1998 Ford Explorer
Key Replacement - Save vs Dealer in Ventura County

1998 Ford Explorer Transponder Key Replacement - Fast, Affordable & Professional

A hiker near Lake Casitas Recreation Area in Ventura texted me his GPS pin from a trailhead about 20 minutes outside town. His 1998 Ford Explorer was sitting in a dirt lot and his key had fallen out of his pocket somewhere on the trail. No dealer within easy reach, no tow truck that wanted to come out there, and the car was not going anywhere without a working key.

I drove out with everything already in the van.

First thing I did was decode his door lock to get the key cuts. Then I cut a fresh H72-PT blank on my mobile machine right there at the trailhead. The 1998 Explorer uses a PATS I system with a 4C transponder chip, so the next step was connecting to the PATS module through the OBD-II port and writing the new chip ID into the system. The theft indicator on the dash went from rapid blinking to a steady state, and the engine turned over clean on the first crank.

He stood there watching the whole thing happen on the tailgate of my van, in a dirt parking lot, with hikers walking past. I think he expected to be stuck out there for hours waiting on a flatbed. The dealer route would have meant a tow from a spot most flatbeds would grumble about, then days of waiting for an appointment and parts. He drove home instead.

Whole job, start to finish, right where the Explorer was parked.

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