Jump to content

How to program master key if original is lost

coldnorthpole
 Share

Recommended Posts

coldnorthpole Enthusiast

coldnorthpole

Posted
Posted
Hi,

I am posting this because I had a nightmare of a time going through this myself.


I lost the one and only key that I had to my 2010 Silverado. ( I know, I am an idiot)

These are the steps to program a master key that you will need to get from your dealer or other retailer.

My local Chevy dealer told me I had to have my truck towed to them so that they could fix it. After completing a little research, I completed this on my own and saved myself probably $250 in towing fees and a major headache and other fees at the dealer. Rule of thumb, do not always trust what the dealer tells you.


IF NO OTHER WORKING KEY FOR THE CAR IS AVAILABLE: 1.Put the newly cut Master key into the keyway and turn it to the ON (RUN) position. A "Security" indicator light on the dashboard will stay on for 10 minutes. 2. Within 1 minute after the indicator light goes off, turn the ignition to "OFF" then return to the ON (RUN) position. The indicator light again will stay on for 10 minutes. (DO NOT REMOVE THE KEY) 3. Again, within 1 minute after the indicator light goes off, turn the ignition to "OFF", then return to the ON (RUN) position. The indicator light again will stay on for 10 minutes. (DO NOT REMOVE THE KEY) 4. When the light goes off for the third time, the new key is programmed into the computer and will start the car. Remove the key and then re-insert it into the ignition lock and start the car. All previously stored codes will be erased. To stop the process at any time, simply remove the key and use an existing key to start the car.


HOW TO PROGRAM THIS KEY IF YOU HAVE ATLEAST ONE WORKING KEY

FOR CARS WHERE YOU WANT TO JUST CREATE A SPARE KEY: 1. Place an already programmed key in the keyway. 2. Cycle the ignition from OFF to ON (RUN) to OFF. 3. Within 15 seconds, insert the new, properly cut Transponder key in the ignition. Turn the key to ON (RUN) or START. The "Security" indicator light will go on and off. Turn the key "OFF". The key will now start the car. Repeat the second step for each new key to be programmed.

  • Like 3
MikeNH Senior Enthusiast

MikeNH

Posted
Posted
Tell us how you went about getting a new key cut.

 

Simple. Dealer will cut by VIN with proof of ownership.

Duelin Enthusiast

Duelin

Posted
Posted

I am aware that the dealer can with proof of ownership. He didn't mention anything in his post about having the dealer cut a key. Reading his post he didn't seem very excited about having the dealer do anything for him. There is more than one method of having a key cut. I was just interested in what he did. It might be of value to someone else in the future.

coldnorthpole Enthusiast

coldnorthpole

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I had to go to the dealer and have them cut a key for me. They require proof of ownership. I had to give them a copy of my Registration and show them my ID.

Up here in Alaska, we have very limited choices as far as good dealerships go. And believe me, they know that. Customer service in Alaska sucks. So my thoughts are, if you can take care of it on your own, then go for it.

Duelin Enthusiast

Duelin

Posted
Posted

Thanks for the reply. By the way how is Santa doing? :lol: I thought maybe you might have some other means and was curious as to what it might be. I have had dealers cut keys. Also lock smiths. Had lock smiths come and cut keys. Have taken lock cylinder out of doors and had keys cut from the cylinder. So that was the reason I was curious. You need all the options you can get. Maybe some day you might be 500 miles from home and loose your key on a Saturday and no GM dealers are open till Monday. What do you do? All and any information is valuable. You never know when you are going to need it.

Gurrzt Enthusiast

Gurrzt

Posted
Posted

I have both keys that came with the vehicle, I wanted an extra key to have on my "spare" key chain fob.

 

I purchased the key @ the dealership, and they programed it for me for just the price of the key (I realize I paid a premium price for the key).

 

They asked for my original key, and they completed the task in less than 5 minuets.

  • 1 month later...
dbn93 New Member

dbn93

Posted
Posted

IF NO OTHER WORKING KEY FOR THE CAR IS AVAILABLE: 1.Put the newly cut Master key into the keyway and turn it to the ON (RUN) position. A "Security" indicator light on the dashboard will stay on for 10 minutes. 2. Within 1 minute after the indicator light goes off, turn the ignition to "OFF" then return to the ON (RUN) position. The indicator light again will stay on for 10 minutes. (DO NOT REMOVE THE KEY) 3. Again, within 1 minute after the indicator light goes off, turn the ignition to "OFF", then return to the ON (RUN) position. The indicator light again will stay on for 10 minutes. (DO NOT REMOVE THE KEY) 4. When the light goes off for the third time, the new key is programmed into the computer and will start the car. Remove the key and then re-insert it into the ignition lock and start the car. All previously stored codes will be erased. To stop the process at any time, simply remove the key and use an existing key to start the car.

 

 

OK, here is my predicament.....

 

 

I have a 2009 Sierra... same situation as yourself.. lost the last set of keys for the truck.

 

I called around and realized it would cost no less than $300-400 for a new set of keys from dealership or mobile locksmith(towing to dealership included). I read online that it was possible and simple to buy a blank and program it myself. So I purchased a transponder key and fob for a total of $55 from keylessride.com.

 

I was following the (3 x 10) programming instructions as provided with my purchased transponder key, the first 2 steps went flawlessly. Blinking indicator went out after 10 minutes and I repeated the process again... However, on the 3rd time through the steps my battery gave out and died. Now I am stumped..... I fully charged the battery and tried the process over, however the indicator will not shut off after 10 minutes. I've contacted keylessride and they are out of ideas as well. They are telling me my vehicle is in some type of "lockout mode" and the computer needs to be reset. I have noticed the "Service Theft Deterrent System" now shows up in my DIC.

