2004 Mitsubishi Montero Sport
Key Replacement - Save vs Dealer in San Diego

2004 Mitsubishi Montero Sport Transponder Key Replacement - Fast, Affordable & Professional

He got off work and walked out to the park and ride near Third Avenue Village in Chula Vista, and his 2004 Montero Sport just sat there. Doors locked.

Key would not respond. He tried the blade in the door, which got him inside, but the truck would not start. He tried the key again. Nothing. The engine would crank but would not fire and hold. That is the immobilizer doing its job, except it was doing it to the wrong person.

The Mitsubishi dealer could see him Thursday. It was Monday.

He found EZ Car Keyz online and called. I was at the lot in about 35 minutes.

Once I got there, I connected to the OBD port and read the immobilizer module. The transponder chip in his key had simply stopped communicating. It was not the ignition, not the antenna ring, not the wiring. The chip inside his key had failed. It happens on these, especially on a key that has been on a heavy ring getting bumped around for twenty years.

I cut a new key blade to match his vehicle, loaded it with the correct transponder, and ran the registration sequence. Every key he had on him went through the session so nothing got left behind. Tested crank, tested start, tested a second time for good measure.

He drove home that same Monday evening. The dealer route would have meant a tow, a wait until Thursday, and a bill that made him wince just thinking about it. The way it actually went cost him a fraction of that.

One thing he said before he left stuck with me: he had no idea the chip inside the key could fail on its own, with no physical damage to the key at all. Most people don't.

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