Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
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Bob Hansen reporting The next time you lock yourself out of your car, you may have a hard time getting back in.
The same technology that's making our cars safer from thieves, is keeping car owners locked out as well.
Fred Scheid will spend the next hour-and-a-half making a new key for Miles Hall's Chevy Camero.
Miles Hall, Lost Keys: "We had a problem with the key, I lost it on Superbowl Sunday."
But getting a new one isn't as simple as it used to be.
Fred Scheid / Locksmith: "Take the steering column apart, take the lock out, take the lock apart."
All that so Fred can find a special code printed on the cars ignition and Program miles' car key.
Miles Hall / Lost Keys: "The key has a transponder chip and the car won't start without it."
More and more modern car keys have small electronic chips hidden inside. Transponders that talk to the car.
Bob: Did you know there was a little electronic chip inside that key?"
"No i did not."
Not only are people unaware of hidden transponders, they don't know the headache that's just around the corner if they get locked out.
Cesar Gammond, Locksmith: "It's getting to be more common now that I have to turn people away because they have newer cars and there's not much I can do."
Locksmiths like Cesar Gannod can easily cut the shape of the keys but without help from the car makers, they can't program the key to match the ignition.
Alice Bismo / Automobile Club: "With the information it will take 10, 15, 20 minutes. Without the information it can take two hours, three hours, four hours."
Or in some cases the key can only be made by the dealer, the car maker simply won't share the pin code with locksmiths.
Then there's the price; today's keys cost anywhere from 50 to 150 dollars.
