I Lost the Only Key to My Car. What Happens Now?

If you have lost the only key to your car, you cannot move it, and it is not obvious who to call or what the job involves. An automotive locksmith can make a new key even when you do not have the original.

What follows is what actually happens, what will be asked of you, and a few things worth checking before you arrange anything.

Before you book anything, make sure the key is really gone

First, check whether the key is locked inside the car. If you can see it in there, this is not a key replacement. It is a lockout, which is a smaller and quicker job, and it is worth reading what to do when your keys are locked in the car before you call anybody.

If it is not in the car, retrace where it was last in your hand. Check coat and jacket pockets, including the ones you wore the day before, the door lock at home where keys are often left hanging, and under and between the seats. If your last stop was a store, a restaurant or a gas station, call and ask whether anything has been handed in.

Then look for a second key that already exists, because that changes the job completely. The valet key often sits in the glove box pouch or in the folder handed over at purchase. The second key from the day you bought the car is frequently still in a drawer at home. Somebody who drives the car occasionally may have one, and if the vehicle is leased, company owned or part of a fleet, that office may hold it. If you bought the car used and only ever received one key, the previous owner is worth a call.

A key that no longer works is still worth having. A broken one, a worn one, or one that stopped starting the car can all be useful, so do not throw it away.

If your title and registration are locked inside the car

You will be asked to prove the car is yours, and the paperwork is usually in the glove box of the car you cannot open. It is an awkward situation with a straightforward answer.

If the documents are locked inside the car, say so when you call. A photo, an insurance app or a digital registration may be enough to confirm ownership before the physical documents can be reached, and the locksmith can tell you what else will be needed before the technician arrives.

Why a car with no key at all is a bigger job than a spare

With a working key in hand, there is something to copy and something the car already recognizes. With no key at all, two problems have to be solved before the engine will run.

One is mechanical. A key has to be produced that fits and turns your locks, with no original to copy.

The other is electronic. Most vehicles built in the past couple of decades use an immobilizer, a security system that keeps the engine from starting unless it recognizes an electronic code held in the key. A new key has to be introduced to that system and accepted by it before it will do more than open a door.

The locksmith uses your vehicle’s information to cut the new key and program it to the car. That is what makes this a longer appointment, and why more is asked of you before it begins.

What documents you need to prove the car belongs to you

Expect this before any tool comes out. A locksmith who does not ask should worry you, because the same check is what stops somebody else having a key made to your car.

• The car is in your name: the title, registration or an insurance document, plus photo identification in the same name.
• The car is in somebody else’s name: that person usually needs to be present, or to send written authorization along with a copy of their identification.
• Leased, company owned or part of a fleet: a letter from the leasing company or the fleet manager normally does the same job.
• A rental or a borrowed car: authorization has to come from the rental company or the owner, and a rental company may want to arrange the work itself.
• You have only just bought it: bring the bill of sale with whatever the seller handed over, since the title may not be in your name yet.

Requirements differ between companies and situations, so ask what will be needed while you are on the phone. What a locksmith can and cannot do without an original is covered in this article on making a key without the original.

Your insurance or warranty may already pay for a replacement key

Before arranging anything, spend two minutes finding out whether somebody else covers this.

Some auto insurance policies include key replacement. Some new and used car warranties cover it for a period. A number of roadside assistance plans and credit card benefits include lost key service. It is easy to forget these exist. Check the policy, the app or the benefits guide, because it can change how the work is arranged and who you call first.

How a locksmith makes a car key with no original to copy

There are two general routes, and which one is available depends on the vehicle.

The first works from the key code, a code tied to your specific car that a locksmith can request through licensed channels using the vehicle identification number and your proof of ownership. The key is then cut to that code.

The second works from the car’s own lock, which a locksmith can read to establish what the key needs to look like.

Which one applies comes down to the make, the model year, and whether the locks on the car are the ones it left the factory with. If a door lock or an ignition has been replaced at some point, the code the manufacturer holds may no longer match what is on the car. Mention any past lock or ignition work when you call, because it changes the plan and it is easy to forget a repair from years ago.

