(619) 340-1518Call

Subaru All Keys Lost in San Diego: A New Key, Not New Modules

With every Subaru key lost, a key cut by VIN and programmed where the car sits runs $199 to $319. Dealer quotes posted on Reddit run from over $1,000 to over $3,000.

Published 2026-09-30 · Updated 2026-10-01 · Licensed and insured.

Losing the only key to a Subaru, or both keys at once, leaves nothing to copy. The dealer answer owners describe is a new module, or the modules pulled and mailed away, while the car waits on the lot for days.

Most of the time, the Subaru keeps every module it has and simply learns a new key where it is parked. The blade follows the key code on record for the VIN, and the diagnostic port is where the immobilizer is taught the new chip. The price is the Subaru spare price plus $60: a chip key comes to $199, a remote head key to $239 and a Keyless Access fob to $319, with the drive in each figure.

A dealer's typical figures for the key alone are about $250, $330 and $500, each plus a tow. If a service desk already wrote up a module job, forward that quote with the VIN for one number back. Every key type by year is on the Subaru key page.

Programming happens through the port under your dash.

Is this what your car is doing?

  • You lost your only Subaru key, and there is no spare in a drawer at home.
  • You lost both Subaru keys, the spare included, so nothing you own will unlock or start the car.
  • You bought a used Subaru that came with no working key, and the first one has to be made from the VIN.
  • A Subaru dealer quoted a new module, or pulling the modules and sending them off, with a bill in the thousands.
  • Your push-button Forester, Crosstrek or Outback has no Keyless Access fob left, and the dealer wants it towed in.

Models and years this page covers

Find your car. Each row says what the fault looks like on that model.

ModelYearsWhat happens
Subaru Forester2005 and newer2005 to 2008: buttonless chip key on chipped trims. 2009 to 2013: buttonless laser-cut key with its own separate remote. From 2014: remote head key for a turned ignition, Keyless Access fob where a start button is fitted.
Subaru Outback2005 and newer2005 to 2007: buttonless chip key. 2008 and 2009: remote head key. 2010 to 2014: laser-cut blade, buttons in the head. 2015 on: remote head key. Push-button trims, some from 2013, take a Keyless Access fob.
Subaru Crosstrek2013 and newerTurned-key cars use an edge-cut remote head key in every model year, and the chip changed with the 2018 redesign, per key suppliers. Start-button cars from 2015 use a Keyless Access fob, confirmed by VIN on 2020 and newer.
Subaru Impreza2005 and newer2005 to 2007: chip key on some trims. 2008 to 2011: laser-cut blade. 2012 on: edge-cut remote head key. Push-button cars from 2015 take a Keyless Access fob; the VIN sorts out the chip.
Subaru Legacy2005 and newer2005 to 2007: buttonless chip key, chip confirmed by VIN. 2008 and 2009: remote head key. 2010 to 2014: laser-cut blade, buttons in the head. 2015 on: edge-cut remote head key. Push-button trims from 2013 take a fob.
Subaru WRX2008 and newer2008 to 2014: laser-cut blade, on the WRX and STI alike. 2015 on, as its own model: a remote head key if it turns, a Keyless Access fob if it has a start button.

What fails, and why

With no key left, the car has to accept a new key with nothing to copy from, and that is the job where dealer quotes grow. Owners on Reddit's r/subaru describe the answer in two forms: replace the module, or "pull the modules and send them off" while the car sits at the dealer.

A module job bills parts and hours where a key job bills a key. Programming labor is often its own line, $100 to $180; a Subaru with no key rides to the service department on a tow truck, $125 to $200; and modules sent away keep the car parked for days. The dealer quotes owners posted for a lost key: $1,700 for a 2016 Forester and about $2,000 for a 2014 Forester. A locksmith reported a dealer quote of over $3,000 on a push-button Subaru.

The other route leaves the modules in place and registers a new key to the immobilizer the car already has. Push-button Subarus from 2020 on add steps, the factory alarm first among them, so those are confirmed by VIN before the van heads out.

