Locked Out of Your Car? Here’s What to Do

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It happens to everyone. You step out of your car at QuikTrip, the door closes, and you see your keys sitting right there on the seat. Or you’re at Oak Park Mall, you hit the lock button out of habit, and you realize the fob is in your bag — which is inside the car. Or you’re at a trailhead at Shawnee Mission Park and the key somehow ended up in the trunk.

Car lockouts are one of our most common calls. We handle several a day across Johnson County. And while the situation feels urgent (and it can be, especially in extreme weather or with kids or pets inside), the solution is usually straightforward if you stay calm and make the right moves.

First: Stop, Breathe, and Check

Before you do anything else, take 30 seconds to check a few things:

• Is there a child or pet inside? If yes, call 911 immediately. This is an emergency. First responders can legally break a window to extract a child or animal, and they should. Don’t wait for a locksmith. Don’t hesitate. Call 911.
• Check every door. Walk around the car and try each door handle and the trunk. It sounds obvious, but in the panic of a lockout, people forget to check the passenger side or rear doors. We’ve arrived on calls where a back door was unlocked the whole time.
• Check for a spare key. Do you have a magnetic hide-a-key box? Is there a spare in your wallet, purse, or at home? Can someone bring one to you? A spare key resolves the situation immediately with no cost.
• Is the car running? If the engine is on with the keys locked inside, let the locksmith know when you call. It’s not an emergency in the traditional sense, but it adds time pressure since the car is burning fuel and can overheat if left idle too long.

What NOT to Do (Seriously)

In the stress of the moment, people try things that cause hundreds or even thousands of dollars in damage. Here’s what to avoid:

• Don’t use a coat hanger. This is the classic movie trick, and on modern vehicles, it almost never works. Most cars made after 2000 have internal door mechanisms that a coat hanger can’t reach. What you will do is scratch your paint, bend the door frame, and potentially damage the wiring harness inside the door panel.
• Don’t use a slim jim unless you know exactly what you’re doing. Slim jims work by manipulating the lock linkage inside the door. On modern cars with airbag sensors, electronic locks, and bundled wiring inside the door panel, an improperly used slim jim can deploy an airbag, short out electronics, or sever wiring. This is not a DIY tool on any car made in the last 20 years.
• Don’t try to pry the door open. Wedging a screwdriver, credit card, or other flat object into the door seam can bend the door frame, break the weather stripping, and damage the paint. Even if you get the door open, you may have caused more damage than the lockout would have cost to resolve properly.
• Don’t break a window unless there’s a genuine emergency. Replacing a car window typically runs several hundred dollars, and your insurance deductible likely exceeds what a locksmith would charge. If there’s no child or pet in danger, this is the worst possible option.

Your Options, Ranked

Here are your realistic options, in order of what we’d recommend:

1. Use a spare key. If you have one or someone can bring one, this is free and immediate. It’s also the strongest argument for keeping a spare somewhere accessible.
2. Call a local locksmith. A qualified automotive locksmith can open most vehicles in 5–15 minutes using professional tools that won’t damage your car. They come to you. No towing required.
3. Use your car manufacturer’s app. If your car has a connected services subscription (OnStar, FordPass, Toyota Remote Connect, etc.), you may be able to unlock the doors remotely from your phone. This is worth trying before calling anyone, but only if you already have the app set up and your subscription is active.
4. Call your roadside assistance provider. AAA, your insurance company, or your car manufacturer may provide lockout service. The downside is wait times, which can be 45 minutes to 2+ hours depending on demand and your location.

Locksmith vs. Roadside Assistance

People often ask whether they should call a locksmith directly or use their roadside assistance membership. Here’s the honest comparison:

The short version: if you’re in a time-sensitive situation — late at night, in extreme weather, with kids, or somewhere you don’t feel safe — call a locksmith directly for the fastest resolution. If you’re in a safe location with no time pressure, roadside assistance is a reasonable option if you have it.

What Happens When a Locksmith Arrives

If you’ve never called a locksmith for a car lockout, here’s what to expect so there are no surprises:

The locksmith will first verify that you are the vehicle’s owner or authorized user. This typically involves matching your ID to the vehicle registration. It’s a standard practice — we wouldn’t be doing our job if we opened a car for just anyone.

For most vehicles, the locksmith will use one of two methods. The most common is an air wedge and long-reach tool combination. A thin air bladder is inserted at the top corner of the door to create a small gap (without bending the frame), and a long, specially shaped tool is used to press the unlock button or pull the door handle from inside. This method leaves no damage and takes about 5–10 minutes on most cars.

For vehicles where the long-reach method isn’t feasible (some newer models with recessed buttons or electronic-only locks), the locksmith may use a lock pick or decoder on the physical lock cylinder. This is a more advanced technique that requires automotive-specific training and tools.

Once the car is open, the locksmith will check that the lock is functioning properly and ensure the door closes and latches correctly. If they used an air wedge, they’ll verify the weatherstripping and door seal are intact.

How to Prevent Future Lockouts

Once you’ve dealt with a lockout, you never want it to happen again. Here are the practical steps that actually work:

• Get a spare key made now, while you’re thinking about it. A spare traditional key is inexpensive. A spare transponder key or fob is more, but it’s a fraction of what you’d pay in an all-keys-lost emergency. Keep the spare somewhere safe but accessible — at home, with a trusted friend, or in a magnetic key box attached to the vehicle’s undercarriage.
• Set up your car’s connected app. If your car has remote unlock capability through an app (most 2018+ vehicles from major manufacturers do), set it up now. It takes five minutes and could save you from ever needing a locksmith for a lockout.
• Build a habit. Many lockouts happen because of distraction. Some people make a habit of patting their pocket for keys before closing any car door. Others clip their key fob to a carabiner on their belt loop or purse strap so it can’t fall onto a seat unnoticed.
• Consider a Bluetooth key tracker. Devices like Apple AirTag or Tile attached to your key ring let you locate your keys from your phone. They won’t help if the keys are locked inside the car, but they’re excellent for the other common scenario — losing your keys entirely.