Solve my mystery

ROLLIN5.0 said:

A lot of these cars do that. Although it also tells you that the lights are on, and it sounds like she has a dead battery. HMMM. You'll have to swap the ignition switch to get rid of that one, or disable the chime. Mine does the same thing, as well as my mother-in-laws 94 V6.
Brandon

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I've had to deal with that before, twice. There's a little contact that touches the ignition cylinder, and it's held on by a thin piece of plastic. That contact is what tells the computer that the key's still in the ignition. I bet the plastic is broken, and the contact is no longer touching the ignition cylinder.

You'll need to disconnect the battery first, just to be safe. Next, put the key in the ignition and turn it to Run (like you were going to start the car). Remove the ignition cylinder by placing a small screwdriver in the hole on the bottom of the steering column. Wiggle the key a bit if it won't go. The pin inside should push up, and you can now remove the ignition cylinder.

Next, remove the screws holding the bottom of the steering column cover in place. Once it drops, you should see the small plastic piece I mentioned. It just clips on to the bottom of the ignition cylinder housing, and is likely broken. Hopefully, you can tape it back into place (like I did), and you'll be fine. I'd also clean the contact points while you're here. Put it back together, and the chime should hopefully be gone.