Try inserting the key into the lock and hitting it with a rubber mallet. I remember reading a while ago about 2000-ish dodge caravan's having this problem, and most were temporarily solved by hitting the key in the ignition with a mallet.

http://forums.automotive.com/70/1029...urn/index.html

 

quote possibly you could just pull the column partialy apart and clean it. I could understand an area of a vehicle that is almost never cleaned having a build-up of dust and dirt making it stiff and hard to operate. whilr you are there you will probably notice your problem. I would suggest adding some lube to all the moving parts in there too. Dealers sukk.