Our door lock is a kwikset deadbolt lock, with key access on both sides. It has been increasingly difficult to extract the key after unlocking the door from the outside. Today the cylinder came out with the key. It seems to work ok when I lock and unlock the door from the inside.

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I presume you figured it out by now, but if the tailpiece is installed wrong in many deadbolts, the key won't come out in one position or the other. It's called a "timing" problem and the way to fix it is to take it off the door, turn the tailpiece a half circle and put it back on the door. Usually Kwikset locks are designed so you can't put it in the wrong way, but it can happen. (If it's not the timing problem, then the deadbolt unit is defective or broken. They are designed to fail in a way that keeps them locked, so this could be a sign that someone tried to break in, or that someone used the extended bolt as a way to stop the door from closing and it hit the door frame too hard.)

The best way to install a deadbolt lock without the instructions handy is to look at the "lazy" cam and see if there is a way to install it wrong and don't install it that way. Example: If there are 2 ways for the tailpiece to fit in the deadbolt unit when the deadbolt is retracted and only one way for the tailpiece to fit in when the deadbolt is extended, then install the lock with the deadbolt extended and you can't install it wrong.

on the inside of the door look on the bottom of the lock cover. There should be a hole with a screw or allen head screw. Remove the screw and you can access the the rest of the lock.

It sounds like the exterior tumbler is bad, it is less expensive to just replace the whole deadbolt than to have the tumbler repaired.

Remove the deadbolt cover by removing the 2 screws. This will get you inside the deadbolt. Try using a screwdriver to pull it back. You may in the end have to break the unit in order to get it out and replace it. I have the same thing happen with a deadbolt. I ended up having to destroy the unit to get it out. You are going to replace it anyway so do whatever it takes to get it to unlock so you can then remove it from the door and install a new one. You do not want a deadbolt that will not unlock.

Kwikset Smart Key locks are complete junk. I am a locksmith and I am constantly going from house to house replacing these "dumb key" locks with original kwikset pin tumbler locks. What happens is either your key or the wafers inside the lock wear slightly, slightly enough to cause your keys to not turn, and since these locks cannot be picked due to a side bar system, they must be drilled off and thrown away when this happens Unless you have another access point to get in the house. If you do remove lock from the inside, throw it in the trash, buy original kwikset and replace.

spray a little bit of oil where you insert the key turn it a couple of time to make sure it is lubricated then turn to correct location to pull out key hold cylinder in with finger key should pull out

I just had the same problem as samrpetrich with a loose kwikset deadbolt. Here's how I fixed it - on the inside of the door, take off the latch that flips the deadbolt in and out using a very small allen key. There is a round plate cover that is snapped on top of the inside deadbolt mechanism. If you look on the bottom aspect of this round plate you'll see where it snaps on; once I saw where to apply pressure it came off easily - taking off this plate exposed the two screws beneath that were loose. Once I tightened these, I snapped the plate cover back on, but the dead bolt latch back and everything is tight again. Hope this helps.

Make sure that the bolt hole on the jamb side is recessed enough so the bolt gets a full extension. Without this externsion the bolt will not engage the key release. So when you do your quarter turn you are actually turning more. Remove the strike plate and drill the hole deeper until the bolt can extend all the way. Also double check your key to make sure it is not spurred or worn.

Visit your local Home Depot and purchase a Kwikset re-keying kit. They're inexpensive and work fine but stay alert and follow the instructions properly. This kit comes complete with proper pins as well as new keys. Good Luck!