Yes, a heavy keychain can damage your car’s ignition over time

Do you have several sets of keys and other items hanging from the keychain you use to start your car?

Several social media posts claim having a heavy keychain can damage your car’s ignition. A VERIFY reader reached out to our team to ask if this is true.

THE QUESTION

Can a heavy keychain damage your car’s ignition?

THE SOURCES

• The Center for Auto Safety
• General Motors and Nissan recall notices
• McCarthy Collision Centers
• Pro Locksmith San Diego
• Wynns Locksmiths
• Sun Devil Auto
• Peter Zavarelli, automotive repair expert at JustAnswer

THE ANSWER

Yes, a heavy keychain can damage your car’s ignition over time.

WHAT WE FOUND

Our sources agree that a heavy keychain can damage your car’s ignition over time. That’s because having too many items on your keychain puts extra strain on the ignition lock, which may eventually cause it to fail.

“When you've got excess weight on your keychain — you're driving down the road, you're hitting bumps, that keychain is going to swing — and that's going to put more pressure on your ignition cylinder, your ignition switch, and over time, that can actually damage the cylinder and the switch itself,” automotive repair expert Peter Zavarelli told VERIFY.

A car’s ignition system is made up of several components that work together to get the vehicle started, according to Sun Devil Auto. One of the major components is the ignition switch, which is located on the steering wheel column or dash area of the car. The ignition switch “is the key to getting your car to start,” Sun Devil Auto says.

When a metal or electronic key is inserted into the ignition cylinder on the ignition switch, it lets you turn the car on. But Zavarelli says when you have too many items on your keychain, the excess weight can apply pressure to the cylinder or switch, which can eventually cause both to fail.

“That's something we run into quite a bit,” said Zavarelli.

On its website, Pro Locksmith San Diego explains that when the weight of the keychain hangs, gravity pulls it down and the ignition has to handle the weight when the car is at rest, while making turns, riding over bumps and going uphill. All this extra force continues to wear out the tumblers in the ignition, and a worn tumbler will eventually no longer be able to engage and turn the ignition lock, according to Pro Locksmith San Diego.

“When the car key is inserted and the rest of the keyring left to dangle, this weight puts extra strain on the ignition lock barrel. In turn, this can cause parts to wear out, misalign and potentially prevent the car from starting,” Wynns Locksmiths says.

In an email, Michael Brooks, the executive director of The Center for Auto Safety, told VERIFY that GM and Nissan have previously cited heavy keychains as factors for damaged vehicle ignitions in recall notices.

“Keychain size played a role in the General Motors ignition switch failures of almost a decade ago,” said Brooks. “Although the keychain size was a contributing factor rather than a primary factor in that major recall, there were many warnings issued at the time about keychain accessories and weight.”

McCarthy Collision Centers recommends shrinking your keychain down to a maximum of five keys. 

This story is also available in Spanish / Lee este artículo también en español: Sí, un llavero pesado puede dañar el encendido de tu automóvil con el tiempo