Acura MDX Key Replacement in San Diego

A 2014 or newer MDX smart key is $259 in your driveway or lot; an Acura dealer's figure sits near $520. First-generation MDX chip keys start at $149.

The MDX has run four generations from 2001 and used three kinds of key: a toothed chip key, a grooved key with a remote of its own, and from 2014 a push-start smart fob. Acura skipped the 2021 model year.

Each MDX price folds in the key, the cutting, programming done at the SUV and our drive to you, and every key is guaranteed for twelve months. If a second Acura or a Honda shares the garage, a spare key visit can take care of both vehicles at once.

Acura MDX keys by model year

Find your year, and the row shows the key it takes, what the dealer charges and what we charge at the car.

Prices as of 2026-09-30. Every price includes the drive to you anywhere in San Diego County. There is no trip fee and no after-hours rate inside our open hours. All keys lost adds $60.
Model years	Typical dealer	Value Car Keys	You keep
2001 to 2006: Transponder chip keyFirst generation: a toothed metal key whose black head holds the chip, plus a remote that hangs on the ring by itself. The chip is usually a Megamos 13, which we confirm by VIN before the drive.	~~$280~~	$149	$131
2007 to 2013: High-security laser-cut keySecond generation: a grooved, buttonless blade carrying a 46 chip, cut by code on our key machine, with a separate remote fob. If you bring a new remote, pairing it adds $79 to $119.	~~$320~~	$169	$151
2014 to 2020: Smart key for push-to-start (Numbered fobs, Driver 1 or Driver 2, on MDXs with memory seats)Third generation and the first push-button MDX. An emergency metal key rides inside the fob; we cut it, then program the fob so the SUV both starts and unlocks with it.	~~$520~~	$259	$261
2022 to 2025: Smart key for push-to-start (Type S included)Fourth generation, with Acura's newest fob. The part and its programming route are checked against your VIN ahead of any quote, and any MDX past 2025 is handled that way too.	~~$520~~	$259	$261

The new key next to the original.

Lost every MDX key?

With no MDX key left, and once your title or registration matches your ID, we turn the VIN into cutting data, mill the blade in the van and program the replacement into the immobilizer beside the SUV. By generation, each the spare price plus $60: $209 for a 2001 to 2006 chip key, $229 for a 2007 to 2013 grooved key, $319 for a 2014 to 2020 smart key.

A 2022 or newer MDX with no key gets its quote after we confirm the fob by VIN. On every generation, the lost key is wiped out of the MDX's memory as the last step, free, and a stranger holding it then has a key the SUV ignores.

Acura MDX key questions

Which MDX years have push-button start?

2014 and newer. Both the third-generation MDX (2014 to 2020) and the fourth (2022 on) use a smart key that stays in your pocket, $259 for a spare at the SUV. A 2007 to 2013 MDX uses a grooved metal key at $169, and a 2001 to 2006 MDX a toothed chip key at $149.

The remote on my 2010 MDX quit, but the key still starts it. Do I need both replaced?

Usually just the remote, and maybe only its battery. When the key and remote are separate pieces, as on the 2007 to 2013 MDX, a dead remote has no effect on starting. Try a fresh cell first. If that does not revive it, a new remote you provide gets paired ($79 to $119) while the $169 key stays on the ring untouched.

Can a key for a 2022 or newer MDX be made at the SUV?

Possibly, and we confirm that against your VIN before answering, because the fourth-generation MDX uses Acura's newest fob. Once the part and its programming route check out for your SUV, you get a firm price by phone before we set out. Should the dealer be the smarter route for your MDX, we say so plainly on that same call.

Is a Driver 2 fob for the MDX priced differently from Driver 1?

No, either one is $259, programmed at the SUV. What differs is the part: a memory-seat MDX links each fob to its own saved seat and mirror positions, so the two numbers are separate parts. Tell us which setting went missing with the lost fob, and we bring that one.

What would the Acura dealer charge for an MDX with no key?

Close to $520 for the smart key and its programming, before tax, and a keyless MDX first needs a flatbed ride costing $125 to $200. If the fob is ordered, figure up to three days without the SUV. At the curb the same job is $319 for a 2014 to 2020 MDX, with the drive in the price and payment after the engine runs.

Other Acura models

Text us your Acura MDX year and trim

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.

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