How we fix it at your car

  1. Text the VIN and how the car starts

    A turned key or a start button sets the key type; the VIN sets the chip and the blank. One price comes back on the phone with the drive to any San Diego County address built in, and the van is usually there in 45 to 90 minutes.

  2. Papers checked, then the blade is cut by code

    Registration or title first, held up against your ID. Next the key code for the VIN is requested, and a code machine in the van cuts the blade, laser-cut blades on 2008 to 2014 cars included.

  3. The new key joins the car's own modules

    Through the diagnostic port, the immobilizer the Subaru already has learns the new chip, and the remote or fob is paired to the doors. On cars done at the curb, nothing is pulled out or mailed away.

  4. The lost key is erased before we go

    Without charge, the immobilizer forgets the lost key, and from then on it will not run the engine for anyone. You try the new key on the doors and the ignition, then settle up by card or cash. A year of warranty covers the part, its remote and the programming.

What it costs: dealer and us

Our price includes the drive anywhere in San Diego County. The dealer column is what a dealership typically charges for the same job, before any tow. Quotes owners reported for this exact fault follow below.

Prices as of 2026-09-30. Your exact price is confirmed on the phone before we drive.
Key or jobTypical dealerValue Car KeysYou keep
Keyless Access fob, no key leftPush-button trims. Subaru added the fob to the Legacy and Outback in 2013, the Forester in 2014 and the Crosstrek, Impreza and WRX in 2015. Cars from 2020 on are confirmed by VIN for the alarm step. $500 plus a tow $319 $181
Remote head key, no key leftEdge-cut blade with lock and unlock in the head. The 2008 and 2009 Legacy and Outback, then turn-key Impreza from 2012, Crosstrek from 2013, Forester from 2014, Legacy and Outback from 2015. $330 plus a tow $239 $91
Chip key, no key leftButtonless edge-cut chip key: the original on chipped 2005 to 2008 cars, and a no-buttons option on edge-cut turn-key cars through 2021. $250 plus a tow $199 $51
Second Keyless Access fob, once one worksWith one fob working, each added fob is a spare: no $60, emergency blade cut, set up to open the doors and start the engine. $500 $259 $241

Quotes owners have reported

Each figure comes from a Reddit post between 2022 and 2026, linked in the table. None is identified as a San Diego figure, and the locksmith rows show what owners were quoted or paid elsewhere, not our prices.

CarQuoted or paidByWhenSource
2014 Subaru Foresterabout $2,000 at every dealer calledDealerSep 2025Reddit, r/subaru
2016 Subaru Forester$1,700 quoted by the dealer to replace the module; the owner then paid a locksmith $200 plus taxDealer, then locksmithFeb 2025Reddit, r/subaru
2021 Subaru Foresterover $1,000 plus a towDealerAug 2026Reddit, r/subaru
Subaru with push-button start$925 plus tax quoted for one key, after a dealer quote of over $3,000LocksmithAug 2024Reddit, r/Locksmith
2014 Subaru Outback, turn key$450 quoted, after a dealer quote of about $1,500LocksmithAug 2022Reddit, r/Locksmith
2015 Subaru Crosstrek, all keys lost$350 quotedLocksmithMay 2025Reddit, r/Locksmith
2022 Subaru Forester spare fob$350 against $700 at the dealerLocksmith and dealerDec 2024Reddit, r/Locksmith

Recalls, and when the dealer is the right call

No recall covers this: losing a key is not a defect, and nothing about this job is free at the dealer. The dealer is still the right route in two cases, and you hear which on the phone: a Subaru our equipment does not cover, or a push-button car from 2020 on where the VIN check points to the service lane.

Either route asks for the same proof: your name on the registration or title, matching the name on a photo ID. Penal Code 466.6 and Business and Professions Code 6980.55 require any locksmith who originates a key without one to copy to note your ID and the Subaru's registration on a work order.

