1997 Jeep Wrangler
Key Replacement - Save vs Dealer in San Diego

Q: How does mobile key replacement work for a 1997 Wrangler?

Call or text with your year, make, model, and VIN. I confirm the correct key blank for your vehicle and give you a price on the phone. When I arrive, I verify ownership, pull the VIN, and either decode the existing key or decode the lock itself if you're in an all-keys-lost situation. Then I cut the replacement on site and test it in the ignition and all the doors. The whole thing happens next to your Jeep.

Q: What do I need to have ready when you arrive?

Just the vehicle, a valid photo ID, and proof of ownership, your registration or title works. I verify the VIN from the dashboard or door jamb to confirm the key specs before I cut anything. That's the same documentation a dealer would ask for, except I'm doing it in the parking lot in a few minutes instead of at a service counter before a multi-day wait for a parts order.

Q: I lost my only key. Can you still make one without anything to copy from?

Yes. This comes up more than you'd think with older Wranglers, especially ones that have changed hands a few times. When there's no key to decode, I work from the lock itself. I can decode the ignition cylinder or a door lock to get the cut depth, then cut a key to that code.

Q: My key turns hard and sometimes doesn't want to come out of the ignition. Is the key worn out or is it the cylinder?

Both can cause that, and on a nearly 30-year-old TJ it's often the cylinder. The tumblers wear over time, especially with a heavy keychain pulling on the ignition. A worn cylinder can grip the key on the way out, and a worn key makes the problem worse because the worn peaks and valleys don't line up cleanly with the tumblers. First thing to check: try the key in just a door lock.

All Keys Lost? | No Problem

Available

Metal Key

Lost all your keys? Don't panic, and don't call a tow truck. Our mobile locksmith comes to your vehicle and creates a brand new key from scratch, even with zero working keys.

CA BSIS LICENSE LCO#6792

All Keys Lost? Easy No Tow Required New Key On-Site

Fast Response15-25

min arrival

200+reviews

Call (619) 876-1271 Text Us

1997 Jeep Wrangler car key pricing breakdown from EZ Car Keyz Coronado CA

All Keys Lost?

We make new keys from scratch - no existing key needed

No Tow Required

We come to wherever the car is sitting

Emergency Service

Available 7 days a week, 6 AM to 11:30 PM

619 Special

10% OFFCODE:EZ-619-2026

🔥 Lost your key? Save 10% today 🔥

REDEEM (619) 876-1271

1997 Jeep Wrangler
Key Options

Dealer-grade key for a fair, honest price

Metal Key

All Jeep Wrangler Keys Lost? Compare Options

Lost all your keys? Compare your options

EZ Car Keyz

Dealership

Average Cost

✓ $$

✕ $$$$

Location

✓ We come to you

✕ You drive there

Wait Time

✓ 20-45 min

✕ 2-5 days

Same-Day

✓ Yes

✕ Rarely

All Keys Lost

✓ No problem

✕ Tow required

OEM Quality

✓ Yes

EZ Car Keyz wins 5 out of 6

Lost all your keys? No tow truck needed

Book Service (619) 876-1271

1997 Jeep Wrangler Metal Key Replacement - Fast, Affordable & Professional

Out near the Naval Base Area in Coronado, a guy had just picked up a used 1997 Wrangler TJ from a small lot. One key. The lot said get a spare made anywhere, no big deal.

He went to the Jeep dealer first. They quoted him a price that made him stop and think. For a plain metal key. No electronics, no programming, nothing fancy. Just a cut blade. He found me online and asked if that was really what it cost.

I met him near the taco shop before he was done eating. The TJ from this era takes a standard mechanical key cut to the vehicle. No transponder, no immobilizer enrollment, nothing to program. I decoded the existing key, matched the blank, and cut a new spare on site.

He held both keys up, looked at them, and said something like, "That's it?" That's it. Sometimes the job is exactly what it looks like. He drove off with a working spare and paid a fraction of what the dealer wanted, mostly because I wasn't charging him for a service bay he never sat in.

Save vs the Dealer on Your Jeep Wrangler Key

Get your key for hundreds less than the dealer. Same quality, same result, better price.

Get Pricing (619) 876-1271 Text Us

BSIS Licensed

LCO#6792

CA Bureau of Security & Investigative Services

NASTF Certified

National Automotive Service Task Force

Fully Insured

Liability & vehicle damage coverage

Google Guaranteed

Verified & backed by Google

Also serving: The Cays · Coronado Shores · Coronado Village · Ferry Landing

Jeep Wrangler Rapid Response, Done Right

Rapid response in the field

1997 Jeep Wrangler

Metal Key | Rescue Key

Priority ETA

Rapid Arrival

Available Today

Coronado

Help Is Close

619 Area

Same-Day Keys (619) 876-1271

Jeep Owners Rescued and Reviewed

From lost keys to happy customers

V

Vera K.

Aug 2026

★★★★★

“I needed a duplicate key for my Jeep, and they arrived within an hour. The key was made incredibly quickly and at a great price. I’m very happy with the service and highly recommend them!”

Google Review

J

Jonathan B.

Oct 2026

★★★★★

“Super satisfied with the speed the price was the best in town also very friendly and efficient making a new fobik key for my jeep Cherokee 2017 super nice and reliable service”

Google Review

C

Chris G.

Sep 2026

★★★★★

“Arrived on time gave a good price and was able to create a new key for my dodge ram and fix my dodge Durango key super nice guy and very reasonable”

Google Review

Best value 1997 Jeep Wrangler key replacement review - EZ Car Keyz Coronado CA

★ 5.0 out of 5 - Based on Over 200 five-star Google reviews

Best Price (619) 876-1271

Jeep Wrangler Mobile Service FAQ

Real costs, no dealer surprises

Do I need to bring my 1997 Jeep Wrangler somewhere for a key replacement?▼

No. I come to wherever the Jeep is parked. Driveway, lot, near the gate on the Naval Base Area side of Coronado, wherever works for you. The 1997 TJ takes a mechanical key, so there's no programming equipment required and nothing that needs a shop. I bring the cutting tools and blanks, decode or match the key on site, and hand you a working replacement before I leave. One stop, no tow, no waiting room.