Most frozen locks thaw without help
When ice is the only problem, patience and a can of lock de-icer usually get you in. A locksmith earns the trip when something gives way: a key snaps or bends, or you end up locked out.
Valley winters swing between dry cold snaps and wet spells. Trouble starts when rain, wet snow, freezing fog or a car wash leaves water behind and a hard freeze follows. Work out which part is stuck before you treat the keyhole.
Three things that freeze, and how to tell them apart
- The keyhole (lock cylinder): the key won't slide all the way in, or goes in and won't turn. Water froze around the small parts your key pushes into line.
- The door seal: you hear the doors unlock, but the door won't pull open. The rubber weatherstrip has frozen to the body.
- The latch or handle: the handle moves, yet the door stays shut, or it opens and then won't stay closed. Moisture froze inside the door.
Press unlock on your fob first. If you hear the locks move, the keyhole isn't the issue. If the fob does nothing, the cold may have drained a battery that was already weak; our key fob battery guide shows how to swap it.
Safe things to try
- Try every door, including the passenger side and the hatch. One side often gets more sun or less wind.
- For a frozen seal, push firmly into the door a few times near the handle to break the ice, then pull.
- Warm the key blade in your closed hand, then insert it and turn gently.
- Spray a de-icer made for car locks into the keyhole, let it work, and try again.
- Once inside, start the engine and run the defrost. The other doors and seals soften as the cabin warms.
- On a push-to-start car, the metal key hides inside the fob, and the driver's keyhole may sit under a cap on the handle. Our dead fob guide shows where to find both.
What not to do
- Don't force the key. A blade twisted against ice can bend or break off inside the door or ignition. If that already happened, see broken car key.
- Don't heat the key with a lighter. Many keys have a chip and plastic in the head that heat can ruin.
- Don't pour hot water over the lock or glass. It runs down inside the door and freezes again further in, and the sudden temperature jump is hard on cold glass.
- Don't pry at the door edge with an ice scraper or screwdriver. It tears the weatherstrip and chips paint.
- Don't shut the doors on a running car with the keys inside while it warms up. If the doors end up locked, you have a locked keys in car call.
When it's time to call a locksmith
Call us if the key broke or bent in the lock, you are locked out with the keys inside, the door opens but the ignition won't turn, or your key still won't turn once the car has warmed up. A key that stays stiff after the ice is gone is often worn, and the cold only made it obvious.
A child or pet shut inside the car? Call 911 first, especially in freezing weather. Lockouts with a child or pet inside get priority with us, but emergency services come first.
What happens when we come out
Give us the car's year, make and model, its location, and what you've tried so far. We answer 24/7, and we will tell you when we can be there. The price is explained on the phone before we drive out.
Before the car is opened or a key is made, we look at your photo ID plus the registration or title. A broken key is extracted and a new one is cut and programmed at the car. A lockout is opened with entry tools and methods chosen to avoid damage. If the cause turns out to be something else, like a worn ignition, we explain it and the new price before any extra work.
Keeping locks from freezing this winter
- After a winter car wash, open and close each door and the hatch a few times and wipe the seals dry.
- In late fall, treat the rubber door seals with a silicone product made for weatherstrip.
- Use a lock lubricant labeled for cold weather. Heavy oils thicken in the cold and hold on to grit.
- Keep the de-icer in your coat or the house, not in the glove box of the car it is supposed to open.
- Keep a spare key somewhere other than your key ring, so one snapped key doesn't leave you stranded.