2002 Forester ignition switch

[rustyvolvo]

I picked up a parts 2002 Forester and I have a bit of a problem. The key is in the ignition and it won't come out. I was told that I need to get 12V to the car to get the key to release. Here is the problem, the car was crashed in the left front and it appears the battery cables, fuse/relay panel and anything else electrical are sliced and or missing in that front corner. The haynes manual wiring diagram was useless. Is there a fuse in the interior that looks after this circuit? Can I feed it 12V directly to release the key and not mess up anything else?

[uniberp]

I believe there is a capped hole on the bottom side of the column near the key where you can insert a pointy tool to release the key.

 

I picked up a parts 2002 Forester and I have a bit of a problem. The key is in the ignition and it won't come out. I was told that I need to get 12V to the car to get the key to release. Here is the problem, the car was crashed in the left front and it appears the battery cables, fuse/relay panel and anything else electrical are sliced and or missing in that front corner. The haynes manual wiring diagram was useless. Is there a fuse in the interior that looks after this circuit? Can I feed it 12V directly to release the key and not mess up anything else?

[forester2002s]

This excerpt is from page SL-2 of the Forester 2002 Factory Service Manual:

 

The ignition switches on the MT models have a safety mechanism that prevents inadvertent locking of the steering wheel during driving. The driver cannot turn the ignition key from "ACC" to "LOCK" unless the key is pushed inward at the "ACC" position.

 

The ignition switches on the AT models have a key interlock mechanism to avoid locking of the steering wheel during driving. The ignition key can be turned to the "LOCK" position only when the select lever is in the P position.

NOTE:

Should the key be impossible to turn to "LOCK" when the select lever is in the P position due to failure of the key interlock mechanism, the interlocking can be cancelled by operating the release lever located on the underside of the steering column.

[rustyvolvo]

Thanks for the help guys. My parts car is an AT, and it was in park. I removed the steering column trim and the plate from underneath the ignition switch. There was a small gold tab that appeared to move a little everytime I rotated the key so I jiggled the "lever" a few times and the key came out. Thanks again for all the help, I'm sure I will be asking more questions as I get into this a little more. Looks like I need to track down a copy of the Forester shop manual.