2009 Hummer H3
Key Replacement - Save vs Dealer in San Diego

2009 Hummer H3 Transponder Key Replacement - Fast, Affordable & Professional

I was parked on 30th Street in North Park when the call came in. Guy had a 2009 H3, one key, and it had snapped off right at the bow, the round part you grip. The blade was still in the ignition cylinder, flush enough that his fingers couldn't get purchase on it.

He'd already tried tape and a magnet. Neither worked, and the magnet made him nervous when I told him the chip was in the piece he'd pulled out, not the piece still stuck inside.

I extracted the broken blade without pulling the cylinder. That part goes slow. You work a broken key out wrong and you're replacing the cylinder, which is a different job and a different conversation. Once it was out, I decoded what was left of the blade to get the cut depths, then cut a fresh key blank to match.

The new key turned, the engine cranked, and then it died. Right on cue. That's the immobilizer doing its job. The new key had the right cuts but an unregistered chip, so the vehicle wasn't going to let it start. Plugged in the programmer through the OBD port, enrolled the new transponder, and the security light went solid then went out the way it's supposed to.

He asked about getting a spare cut at a hardware store. I told him a basic copy would work the lock but the engine would crank and die every time, because the copy won't have a programmed chip. He ordered a second key on the spot.

He'd called the dealer first. They wanted to schedule him days out and tow the truck in since it wasn't drivable. We handled it on the street in about an hour, for a fraction of what they wanted.

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