Question 1

Do I have to go to the Toyota dealer to get a replacement smart key for my 2020 Yaris?

Accepted Answer

No. A mobile locksmith with the right diagnostic equipment can cut and program a replacement smart key on site, wherever your Yaris is parked. The dealer is one option, not the only one.

The dealer route has real friction: you need an appointment, you may need a tow if you have no working key, and Toyota service departments have been known to hold vehicles overnight for smart key programming jobs that take well under an hour with the right tools. With EZ Car Keyz, the work happens at your location in San Luis Rey or anywhere else in Oceanside. One visit. No tow. No leaving the car somewhere.

Question 2

What exactly is a smart key and how is it different from a regular key?

Accepted Answer

Your 2020 Yaris uses a Smart Key fob -- it communicates wirelessly with the vehicle's security system and has to be registered to your specific car before it can authorize the engine to start. It's not just a remote bolted onto a key blade. The fob itself contains a programmed transponder, and the vehicle only accepts fobs that have been enrolled through a programming process.

The four-button fob also has an emergency metal key blade stored inside the shell. If the fob battery dies completely and the coil-read trick at the start button isn't working for you, that blade can get you into the door mechanically. But the fob still needs to be present in the cabin for the start system to work -- the blade alone won't start the car.

A fob bought online won't do anything until it's been programmed to your vehicle. That step requires diagnostic equipment. We bring that equipment to you.

Question 3

How long does Toyota dealer key replacement actually take?

Accepted Answer

Longer than it should. Officially it's framed as a same-day or next-day job, but real owner experiences land all over the place. Smart key programming on a newer Toyota is not complicated for a shop that does it regularly, but dealer service departments schedule it around everything else, and if a master tech is required for the security system enrollment, you're waiting for their availability.

I've heard from Yaris owners who were quoted two to three days just because the parts desk needed to order the fob. With us, the job is done in one visit, on site in San Luis Rey, usually inside an hour. You don't lose your car for a day over a key.

Question 4

I bought a replacement fob online for my 2020 Yaris. Can I program it myself?

Accepted Answer

No. Not on this system. The 2020 Yaris Smart Key requires professional diagnostic equipment to register a new fob to the vehicle. There is no ignition-turn sequence or button trick that works for smart key enrollment -- that kind of onboard self-programming only applies to older vehicles with a key in an ignition cylinder. If you already bought a fob, hold onto it. As long as it's the correct fob for your vehicle, we can program it when we come out. You don't have to buy a second one from us. Just know that an unprogrammed fob won't do anything until the enrollment step is done by someone with the right tools.

Question 5

My 2020 Yaris start button sees the fob sometimes but not others. Is the fob dying or is something else wrong?

Accepted Answer

Intermittent recognition like that usually points to one of three things: a low or poorly seated battery, a hairline crack in the fob shell affecting the battery contact, or interference from something in your pocket or bag sitting right against the fob.

Start with the CR2025. Pull it, clean both contact surfaces, reseat it firmly, and test. If the problem follows you even after a fresh battery, look at the shell itself for any cracks or flex near the battery compartment. A fob that's been dropped can have internal contact damage that shows up as random misses rather than a clean failure.

If you've ruled both of those out and the start button is still inconsistent, that's worth a diagnostic visit. Occasionally the antenna that reads the fob inside the cabin can have a wiring issue, and that's a vehicle-side problem rather than a fob problem.

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