Losing every key to a car is a different problem than needing a spare. There’s no old key to copy from, no code written down in a kitchen drawer, and often no way to even unlock the door without help. Liberty Locksmith treats this as its own kind of job — originating a key from the vehicle itself rather than duplicating one you still have — and brings what that requires straight to wherever the car is stuck, whether that’s a driveway, a work lot, or the shoulder of a highway.
What “All Keys Lost” Actually Means
An all-keys-lost job isn’t a faster version of an ordinary key replacement — it’s a different process, because there’s nothing physical left to copy. Working from an existing key means duplicating it. Working from zero means identifying the car by its VIN, confirming ownership, and building both a new key and its matching programming data with no reference key anywhere in the picture. That’s more involved than cutting a spare, and it typically takes longer on-site because every step gets originated instead of copied.
Making the Lost Key Stop Working
Cutting a fresh key solves getting back into the car, but a genuinely lost key raises a second question worth asking: could whoever finds that old key still start your vehicle with it? On most vehicles from the past couple of decades, the immobilizer system can be reset as part of the same visit, which erases the lost key’s programming from the car’s memory. Once that reset finishes, the missing key becomes nothing more than a cut piece of metal — it won’t fire the engine even if it eventually shows up in a coat pocket or a parking lot. It’s worth asking specifically whether that reset is included, since skipping it leaves a loose end that a new key alone doesn’t close.
Skipping the Tow
A surprising number of all-keys-lost calls end with the vehicle getting towed to a dealership, at meaningful expense and almost always more delay than the job actually needs, when the same work can happen right where the car already sits. Mobile equipment built for full origination reads the vehicle’s data, cuts a key on the correct blank, and programs it into the immobilizer without the car moving an inch. That’s the entire point of doing this on-site instead of at a service counter — the vehicle stays exactly where it ran out of keys.
Proving This Car Is Yours
Because an all-keys-lost visit creates a brand-new working key for a car with no key present to prove ownership, the check here runs deeper than on a standard replacement. Expect to show a driver’s license matching the name on the registration or title, with the registration or title itself available too. A locksmith who skips that step on an all-keys-lost call isn’t saving you time as a favor — that check exists specifically to keep a working key from ending up with whoever happens to be standing next to the car.
What Drives the Cost Here
All-keys-lost work costs more than duplicating a key you already have, and the reasons are mechanical rather than arbitrary. Originating a key from a VIN needs specialized software and hardware that a simple duplicate never touches, the immobilizer reset is an additional programming step, and some vehicles require extra security access before any of that can even begin. Vehicle make and model shift how much of that work is required on a given car. As with any other job, the price gets confirmed against your specific vehicle before a technician starts cutting or programming anything, never estimated in general terms over the phone and changed once someone’s already on-site.
We handle all of this on-site across the metro — see our service areas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it even possible if I have no spare at all?
Yes. Most vehicles built in the last couple of decades can have a key originated straight from the car's own data using the VIN, without needing a spare or an old key as a reference. It's a more involved process than duplicating a key you already have, but it's routine work, not a rare exception.
What proof of ownership do you need?
A driver's license that matches the name on the registration or title, plus the registration or title itself on hand. Because an all-keys-lost job hands a brand-new working key to whoever's standing there, that check is more thorough than on a standard replacement, and we run it every time without exception.
Can my old lost keys be deactivated?
On most vehicles, yes. As part of the all-keys-lost job we can typically reset the immobilizer, which clears the lost key's programming from the car's memory. Once that's done, the missing key won't start the engine even if it eventually turns up, so losing it stops being an ongoing risk.
Do I need to have my car towed to get a new key?
In most cases, no. Mobile origination equipment reads the vehicle and programs a new key at wherever the car is currently sitting, so towing usually isn't necessary. A tow only comes into play on the rare vehicle whose systems genuinely require dealer-only equipment to complete the job.