so, my key won't turn at all. i tried to turn my wheel left and right.. and it locked but my key STILL won't turn. '99 grand cherokee limited if that helps

 

Kind of stupid but when your steering wheel locks, you have to sort of wiggle it to the locked direction before you can move to the other. I had a teenage stranded moment over that once since I was just jerking it to either side. Probably not your problem, but worth a shot in the dark to mention

 

Put the key in and pound on the end of it, like your hammering it in to the ignition cylinder.....not too hard the key will bend. Just a few good taps. Then try to turn it. This is a common problem when the cylinder is warn out.

 

will i have to do that every time? i'm assuming i need to get a new cylinder..

 

Depends It may work ok for a few key cycles, then jam up again.