As rthe title says, after I've been driving about 15 minutes and remove the key from the ignition, the metal part of the key and the lock cylinder are more than warm. Is this normal?

How hot?

 

My 91 Legacy's ignition key will get hot after a decently long drive. Almost hot enough for it to be painful to the touch.

 

So, maybe that's another Subaru idiosyncrasy.

Since "ignition key warmer" isn't part of the "winter package" that I'm aware of, I wonder if excessive contact resistance or current draw through the ignition switch might be the cause of the heating.

 

Or is the lock just hot from the car sitting in the sun, and transfers heat to the key? (The steering wheel is often too hot to comfortably hold after being in the sun.) Does the key get hot during nighttime driving?

Since "ignition key warmer" isn't part of the "winter package" that I'm aware of, I wonder if excessive contact resistance or current draw through the ignition switch might be the cause of the heating.

 

Or is the lock just hot from the car sitting in the sun, and transfers heat to the key? (The steering wheel is often too hot to comfortably hold after being in the sun.) Does the key get hot during nighttime driving?

"ignition key warmer" Maybe I got the DeeLux version.

Anyway, I've noticed it before in passing but tonight paid attention to it and the lock cylinder and the steering column is hotter than the surrounding dash after a 15 minute drive. I don't recall this on our 05 OB but will compare it tomorrow.