TextHow Contour Keys Shifted Through the Years
PATS I Transponder Key
The 1995-1997 Contour and Mystique shipped with pure mechanical keys. No transponder, no immobilizer, just a brass blade. Door-cylinder impressioning was the locksmith standard for all-keys-lost on these cars.
PATS II Transponder Key
The 1998-1999 SVT got PATS I out of the gate. Texas 4C transponder in the head, plain blade, no buttons, no battery, on-board self-pair available with a working key.
SVT Performance Variant
The 2000 model-year final-run Contour kept PATS I on SVT trim. Marco still gets a few calls a year on these last-of-the-line cars.
Which Key Is in Your Contour?
Pure mechanical key. Brass blade, no chip, no buttons, no battery. Any qualified locksmith can cut a spare from an original or by impression from the door cylinder.
PATS I transponder key on 1998-2000 SVT. Texas 4C chip hidden in the head, otherwise looks like the standard mechanical key.
Aftermarket remote head key fits 1998-2000 SVT trims that came with the optional keyless entry. Three buttons, CR2032 inside.
Contour Key Pricing in San Diego
Price covers the cut, the Texas-platform chip, the on-site PATS pairing, and the road test; all-keys-lost cases may run higher because of EEPROM work.
EZ Car Keyz vs. the San Diego Dealer
Mossy Ford does not stock Contour blanks anymore and will not even quote the job. We carry the blanks and roll to you today.
Skip the Dealer - Call (619) 876-1271Contour Key Problems We See in San Diego
PATS Transponder Failure
High-mileage Contour cylinders chew through soft-cut blades. Twenty-five years of daily driving wears wafers and the key just spins. VIN-cut replacement to original spec gets it back on the road cheap, before the rebuild stacks on.
Lost All Keys Scenario
1998+ Contour SVT runs PATS I with a Texas 4C transponder. Worn chip plus battery cycles can throw the immobilizer into a stuck state. Marco pulls into your driveway in Chula Vista or El Cajon, plugs OBD-II, and resets the module on-site.
Ignition Cylinder Wear
Locked out of an older Contour with no spare. We make a key from the door cylinder or by VIN if the registration is in hand, then cut and pair (if PATS-equipped). Same-day in most San Diego County zip codes.
PATS Light Flashing Rapidly
Contour fob cracked or worn. SVT remote head keys still ship as aftermarket blanks; we carry them and pair the transponder on-site. Base Contour blanks are also still available through specialty channels.
Can You DIY a Contour Key?
Mechanical-only 1995-1997 cars have no programming step. Cut the blade, hand it over, done.
PATS I 1998-2000 SVT runs the on-board two-key add procedure if both originals are in hand. Otherwise OBD-II is required.
No DIY path exists for all-keys-lost on a PATS-equipped Contour. The cylinder has to be picked or shimmed and OBD-II pairing follows.
How It Works
Call or Text Us
Dial (619) 876-1271 with the year and trim.
We Come to You
Driveway in Encinitas, side street in North Park, anywhere in San Diego County, we drive there.
Cut, Program, Test, Done
Cut the blade roadside.
Related Services
Did You Know?
The Contour is the only Ford-badged car ever built on the Mondeo CDW27 world platform sold in North America. Its 1998+ SVT variant got a 2.5L Duratec V6 paired with a 5-speed manual that hot-rod magazines still mourn. When Ford fitted PATS I to the 1998 Contour SVT, they accidentally created one of the lowest-volume PATS pairing scenarios any locksmith will encounter, and we still get a few SVT calls a year in 619.
KEY REPLACEMENT ACROSS ALL OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY
We come to you, anywhere in San Diego County. No shop visit, no towing. Our mobile locksmith arrives at your home, office, or roadside.
Ford Key Programming Live
Watch us program a Ford smart key through the PATS system.
Ford Key Replacement Call Now
F-150 to Mustang, every Ford covered across San Diego County. Call now.
