Flip key or smart key?
Hyundai and Kia keys follow two main patterns. Many models use a flip key: the metal blade folds into the head and swings out when you press a release, and the remote buttons sit on that same head. Many newer models use a smart key with push-button start instead.
Think of a key as up to three parts. The blade turns the locks, the remote's buttons open and lock the doors from a distance, and on many keys a chip, called a transponder, identifies the key to the immobilizer, the system that decides whether the engine may run. A Hyundai flip key can fail in one part and keep working in the others, which is why we ask exactly what stopped.
A smart key, sometimes known as a proximity key, lets the car sense the fob nearby, so the doors unlock and the engine starts while it stays in a pocket or purse. Most keep a small blade tucked inside for the door when the battery runs out.
From Elantra to Telluride
On the Hyundai side that means the Elantra, Sonata, Tucson and Santa Fe; on the Kia side, the Forte, K5, Soul, Sorento and Telluride. Trims within one model can differ, so two cars wearing the same badge in the same parking lot may need different keys.
The security code on many models
On many Hyundai and Kia models, programming a key needs a security code tied to that vehicle. What applies to yours depends on the year and model, so we explain it on the phone. The code is also why the car has to be present: a key is matched to one vehicle, and cutting the blade is only part of the job.
Hyundai key replacement: the details we ask for
- The year and model, and whether you twist a key or push a button to start.
- Where the car is parked, such as an apartment lot in Meridian, a driveway in Caldwell or a road shoulder, with a cross street if there is no address.
- How many working keys you have, even if none, and how many you want.
- Picture ID and the title or registration; we look at both before any work.
With those answers, you get the price during the call, before the service vehicle heads out. If the car shows a different problem once we are there, the new price comes first and the extra work after.
A few things to rule out
- Another key. If it starts the engine, the fault is in the first key, not the car.
- The battery in the fob or flip key. Buttons that only respond up close often point to a weak coin cell.
- The hidden blade. When a smart key is dead, it still opens the driver's door so you can get in.
If the security light flashes and the engine won't start, the car isn't reading the key; this answer on the security light explains what to try next.
At the car, and when the dealer fits better
The blade is cut, then the key is programmed, all with equipment that rides in the service vehicle, which is set up for car keys and nothing else. Every new key opens the doors and starts the engine before we go. A few late-model cars can only get keys through the dealer's security access; when yours is one, we tell you during the call so you can contact the dealer instead.
Related jobs: a replacement Hyundai key fob or remote, smart keys for push-button models, chip keys and starting over when every key is gone.