2019 Fiat 500 Key Replacement

2019 500 key specs

Every US-market 500 from 2012 to 2019, Abarth included, left the factory with a three-button flip key: lock, unlock and hatch release, with the transponder and remote sharing one head. Parts catalogs most often pair FCC ID LTQF12AM433TX (also printed 2ADFTF12AM433TX) and the Delphi body computer with 2012 to 2017 cars, so on a 2018 or 2019 car read the ID on your own fob first. A buttonless SIP22 transponder key with an ID46 chip makes a low-cost spare; it starts the car and opens the driver's door but can't lock or unlock remotely. No US 500 offered push-button start.

What's specific to the 2019 500

2019 was the final model year of the 500 Type 312 (Mexico-built). Late-run cars occasionally pick up running changes, so we check the VIN instead of assuming a 2019 Fiat 500 matches a 2012.

A 2019 Fiat 500 is about 7 years old now. Original fob batteries are near the end of their life at this age, so weak range or a "key not detected" message is often a battery before it is a failed fob. Cars this age are often on their second owner, which is when a single remaining key and a request for a spare tend to show up.

Key options for the 2019 Fiat 500

• Flip (switchblade) key. A flip key folds its blade into the fob on a spring-loaded hinge and swings it out with the press of a button. Inside the body sit the transponder chip and the remote circuit board, which means the metal blade itself carries no electronics. That's good news when the blade snaps. On many flip keys for a Fiat 500, we can cut a new blade to your key code and fit it into your existing fob, with no reprogramming required, because the chip and remote never left the housing. Many flip-key blades are laser-cut, with a groove milled along the side rather than notches on the edge, so they need a code machine built for that profile.
• Transponder (chip) key. Transponder chips come in families, such as Texas Instruments 4C and 4D, Philips 46, Megamos 48 and the newer 128-bit AES types, and a Fiat 500 only accepts the one its immobilizer was built around. That's why a hardware-store blank that looks right often won't start the car. We match the blank to the vehicle's chip and keyway before cutting. One more practical note: the chip lives in the plastic head, and when that head cracks, the chip can fall out or shift away from the antenna. If the car starts some days and not others, a damaged head is a frequent reason, and replacing the key before it quits entirely costs less than an all-keys-lost visit.

How the Fiat immobilizer works on the 500

Fiat returned to the US for the 2012 model year, and every Fiat sold here since has a transponder immobilizer that must recognize the key before the engine will keep running. The Mexican-built 500 and 500c use a Philips ID46 (Hitag 2) chip in a three-button flip key, paired with a Delphi-type body computer. The Serbian-built 500L uses the same chip family but a Magneti Marelli-type body computer, so its remote is not interchangeable with the 500's. The Italian-built 500X steps up to AES encryption: a Megamos AES chip in the early flip key and Hitag AES in the push-button smart key, which is the only style Fiat's owner's manuals describe from 2017 on. The 124 Spider is the outlier, built by Mazda in Hiroshima with a Mazda-designed smart key running at 315 MHz. The first-generation 500e shares the 500's turn-key setup, while the 2024 and newer 500e uses a newer Stellantis keyless system. On the 500, 500L and 500X, the mechanical blade is the SIP22 laser-cut profile. When the chip isn't recognized, the blade can still turn the ignition, but the immobilizer will not let the engine run.

• Fiat's 2012 owner's manual says new 500s ship with a code card listing the key code numbers, and that the first owner is given a four-digit PIN.
• Refurbished Delphi-type 500 flip keys marked LTQF12AM433TX are also sold for 2015 to 2019 Ram ProMaster City vans with the same body computer.
• If the body computer doesn't recognize the chip, the blade still turns the ignition but the immobilizer keeps the engine from running.
• Fiat ended US sales of the gas 500, 500c and Abarth after the 2019 model year.

Programming a 2019 500 key

Programming runs through the OBD-II port with a tool that carries Fiat USA immobilizer software. The tool needs the car's security PIN, which it can often read directly or which can be retrieved by VIN once ownership is confirmed. Aftermarket remote heads usually have to be pre-coded before the car will learn them. After the transponder is accepted, the remote buttons are paired in the same session. All-keys-lost follows the same path once we've cut a working blade from the door lock or by code.

Lost every key to your 500?

1. Gather your documents and the VIN. Find your registration or title and a government photo ID in the same name. Note the VIN, which is printed on the driver's side of the dashboard and usually on your insurance card. If the paperwork is locked in the car, tell us; we'll open the vehicle first and check it there.
2. Get into the vehicle without damage. If the car is locked, we open it with non-destructive tools such as an inflatable wedge and a long-reach rod, or by picking the door lock. Some vehicles need a careful approach to avoid triggering the alarm, which can interfere with programming later.
3. Originate a new key from the car. Originating a key means building it without a sample. The door lock usually reveals most of the cuts; any it doesn't are worked out by test-cutting and trying the ignition or a second lock. The finished blade should feel like a factory key, not a forced fit.
4. Program the key to the immobilizer. All-keys-lost programming often takes longer than adding a key, because the car has no trusted key to authorize the change. We follow the procedure your Fiat 500 requires, then confirm the engine starts and keeps running and the remote or keyless functions respond.
5. Erase missing keys and add a spare. A lost key's metal blade can still open your doors even after its chip is erased. If the keys disappeared along with something showing where you live or park, consider rekeying the car's door lock cylinders too. We'll also recommend leaving with two working keys, not one.