A used Subaru bought with no key follows the same rule. If the title transfer is still in progress, say on the call which papers you hold, and you hear whether they will do before anyone drives.

Not lost, just stuck: a key that will not leave the ignition

If the key is in hand and simply refuses to leave the ignition, nothing is lost. On 2010 to 2019 Subarus that usually traces to the shifter's park switch, not the key, and our page on a key stuck in the ignition covers it.

Two Subaru details to mention on the call

Beyond the VIN, your papers and whether the engine starts by key or button, two things help. On a 2009 to 2013 Forester, say whether the separate remote went missing too, since that remote is its own part. If a dealer already quoted modules, keep the quote open; it shows which computers they planned to replace.

Questions people ask

How much does it cost to replace a lost Subaru key?

$199 to $319 at the car when every key is gone. A chip key is $199, a remote head key $239 and a Keyless Access fob $319, each the Subaru spare price plus $60, drive included. Typical dealer figures for the key alone are about $250, $330 and $500 plus a tow; dealer quotes posted on Reddit run from over $1,000 to over $3,000.

Can a locksmith make a Subaru key without the original?

Yes. Nothing from the original is needed: the VIN gives the key code, a code machine cuts the blade, and the car's immobilizer is taught the new chip on the spot. Parts are OEM or OEM-grade, and the chip matches the generation your model year uses. Your registration or title and a matching ID come first, and 2020 and newer push-button cars are confirmed by VIN.

Do I have to tow my Subaru to the dealer for a new key?

Usually not. The key is cut and programmed where the Subaru is parked, whether a driveway, a parking structure or a trailhead lot, and the drive costs nothing extra. A dealer needs the car on site to program a key, so a keyless Subaru gets there by flatbed at $125 to $200; one owner on Reddit reported a 2021 Forester quote of over $1,000 plus the tow.

Can a Subaru key be made from the VIN?

Yes, and every lost-key job starts there. The VIN links the car to its key code on record, which sets the blade cuts, and shows the chip generation and whether the car takes a remote head key or a Keyless Access fob. Photograph it through the driver's side of the windshield or copy it off the registration card.

How long does a Subaru dealer take to make a key?

One to three days if the key or fob has to come in on order, plus the tow for a keyless car. Module jobs add their own wait: owners on Reddit describe modules pulled and sent off while the car sits at the dealer for days. From your call, inside open hours, the van typically takes 45 to 90 minutes to reach you, and the key is made on that visit.

My Subaru dealer quoted a new module. Do I need one?

In most cases, not to replace a lost key. Losing a key leaves the car's modules working, and a new key can be registered to them at the car for $199 to $319. Read us the quote and the VIN on the call. If your Subaru is one where the dealer route is the better one, we say so on that call and explain why.

Sources

Other known problems

Toyota and Lexus all keys lost

Losing every key to a push-button Toyota or Lexus means wiping and rebuilding the car's key memory.

Mazda keyless system malfunction

On push-button Mazdas, from the CX-5 and Mazda3 to the MX-5, a Keyless System Malfunction warning often starts with an added used or aftermarket fob.

Honda ignition repair

Many Honda and Acura ignitions built from 1998 on develop worn or broken wafers, and the key sticks or will not turn.

Volkswagen ignition repair

On 2005 to 2016 Jettas and 2012 to 2016 Beetles the lock housing fails and the key sticks; 2006 to 2010 Passats have an electronic steering lock...

Kia and Hyundai theft ignition repair

Many 2011 to 2022 turn-key Kias and Hyundais lack an immobilizer, and a theft attempt leaves the lock cylinder and housing broken.

Dodge and Chrysler key won't turn

On 2008 to 2014 Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram models with a push-in fob key, wear in the ignition node can stop the key turning or being read.

Car key problems by make, and what each dash message means

Text us the year, the model and what the key does

Call or text (619) 340-1518 with the car's year, make and model. If a dealer already quoted you, send that quote over for our answer on the same key.

Call (619) 340-1518Text us your car
Call me back

Every day, 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM.

Call (619) 340-1518Text us