Someone stole DH's car.....or not

[sap1227]

My DH just let one of the guys he works with borrow his car to go run an errand. The guy went and got in DH's car, except it was not DH's car (another guy at work has the same car that is the same color). He actually drove off in it. Well, now DH's key will not come out of the other cars ignition. AHHHHHH, I feel bad for the other guy.

But, it does make me wonder, does this happen often?? I am so scatter-brained these days I can see me driving off in someone else's car if the key would fit (I would probably notice that there was no car seat for DS ). Has anyone else actually had this happen to them??

Christy

 

[peg2001]

The key worked in someone else's car?!?

Peggy

 

[Lewski709]

Was is a Taurus? I have heard that happening with them.....the kieys sometimes fit one another's ignition.

 

[sap1227]

He drives an Acura Integra, not a Taurus.

 

[DoeWDW]

How odd! Never heard of a key fitting IN an ignition and then not coming back OUT! I hope it all works out!

 

[KingsFanInRI]

let me try to shed some light without overstating the obvious.

those jagged edges of your key come in four different depths, from one to four mm. So your key could have depths of 2mm, 3mm, 1mm, 1mm, 4mm, 3mm, 2mm, 4mm or something like that (I used 8 measurements b/c Toyota keys have 8 cuts in them.. I think Ford has 7, but I digress.). So if your key pattern is 23114324, someone else's is 22143121 and so on, eventually you will run out of combinations.

You can also have patterns that are so close that they will work. This may be why the key is stuck. You'll have one cut that is too deep and one of the other "teeth" will catch on the tumblers in the lock and not want to let go.

With Ford (and I think, GM) it is more common because of the fact that you have only 7 cuts, so there are fewer combinations. The only way to avoid this is to make keys that are 2 feet long.

I hope that answers the question without being too technical and boring

 

[peg2001]

Originally posted by KingsFanInRI
. The only way to avoid this is to make keys that are 2 feet long.

Great explanation. I did want to add that some cars now come with a microchip either on the key itself or on the key fob. The car won't start without the correct microchip.

Peggy

 

[Octoberbride03]

This has never happened to me. But it does happen quite a bit apparently. It used to happen with GM all the time. I once heard on the radio, that a well known NFL player(can't remeber who it is now) went grocery shopping 1 day and parked his SUV in the store's lot. When he was finished there was another identical SUV next to his own, same make, model and color, so he guessed which 1 was his and when the key fit didn't think anything of it. Packed his groceries and drove off. He had the car for 3 days b4 he realized it wasn't his. he'd been looking for something that should have been in his glove compartment. So, being an honest gent, though somewhat embarrassed drove to his local police station to turn in the car and inquire about getting his own back. The station told him his predicament was a very common occurence with GM vehicles. of course he wasn't charged. GM has since redesigned all their keys for newer vehicles. And hopefully this doesn't happen quite so much anymore.

Good luck getting your key out of the car.

Maureen

 

[MICKEY88]

a friend of mine went to Walmart one day ,,finished shopping came out , got in her car and as she started it she realized something didn't seem right, about the same time she realized she was in the wrong car, she heard another woman, screaming..."stop her she's stealing my car".. she quickly got out of the car ..spotted her car one row over in the same space..and convinced the other lady that it had been a mistake....

I'll share an even stranger story...my wife bought a dodge caravan in July 2000.....in September 2000 I bought a Dodge Intrepid...

one day in 2001 I needed to use her van, after starting the van I realized that I had used the key to my Intrepid, I shut the van off and switched keys..sure enough it started with the other key..so I then tried both keys in the Mickeymobile and sure enough they worked..

I've always known that all keys will work in more than one car for the reasons given by a previous poster, but the odds of buying 2 cars and having the keys be interchangeable is unbelievable..

 

[sap1227]

I know that it has to happen, since there is only so many key possibilities. I just never knew of someone it actually happened to. Like always, I knew there would be other DISers that have been through the same thing. I just got a message from DH that they got the key out, so that is good news. And now they know to always make sure they have the correct vehicle.

Christy

 

[Jasminesmommy]

15 years ago my husbands Grandma went shopping and drove off in someone elses car that was identical. It was a Volvo Station wagan.