equinox I bought used 2 years ago. The stablitrak light came on without any check engine light. At the same time the car would not let me shut the ignition off completely and the key would not come out. It was a Friday night and my mechanic is not available until Monday. The battery finally died since the dashboard remained on with the key in the ignition. I have never even heard of this problem. My passenger seatbelt connector was just replaced last week. Could this be related? Why won't it let go of the key?

 

You should have been able to turn the ignition to the ACC position. If you turned all your accessories off (lights, radio, wipers, etc.) with the key in this position, the battery should not have died that quick. If it did it was probably due for replacement anyways.

After you get your new battery (or the old one recharged), make sure the shifter is fully placed in the Park position. If the factory battery has not yet been replaced I would strongly suggest getting a new battery since the factory battery will not last much longer anyways.

Your passenger seatbelt connector and related circuits would not affect the operation of the ignition key.

 

I had this issue also after i bought mine. i took it to the dealership during the free oil change. they stated that i needed a new power steering unit and a new shifter( shifter is the reason the key would not be allowed to be removed) but of course the dealership wants me to pay 4 grand since non of it is covered under the warranty

 

Shifter linkage can be adjusted to accommodate the shifter going into park. If it happens again, try slamming the shifter into park and that should release the key.
Have you run codes? If so list them here or research them online to find out what the problem is.
Sounds like the dealer wants to make some fast cash.
John

 

dahbee,

Have you been able to have this concern resolved?

Erica Tiffany
Chevrolet Customer Care

 

they engine an stabilitrac came on in my avalanche my mechanic checked it out, all it was was a vacuum leak

 

No codes came about from it and I have tried slamming it in park and it didn't help. The problem with the shifter is the button not extending fully. So instead of spending money on it, all i do is listen while i push the button til the clicking sounds right and the key will rotate and be able to removed. The shifter and the power steering are both not covered under the warranty

 

this is assuming a temporary code isnt sitting in the ecm. make sure and check your codes again on the ecm and engine modules if you have a code reader. I always hear about the wheel sensor diagnosis, but i dont know how much merit is to it. But i guess somebody somewhere had a problem with it because that suggestion is always coming up. in my experience the traction control has only been related to codes in the ecm, one for the erg, and another for the steering sensor possibly. that was the dealer that stated the steering sensor but since i didnt have a tester at the time, and the problem came back after they replaced or tinkered with it, i cant tell you if they were being honest with me or not. Personally i think it was the EGR since it came bak again and again until i bought a tester myself and found that it was the EGR sensor (pintile switch inside)

 

Just dont slam it in park while the car is moving at all or you will break your parking pin in the tranny possibly.

have you tried yanking the steering wheel back and forth in teh lock position while trying to remove your key? that usually does it in most cars. i think i had that problem in the equinox before.

 

were you able to pull an ecm code for that vacuum leak or anything for that mtter, or was the computer clean, and just gettting your vacuum back fixed it? that would be scary. if so, then that means the traction control light is just a diagnosis light in the end.......