How do you get the keys out of a Toyota Avalon?

Answer 1

With all due respect, I want to believe you have driven a car before, so I assume you have done the due diligence to put the car in park and turn the key to the place where it comes out (or actually failed to do these things, which is why the key won't come out).

When this happened to me, in the first occasion, a piece that control the shift lever ( I had the rare column shift avalon) had broken and therefore the car would not come off park. Then I found that there is an override ( a little removable square or round type of plastic tab - same color as the trim) that pops off to reveal an override switch. Its near the shifter - whether column or floor shift.) Once I got it off park, I couldn't get it back to park, so I couldn't take the key off unless I left it in neutral. Kind of dangerous. Make sure you parking brake is very good.

Other thing you can do (short term) is disconnect the battery. Take key off. Reconnect.

The other time this happened was a bad brake switch. But come to think of it, that time I could take of the key and do everything except the car wouldn't leave park unless with the override. They charged nearly $100 for this very easy (but hard to reach)job. Another time the switch wasn't bad but the brake light fuse was not connecting properly and had the same symptoms as the brake light switch.

The other one that never happed to be is something called (I think) 'shift solenoid' can fail and it is the one that releases the key to come out after you are in park. This should also respond to disconnecting the battery.

Good luck, hope any of this is useful.