Door lock cylinder

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gnarlytoes

gnarlytoes

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Nov 11, 2010
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Location
Beech Bluff, Tennessee
My wife's '97 had the rear hatch replaced at some point before I bought it. Never noticed until the other day that the key does not fit the lock on it. Is it possible to get a new lock cylinder to fit the original key? Can this one be modified to fit the key?
 
If that's the problem the lock cylinder can be rekeyed by a lock smith. Does that same key work easily in the front doors? Many times key issues are due to key wear. A new key cut from code by a dealer may resolve the issue. Frankly I didn't know there was a key hole on my tailgate for the first couple years, never used it.
 
FYI, the code for the vehicle can be found typically from the dealer running the vin, or if you take out the passenger door lock, it is stamped on it.
 
Funner said:
If that's the problem the lock cylinder can be rekeyed by a lock smith. Does that same key work easily in the front doors? Many times key issues are due to key wear. A new key cut from code by a dealer may resolve the issue. Frankly I didn't know there was a key hole on my tailgate for the first couple years, never used it.
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There's a keyhole there?
 
That's why it's so wiggly!
 
2fpower said:
FYI, the code for the vehicle can be found typically from the dealer running the vin, or if you take out the passenger door lock, it is stamped on it.
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The OP has a replacement hatch and lock
 
inkpot said:
The OP has a replacement hatch and lock
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Yeah, but I assume he wants to rekey the rear hatch lockset like the rest of the car locks. Wouldn't you need the key code to what you want it to work with?
 
2fpower said:
Yeah, but I assume he wants to rekey the rear hatch lockset like the rest of the car locks. Wouldn't you need the key code to what you want it to work with?
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Rekeying the rear hatch would require pulling the key cylinder changing up the pins to match the rest of the locks.
 
inkpot said:
The OP has a replacement hatch and lock
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I kinda read that as the OP thinks the rear hatch was replaced because the key doesn't work or that he thinks that when it was replaced the old cylinder wasn't swapped because the key didn't work, thus my recommendation to try a fresh key before he goes any further.

When I bought my truck from a little dealership the keys would not unlock the doors at all. Not knowing this, when I finished the test drive I locked the doors and handed the key back to the salesman. He started freaking out because they never locked the doors, he explained, the keys don't work in the doors. I negotiated the price down further citing the cost of having the whole car rekeyed. They called a locksmith to open the doors so I could drive it home.
Turned out that since the only tumbler that routinely received the key was the ignition, so these two wore in together where the doors were rarely opened with the key inserted in lock and didn't wear with the key. As the key wore the still newish door locks no longer accepted the worn key. I had a new key cut at the dealership and voila all the locks worked off of that single key. Cost $8 IIRC.
 
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Funner said:
I kinda read that as the OP thinks the rear hatch was replaced because the key doesn't work or that he thinks that when it was replaced the old cylinder wasn't swapped because the key didn't work, thus my recommendation to try a fresh key before he goes any further.

When I bought my truck from a little dealership the keys would not unlock the door at all. Not knowing this, when I finished the test drive I locked the doors and handed the key back to the salesman. He started freaking out because they never locked the doors, he explained. Because the keys don't work in the doors. I negotiated the price down further citing the cost of having the whole car rekeyed. They called a locksmith to open the doors so I could drive it home.
Turned out that since the only tumbler that routinely received the key was the ignition so these two wore in together where the doors were rarely opened with the key inserted in lock, and didn't wear with the key. As the key wore the still newish door locks no longer accepted the worn key. I had a new key cut at the dealership and voila all the locks worked off of that single key. Cost $8 IIRC.
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Exactly. Totally agree with you. Had the same thing happen on two of my rigs. Key works in the ignition buy not the door. I pulled the passenger front lock out, got the code, made a new key, and now I can unlock all doors and the ignition.

I was thinking one step past trying a new key in the lock. Assuming when they swapped the rear hatch, and a new key does not work, the locksmith will either want the key code, or a fresh good key to rekey the lock.
 
Thanks for the replies. It is pretty obvious the hatch has been replaced, from an older vehicle apparently. The paint color matches pretty good, but there are a couple of spots where the clear coat is starting to peel at the top and a couple of rust spots along the window seal. There is no other peeling clear coat or rust on the vehicle. The lower gate also has a bit of a dent in it and I had to adjust the latch to get it to work right when I bought it. My guess is someone backed into something with the hatch and gate open.

I am planning to have the hatch repainted to get rid of the rust and fix the peeling clear coat. I guess I will see about getting a new key cut at the dealership and then remove the lock cylinder and have a locksmith mate it to the new key.
 
Getting a "VIN cut key" does not appear to be a thing with a fixed price. I've seen posts where people were quoted up to $90, and the poster decided to try another dealership; or $45 and the people paid it because they really wanted a key. I was quoted "~$30" for a key before I had it cut, and billed for less when the receipt was written up. How much is a new key from CDAN?

Although a VIN cut key may not resolve your hatch issue, you may still want a fresh key if yours is a copy of a copy of a....
...or just a 20 year used original.
 
I have 2 keys, one a Toyota key that unlocks only the driver's door, doesn't lock said door, doesn't unlock the passenger door or the rear gate. I have a copied key as well that won't unlock any door but starts the cruiser.

Why do these things have to be complicated?! You never really think how inconvenient it is to have 2 different keys.
 
PolarRunner said:
I have 2 keys, one a Toyota key that unlocks only the driver's door, doesn't lock said door, doesn't unlock the passenger door or the rear gate. I have a copied key as well that won't unlock any door but starts the cruiser.

Why do these things have to be complicated?! You never really think how inconvenient it is to have 2 different keys.
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Your key may be worn, or your door locks may be gunked up, or both. You might find it worth getting a VIN cut key from the dealership. Show them your registration and they can cut a key from the codes of what the originals keys were made. There are also lubricants specifically intended for stuck locks. After lubricating my locks, the duplicate keys I got when I bought my used truck worked better. When I got a VIN cut key, the locks worked like locks should work.
Here's a thread about worn keys. Worn key, nearly stranded
 
Excellent advice that I'll try to take advantage of this weekend. I considered cleaning the locks out, so I think that'll be step 1.
 
Sorry guys, not trying to make this complicated. But is there any difference between cutting it from the vin on the registration or the truck body vs. cutting it from the number on the passenger door lock cylinder? I know there probably should not be. But some times these small things actually matter.
 
Unless you bought a body swap rebuilt truck, the VIN on the body should match the registration. (Even if body swapped, I think you register the body, not the frame, but I'm not certain.) Door locks and ignition switches get swapped on occasion. If you have no keys that work in a door that also work in the ignition and back hatch (at all), your truck might need more than one key (and VIN cut won't be all of them). On the other hand, the dealer won't cut a VIN key if you don't show him the registration (to prove its your truck). No harm in comparing the VIN on the reg to see if it matches any other VIN markings on the truck (other than the effort), but you'll almost certainly need to carry the registration to the parts counter to get the key.

Although VIN cut keys vary widely on cost (per dealer, per day, per parts guy, or even how he feels that day) but they'll often let you test the key before you pay for it. I've seen posts saying a VIN cut key will cost you anywhere from $10 to $75, with most costing in the $30 neighborhood.
 
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