Why the new key also has to be programmed to your car

A key that turns is only half the job. On most modern vehicles the engine will not start until the immobilizer recognizes the key’s electronic code.

The locksmith uses programming equipment to connect the new key to your vehicle’s security system. The exact process depends on the make and model year. On some makes and model years there is also a built-in waiting period before a key can be added when none exists. Where it applies, that wait is part of the appointment and cannot be skipped, so ask about it when you book, because it affects how long the car will be sitting.

Depending on the make and model, adding a key when every key is missing may also clear keys that were programmed to the car before. That matters more when a key has been stolen than when one has been mislaid, so say which it was.

Ask about a second key while you are arranging the first. The information gathering and much of the programming is the same whether one key is made or two, and having a spare means you would not have to repeat any of this.

Step by step: what happens from the first call to a working key

• The call. You give the vehicle identification number, the year, make and model, how the car starts, where it is parked, and whether any key exists anywhere. That is enough for a locksmith to say whether your car can be handled where it is.
• Documents. Your identification and proof of ownership are checked before work starts.
• The vehicle is confirmed. The details are verified against the car itself, normally from the vehicle identification number, so that the key is cut to the correct information.
• The car is opened, if it is locked.
• The key is produced, either from the key code or by reading the lock.
• The key is programmed to the security system. On some vehicles this is quick. On others it is where most of the appointment goes.
• Test everything before the technician leaves. Lock and unlock the doors, start the engine, try each button on the remote, and if a second key was made, test that one too instead of putting it straight in a drawer.

Can a new key be made where the car is parked, or does it need towing?

For many vehicles this is mobile work, carried out where the car is parked. Some vehicles require manufacturer authorization or equipment that is only available through a dealership. In that case, the car may need to be towed. Ask about it when you book, because it decides whether you are arranging a locksmith or a tow truck.

The locksmith also needs to know where the car is parked and whether there is enough room to work.

• An underground or multi-level garage: height limits and access hours can decide whether a service vehicle can reach it at all.
• A tow yard or impound lot: these have their own hours and their own rules about who may work on a vehicle inside them.
• Blocked in or parked tight: there has to be room to work at the door and in the driver’s seat.
• A highway shoulder or anywhere unsafe: the car may need to be moved before anyone can work on it.
• Outside the service area: confirm the location is covered before booking.

If you are somewhere unfamiliar, or it is late, arrange a ride home and deal with the car in daylight. A legally parked car is usually fine overnight, though it is worth checking the signs before you leave it.

When the dealer has to be involved instead of a locksmith

Access to certain security systems is restricted by the manufacturer, and on those vehicles the dealer is part of the process. Establish that on the phone, because it changes what you are arranging. There is a fuller comparison of an auto locksmith and the dealership if you are weighing up the two.

There are two other situations where a key is not the answer. If the car has a fault in its security or electrical system, that is diagnostic work for a shop or a dealer. If the car recognizes the new key but still will not start, there may be a separate problem with the starting system, the electrical system or the engine.

What to have ready before you call a locksmith

• The vehicle identification number: a 17-character number found at the base of the windshield on the driver’s side, on the door-jamb sticker, and on your title, registration or insurance documents.
• The year, make and model: with the trim level if you know it, since equipment can differ inside the same model.
• How the car starts: a push button, or a key that turns in the column.
• Whether any key exists anywhere: including broken, worn or dead ones.
• Any history of lock or ignition work: replacements, repairs, or a key made previously by somebody else.
• Where the car is parked: and whether it can be reached, is blocked in, or sits under a height restriction.
• Your identification and proof of ownership: or photographs of them, if the paperwork is locked in the car.

What to do next

Most of this can be answered on the phone before anyone drives out. TXP Locksmith makes car keys for vehicles with no working key, and can tell you whether your make and model can be handled where the car is parked or needs the dealer. The number is (800) 928-9129. There is more detail on how car key replacement in Dallas is carried out.