A GM key, part by part
Break a GM key into its parts and there are up to three. The blade carries the cuts that turn the locks. The chip, a transponder sealed in the head, tells the immobilizer (the anti-theft system that controls starting) that this key belongs to this vehicle. The remote locks and unlocks from across the driveway.
On some older GM cars and pickups, the blade itself carries a small resistor pellet, part of a system GM called VATS. The vehicle measures that pellet each time the key turns, so a new key needs a pellet of the same value. With the wrong one, the blade turns the ignition and the engine still refuses to run.
Chevy key fob replacement: chip keys, flip keys and smart keys
Many GM keys from the 2000s and 2010s carry a chip, with or without buttons. Many 2010s models went to a flip key with the remote built in, so one piece holds the folding blade, the chip and the buttons. Since the chip and the remote don't depend on each other, a Chevy flip key can stop unlocking the doors and still start the engine, or the reverse.
Many newer Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac models start with a button. Their smart key is a proximity key: the vehicle senses it within a short range, so it can ride in a pocket the whole time. Inside most smart fobs sits a slim mechanical key for the door, for the day the battery quits. The push-to-start key page explains how those are replaced.
Silverado, Sierra and the rest of the lineup
Examples include the Silverado and Sierra pickups, the Tahoe, Suburban and Yukon, and the Equinox, Traverse, Malibu and Escalade. We also work on many Buick models; call with the year and model. GMC key replacement runs the same way as a Chevrolet job, since both are GM brands; the year and model tell us which key the vehicle takes.
A Silverado key fob lost at a job site in Caldwell and a spare for a Yukon parked in Kuna begin with the same call. Tell us the model year, whether it starts with a turned key or a button, and how many keys still work.
What to check before you call
- Look at the blade. On an older GM key, a small pellet set into the metal near the head means VATS, and the replacement must match it.
- Try the other key. When the spare starts the vehicle, the trouble sits in the first key.
- Swap the fob battery if the buttons only work up close.
- Use the hidden blade in a smart key to open the driver's door.
We go over the price while you are on the phone, so you know it before the service vehicle sets out. Before any key is made, we ask to see your photo ID plus the vehicle's registration or title. If every key is gone, our page on making a key with none left covers that job, including how, on many vehicles, the lost keys can be wiped from the car's memory so they stop starting it.
Where the dealer comes in
Some late-model GM vehicles need dealer-only security access before a new key can be added. If your vehicle is in that group, the call is where you find out, before the trip. A remote bought online gets a compatibility check first; many will never pair, so there is no promise for it. If only the buttons are the trouble, remote and fob programming lays out the options, and chip key programming covers the keys without buttons.