2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse
Key Replacement - Save vs Dealer in Ventura County

2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse Transponder Key Replacement - Fast, Affordable & Professional

I got a call from a muffler shop over on the Mesa side of Santa Barbara. A customer's 2000 Eclipse had been sitting in their lot for two days. Another locksmith had come out, tried to program a replacement transponder key, hit an immobilizer fault mid-sequence, and told the shop the security module was bad. Then he left.

That's the version of the story where the car becomes a parts donation.

When I showed up, the engine would crank but shut off immediately. Classic immobilizer rejection. The previous attempt had either been interrupted or used the wrong sequence for this platform, and the system was now stuck in a fault state that refused to accept any new key registration through the OBD port alone.

I pulled the security module off the bench, read the data directly, cleared the fault state, and rebuilt the key registration from scratch. No guessing. The new transponder key was cut to match the lock and then enrolled cleanly on the first attempt after the reset. Engine started and held.

I walked the shop through what had happened so the next time a locksmith shows up and immediately blames the module, they know to ask a few more questions first.

The whole thing took about 75 minutes including module removal and reinstall. The alternative was a flatbed tow to the Mitsubishi dealer, a multi-day wait, and a bill that would have been a lot more than what I charged. I carry bench tools specifically for the moments when the OBD port isn't enough.

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