Check a quote against these ranges
This sets your number beside published ranges and owner-written bills. It is not a verdict: ask the shop what the quote includes (parts grade, labor hours, fees, tax). It runs in your browser and nothing you type is sent anywhere.
How serious did it get for owners?
2% of the 1,539 complaints report a tow, the most common serious outcome; the other outcomes counted below are rarer, and an owner can file without mentioning one.
What it shows: Towed is the largest at 31, followed by Injury reported at 30; the smallest shown is Fire reported at 17.
Counts below are complaints filed with NHTSA, not failure rates: a longer bar means more owners reported it.
Is your car affected?
Is it urgent, and what do owners notice first?
1,539 owner complaints name this part.
Owners most often describe "recall mentioned", in 15% of these complaints.
Which other parts do owners name in the same complaint?
Among the 1,539 owner complaints naming this part, car battery is named in 28% of them, more than any other part.
Other parts named in the same complaints. Car battery: 28%; Car door: 5%.
Owners name the car battery most often in the same complaint, which is not proof that one caused the other. Ask the shop whether it checked the car battery too, so you are not quoted twice for one visit.
How fast were owners driving when it happened?
25-44 mph is the largest group at 34%, out of 209 complaints.
Owners reported it most often at town speeds. Tell the shop what speed it happens at, because that narrows the diagnosis.
Which model years show up most in the complaints?
2016 is the most common model year in 1,539 complaints naming this part (15%); 4 model years account for 51%.
What it shows: 2016 is the largest at 238 (15%); the smallest shown is 2025 at 50 (3%).
How many recalled cars are actually fixed, so should I check mine?
Across 1 NHTSA recalls that name key fob filed 2015 to 2024, 86.9% of the 689 recalled vehicles had been repaired after 8 quarters, against 66.2% for all recalls, which leaves about 90 vehicles still carrying the defect.
| Year | Vehicles | Recalled vehicles | Repaired | Component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Ford Escape | 689 | 86.9% | body control module/bcm |
Has the maker published a fix?
A bulletin is a repair procedure a maker sends its dealers, not a safety defect: if your maker is listed, ask the dealer whether one covers your car and quote its number.
| Maker | Vehicles | Bulletin number | Date | What it says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeep | Grand Cherokee 2024–2026; Grand Cherokee 4xe 2024–2026 and 3 more | 114268 | Aug 27, 2026 | Transmitter kit & transmitter - integrated key. |
| Jeep | Compass 2023 | 08-306-26 | Aug 1, 2026 | Not applicable to vehicles built for US market. |
| Land Rover | Defender 2021–2026; Range Rover Sport 2023–2026 and 5 more | SSM76477 - 21JUL26 | Jul 22, 2026 | Intermittent passive entry operation 24MY or with new service smart key fob. |
| Chevrolet | Tahoe 2021–2026; Silverado 1500 2022–2026 | PIT6006D | Jul 9, 2026 | This Preliminary information communicates where to find the back antenna for learning new key fobs. |
| Jeep | Grand Cherokee 4xe 2025–2026; Grand Cherokee 2025–2026 and 1 more | 9100849Rev1 | Jun 26, 2026 | WL: Dealer cannot perform programming new keyfob or re-programming existing keyfob. |
| Fiat | 500e 2025–2026 | 08-236-26 | Jun 10, 2026 | Key Fob Not Detected Due To Internal Battery Discharge Customers may comment on the following: The vehicle fails to detect the key FOB inside the cabin, and a Low Battery message is displayed on the Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC). |
82 more bulletins name this part; the car finder at the top checks yours, and the NHTSA bulletin file linked below lists them all.
What do owners say?
4 complaints quoted word for word, each with its NHTSA number.
I paid $175.00 to have a new key FOB/NFC card and original key to be reprogrammed so that I could unlock/lock and start the car.
Just short of 63,000 miles, my key fob quit unlocking the front driver's door in it's normal sequence.
Started having problems with key fob, theft system, radio, etc at 40,900 miles.
We took it to a dealer who said it must be the battery in the key fob (replaced repeatedly with problem recurring) until finally at 49,000 miles they said it was showing code b12c5 start/stop switch has failed.
Check your car
Plan on $70–$180 for a basic remote fob, aftermarket, programmed by a locksmith. That's our estimate for one key, so treat a quote far above it as a reason to ask questions.
How much does key fob replacement cost?
It costs $70–$180 in our calculator's default: one basic remote, aftermarket fob, programmed by a locksmith. Change one input and the range moves, as the table shows.
| What you change | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Default: basic remote, aftermarket, locksmith | $70–$180 |
| Transponder key + fob | $90–$220 |
| Smart key / push-start | $130–$300 |
| Programmed at a dealer | $170–$380 |
| OEM / dealer fob, locksmith programs | $150–$400 |
| Self-program (free, some models) | $20–$80 |
| 2 keys | $140–$360 |
| 4 keys | $280–$720 |
Each row changes one input from the default, so don't add them together. Use the calculator for your own year, make and model.
Before you say yes to a quote: ask whether it includes the fob, the cutting and the programming. Some quotes split them.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to replace a key fob?
A basic aftermarket remote programmed by a locksmith is $70–$180 in our estimate. A smart key is $130–$300, and a dealer programming the same basic remote is $170–$380. Your car and location move it.
Is it cheaper to replace a key fob at a dealer or a locksmith?
Locksmith, in our estimates: $70–$180 for a basic remote against $170–$380 at a dealer. The dealer route can still be right for a warranty claim or a car that only a dealer can program.
Sources
Data shown on this page
- NHTSA owner complaint file (2015-2019 · 2020-2024 · 2025-2026) downloaded 2026-10-05
- NHTSA service bulletin file (2015-2019 · 2020-2024 · 2025-2026) downloaded 2026-10-05
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall quarterly reports (basis of the Annual List of Recall Completion Rates) downloaded 2026-10-05
Terms: US government data, public domain.
Observed: records as filed; owner reports are unverified and are not failure rates. Derived: computed from the records; an association, not a cause.
What is our own estimate
The price range comes from our calculator's formula. Its parts prices, labor hours per job and shop-rate tiers are CalcScrape estimates, not a published price dataset. Not independently checked: no established price guide publishes a general range for this exact job (looked 2026-10-10), so the default has no outside comparison. Price evidence grade C: one outside published range; the hours and parts prices behind the estimate are CalcScrape assumptions and have not been checked against repair invoices. Methodology