 

I've tried:

 

- taking battery cable off overnight

- taking batter cable off with fuses (4,5,12,56 - ECM fuses) for 1 hour

- taking 4,5,12,56 - ECM fuses out will key is in "on" position

 

I cannot figure out how restart the computer or if i'm even in the right area to fix my issue. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

wrkdvr Enthusiast

wrkdvr

Posted
Posted

A good locksmith can cut keys too. Cheaper. You don't have to go through a dealer. Look for locksmiths that sell Medeco

 

Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk

 

 

ttopcamaro86 Enthusiast

ttopcamaro86

Posted
Posted

Dbn93, somewhere on here is a way to bypass the chip key portion of the antitheft, using a resistor. Maybe you could bypass it, crank the truck to get everything to "reset" with engine running. Then unbypass it to reprogram it. If this is bad advice i apologize, its just what i would do if it were mine.(Try that is) Some folks dont want to even cut a wire on their truck, but i am not one of those, lol. Good luck with your ride though!

  • 2 years later...
Coby7 Senior Enthusiast

Coby7

Posted
Posted

Dbn93, I think you need the TechII to reset the theft deterrent module so you can start this process again.

MaverickZ71 Senior Enthusiast

MaverickZ71

Posted
Posted

If your truck is under warranty and you subscribe to OnStar, if you lose a key and call OnStar, they will have the dealer cut a new key and bring it to your location for free.

  • 10 months later...
carnau Enthusiast

carnau

Posted
Posted
7 minutes ago, Johndtkjnjjjn,. Smith said:

U have a 2007 Chevy 1500 just the theft light is on got new keys cut thinking the key u already had was not good tried programmingthe new ones but the light doesn'tgo out after ten minutes.  Any help would be great thanks 

Do you have 1 good key that works at the moment?

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Forum Statistics

    250.5k
    Total Topics
    2.7m
    Total Posts

  • Member Statistics

    342,965
    Total Members
    8,960
    Most Online
    DaleB
    Newest Member
    DaleB
    Joined

  • Who's Online   4 Members, 0 Anonymous, 1,318 Guests (See full list)

  • Latest Articles

  • Posts

    • jgaudet99
      Tire psi

      By jgaudet99 · Posted

      Yes that's right, it's the upgrade that includes the overload spring and all that stuff.   Someday when I'm empty and going by a scale I'm going to stop in and get some weight readings.   Exactly  you should have the ability to change individual settings, in in Canada so I'm driving with kph but then I'm stuck with kpa when I want psi lol    
    • Chuck FB
      Tire psi

      By Chuck FB · Posted

      You must have that upgraded gvw package which is only available or at least was in 2025 with the diesel engine for the 3/4 ton and that gave the truck physically the larger 12.0 ring gear rear diff and the 3500 rear spring pack. There is a difference in what the diff housing looks like externally as one tell tale and also your truck should have the upper overload spring pack and the frame pads that the pack goes up against.    The pressure the tpms system kicks the alarm in on a stock setting truck, that is a good question and was just from what I recall but I doubt I made any notes on it as I knew for the rear that it was not at all what I was after regardless either. Being that you have a diesel and if running on stock tires the minimum pressure on an empty truck seems to be around 50 psi from hearing of those that have weighted the front axle but the rear axle is very similar in weight to a gas truck and again a near empty truck on the rear could go down to 35 pounds at minimum. However the weigh scale is the proper way to know for sure as a guide.    As to changing the readings on the dash from metric to the US measuring system, oh yes that is done easily but what I was attempting to explain was that I can't pick and choose items I want to have in US and those I still want in the metric system at the same time as its either all or none. For example lets say you drove into Canada and switched your dash over to metric so your speedometer read in km an hour, well then your reading kilopascals on your tpms readout and your wife looks over and says what the hell is that saying in the tpms screen and you say "darned if I know, I think its Chinese" !
    • Chuck FB
      Some Assembly is Required

      By Chuck FB · Posted

      This is partly why I decided to have switched over to Amsoil SS as a way of hopefully preventing the buildup of the sludge/carbon on the pistons and clogging of the oil control rings and the carbon that would cause the compression rings to stick in their grooves as well as stay cleaner up top of the heads in the valve train in the first place, an oil that has tested better by third party testing over typical shelf oil and also doing my best to run relatively short OCI. However in saying that I don't think there is any way to easily prove the oil I was using prior allowed for a buildup at the OCI I was doing, nor in the other direction to make claims the Amsoil is keeping everything clean either. There really isn't a window into the engine is there to know anything for certain even if oil samples were taken for example that showed still healthy oil being dropped out of the oil pan other than engine tear downs that extensive and expensive testing of oils does to actually visually see what is really going on inside the engine. I wish there was some easy method of seeing what is going on but I don't happen to be aware of that if there is.  
    • jgaudet99
      Tire psi

      By jgaudet99 · Posted

      My truck is a ¾ ton but my placard also says 80 for the rear tires, I think I might have the upgraded suspension to the 3500 series maybe.   I put my air down to 60 and the light was still on, and there was no way I was putting over 60 psi in the rear empty and not towing because I knew the actual number Toyo gave me and I didn't wanna ruin the center of my tires!   And you actually can change it in the settings from metric or is and it will show kph or mph then when you go into your tire settings it will be either psi or kpa, but it would be nice to just change it directly on the tire psi page 
    • Grumpy Bear
      Some Assembly is Required

      By Grumpy Bear · Posted

      Common Sense Assembly   Your driveline is forgiving of the occasional mistake. It will even often forgive the random serious blunder. But it will not forgive a continuous bad habit.      What? Not everything needs to be a five thousand word essay.       

  • GM-Trucks.com Clubs

  • Popular Contributors

×
×
  • Create New...