Ignition cylinder and key get hot!

[DrummerBoy]

Does anyone else notice this? After driving only a few minutes, I shut the car off and remove the key. It's pretty hot, and the metal key cylinder is very hot. Is this normal on the Vibe? My temp. guage is always at half or slightly below, which is fine, but I do notice that the cooling fans kick on quite often and the engine gets very hot. I can barely touch the oil dipstick when the car s recently shutoff. My last few cars had larger engines and bigger engine compartments so it may be that I'm not used to the heat that a 4 cyl engine gives off.

[djkeev]

What year??It isn't related to engine temperature but is heat generated by the amount of electricity passing through the ignition switch. Haven't heard of it on the Vibe/Matrix but some cars have actually caught on fire from really excessive heat build up.http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4337403.html"WASHINGTON Ford Motor Co. is recalling about 7.9 million cars, minivans and pickups in the United States with the type of ignition switch that has caught fire in hundreds of vehicles. It is the second-largest recall in U.S. history. "Dave

[09vGT]

I've never noticed my key getting hot.. I do know what you mean about the heat under the hood.. My previous car was a mustang, v6, and it didn't seem to get that hot. My temp gauge too also stays at half or a tad below.. my cooling fans also kick on quite a bit..

[DrummerBoy]

It's a 2009 2.4L 5sp.Auto. I read about a few other cars having the hot key issues, but they were due to the current from the ignition cutoff security system and considered normal.

[djkeev]

Quote, originally posted by DrummerBoy »It's a 2009 2.4L 5sp.Auto. I read about a few other cars having the hot key issues, but they were due to the current from the ignition cutoff security system and considered normal.I wouldn't worry about it. My 07 key gets warm, never gave it a second thought though. Modern cars use a LOT of electricity and a large portion of it is turned on and off via the ignition key. Electricity in the process of moving creates friction and friction creates heat. It is key (no pun intended) that the electrical components be sized to handle the load, which knowing Toyota, it probably is just fine.Dave

[star_deceiver]

Your exhaust manifold is right there at the front and the engine runs at near or over the boiling temp of water so yes, the engine compartment will be hot!But Ive never noticed the key being hot.

[j42.snyder]

I've occasionally noticed my key getting much warmer than what I think should be "normal" as well in my 2009 2.4 auto. It's not every time - just once in a while. I'll try to pay attention and see if I can figure out any combination of conditions that seems to cause it.Obviously there must be a fair bit of current running through the switch to cause the contacts to heat up like that. I didn't think a newer car would rely on a mechanical switch to actually control circuits anymore - but it's probably still the easiest and cheapest way to do it. I just hope these switches don't become problematic down the road. I'll have to look in my service manual and see what it's got to say.Anybody else notice this on the 2009 or 2010's?

[Sublimewind]

Quote, originally posted by djkeev »I wouldn't worry about it. My 07 key gets warm, never gave it a second thought though. Modern cars use a LOT of electricity and a large portion of it is turned on and off via the ignition key. Electricity in the process of moving creates friction and friction creates heat. It is key (no pun intended) that the electrical components be sized to handle the load, which knowing Toyota, it probably is just fine.DaveWarm is one thing but hot is another... Resistance of a circuit is what creates heat, if there is little resistance, there should be little reason for anything but normal room temperate.. I agree a larger portion of current is passing through the ignition lines, while it's not the whole of the cars current... It could still burn the car down if this "hot key" issues, escalates.. Not trying to scare anyone, but I've seen what can happen should something draw too much current in a car.... fixing melted stuff is hard, fixing burnt stuff is harder.. lol.. I would just pay close attention to it... who knows, it could easily be a lose connection or something... It could be normal, but I don't know if I would trust GM or even a dealership to tell you the "real" story... if there is a story to tell...

[Sublimewind]

Quote, originally posted by DrummerBoy »Does anyone else notice this? After driving only a few minutes, I shut the car off and remove the key. It's pretty hot, and the metal key cylinder is very hot. Is this normal on the Vibe? My temp. guage is always at half or slightly below, which is fine, but I do notice that the cooling fans kick on quite often and the engine gets very hot. I can barely touch the oil dipstick when the car s recently shutoff. My last few cars had larger engines and bigger engine compartments so it may be that I'm not used to the heat that a 4 cyl engine gives off. 4cyl motors work harder to move the same amount of car... They tend to run warm.. If your coolant level is right, and you aren't overheating.. it's normal.. I don't thing the key thing is normal though.. IMHO

[LeatherVibe]

You're asking about 2 unrelated things. The key getting hot is abnormal - you have bad electrical contacts in the ignition switch that are causing the heat. Have it checked out by someone who knows how to plug an ohmmeter accros the contacts.Yeah the engine gets hot - it's supposed to. The thermostat in the cooling system dosen't open (to cool down the engine) until it's about 185 degrees. That's hotter than I want to handle. Don't worry about it.

[keithvibe]

nice avatar... where did you get that LOL??