Please let me explain.
I have a 2013 Chevy Impala, which was running just fine until recently.
So initially it all started when my key broke off in my ignition, leaving me with only half a key, and the other half stuck in my ignition.
What I thought would be an easy fix, turned into a nightmare.
Knowing what I know now, I wouldn't of thought twice about paying to have my car repaired by an actual certified mechanic, rather than going the route I did. But when times are tough, we're only left with one option- the more affordable one. Lol
After being carless for a few days and a few (or 50) YouTube videos later, I was finally able to remove the part of the key that was stuck in the ignition.
Once I had the broken key out, a friend of mine was able to somehow tweak the tumblers within the ignition barrel, allowing me the ability to use the "half" key just about the same as I did before it broke. The only difference was not being able to use the actual key to lock/unlock the doors/trunk (Thank God for the key fob), Other than that it pretty much functioned the same as it did before. Although, now there was a luminated message on my dash indicating the security theft system, which hadn't been there before.
About a month or so later, I awoke to my car alarm going off in the middle of the night, my first thought was somebody actually messing with my car as I jumped up and ran outside to find nobody in sight, still half asleep, I used my fob to silent the alarm, and proceeded back inside. No longer than 10 minutes later my alarm was going back off. That's when I came to realize it had to be something to do with my ignition that's randomly setting off my alarm.
Up until that point, everything functioned the same as usual since breaking my key. Besides the theft message on my dash, of course.
A couple weeks after that incident, my dad borrowed my car. After he returned, he said that shortly after he left in my car, he was coming up to a stop sign just a few blocks from my house, he stopped, and the car just completely died on him. His initial thought was maybe he ran out of gas, so he got some gas and put it in. He then went to start the car, it started up, and on he went. He said it ran just fine after that and never stalled on him again. At that time, I was pretty low on gas, but not low enough to run out. So once again, the only thing that came to mind, was the darn ignition.
Just when I was thinking it couldn't get any worse, it did.
So a few days ago, I had been out driving, running a few errands. I didn't notice anything wrong with the way my car was running, nothing alarming anyways. I parked my car, I turned off the ignition, everything was fine. About an hour later I went to start my car, I turned the key over, and nothing. Literally nothing. No cranking, no nothing. I was able to insert my broken key just as I was prior to this, the key turned over just fine, but did absolutely nothing at all.
At this point, I just need some advice. I am a female who knows very little to nothing at all about cars. I've exhausted all/ any useful materials and/or resources available to me as to repairing my car or even diagnosing my car. These past couple months I have spent countless hours researching, reading and watching
YouTube videos I should know how to build a freaking car. Lol
With that being said, any advice would be helpful at this point.
Thanks in advance!
Thursday, January 22nd, 2026 AT 5:24 AM