Why a spare key pays for itself

• Electronics fail without warning. A fob dropped on concrete, run through the washing machine or soaked at the pool can quit for good. With a second programmed key, that's an annoyance you fix on your own schedule, not a stranded car that needs attention today.
• A spare turns a future all-keys-lost emergency into a simple add-a-key job. With one working key in hand, programming is quicker, and the chip or fob can often be paired without decoding locks or reading modules, which keeps the cost of a lost key far lower.
• Two drivers sharing one key is a daily negotiation. A second key lets a partner, teenager or coworker use the vehicle without handing keys back and forth in parking lots, and it means one person losing their key ring doesn't leave the whole household stuck.

Dealer or mobile locksmith?

The biggest difference between a dealership and a mobile locksmith is where the work happens. A dealer programs keys in its service bay, so if every key is lost, the car usually has to be towed there, and you work around the service department's schedule and the time it takes to order a key by VIN. Julian's Locksmith brings the cutting machine, key blanks and programming equipment to the car, whether it sits in your driveway, a workplace lot or a parking structure. For a 2019 Fiat 500 we can program on-site, that means no tow and no shuttle rides back and forth. The trade-off is real, though: on vehicles where only the dealer can program keys, a tow or appointment may still be necessary, and we'll say so before you spend anything on our visit.

500 key battery

Most fobs for a 2019 Fiat 500 open along a small slot in the seam; a coin or a plastic pry tool works better than a screwdriver, which chews up the housing. If the fob hides a mechanical blade, slide it out first, since the case often opens from that gap. Note which side of the old cell faces up, swap in a fresh CR2032, and press the halves together until they click all the way around. Handle the new battery by its edges, because skin oil on the faces can hurt contact. In most cases the fob keeps its programming through a battery change, so test lock, unlock and start, and you're done.

How the job works

1. Identify the exact key your 500 uses. We ask a few quick questions on the phone: the year, whether the car starts with a turn key or a button, how many keys you have left, and whether the remote still works the doors. Then we check the VIN against our programming references so the van arrives with the correct blank or fob, not a close guess.
2. Verify ownership before any work. California holds licensed locksmiths responsible for knowing whose car they're making keys for. We record your name, the VIN and the plate on a work order. If you aren't the registered owner, you'll need the owner's written authorization along with your own photo ID before we begin.
3. Get the key code or decode the lock. If you still have a working key, we can read its cuts directly and check them against the factory depths for the Fiat keyway. A worn key gets corrected back to spec during this step, so the new key turns crisply instead of reproducing years of wear in a fresh piece of metal.
4. Cut the blade on-site. Our van carries a code-cutting machine that handles both traditional edge-cut blades and the laser-cut, side-milled profiles common on newer keys. The blade is cut to the code, then test-fitted in a door lock and the ignition or emergency keyhole to confirm smooth operation before any programming begins.
5. Program the chip, remote or smart key. With the blade done, we connect to the OBD-II port and register the new key with the immobilizer. Depending on the Fiat system, this may involve a security PIN, a timed waiting period, or on-board button sequences for the remote. On some vehicles we clone a working key's chip instead, when that's the more reliable path.
6. Test everything and clear out old keys. The last step is a short walkthrough. We show you how many keys the car now recognizes, point out the dead-fob start method for your vehicle, and hand you an itemized receipt. If a spare makes sense, it's simplest to add it during this same visit while the equipment is already connected.

What affects the price of a 500 key

• The type of key. Price follows complexity. The more the key does, the more it costs to replace: brass blade, then chip, then remote buttons, then full keyless entry and push-button start. If your 500 came with different key styles by trim, the one your car actually uses is the one that sets the quote.
• Programming complexity and security access. Some immobilizers accept a new key with a few on-board steps. Others need a PIN code, a timed security wait, manufacturer online access, or removing a module to read its data. Every extra layer of security on the Fiat system adds equipment time and labor to the job.
• Blade style and cutting. The blade still matters on keyless cars, because the emergency insert has to fit the door lock. Cutting by code is standard for us. Decoding a door lock when no key or code exists adds time, and so does progressing any cuts the door lock doesn't show.
• Travel, timing and extra repairs. Sometimes a key problem is really a lock problem: an ignition that won't turn even with the right key, or a door cylinder that has been jammed for years. Fixing those is separate work. We point them out, explain the options, and quote the whole job up front so the bill holds no surprises.

Call (951) 903-3193 with your VIN and the keys you still have, and we'll quote the job before any work starts.

Common Fiat key problems

• Buying the wrong remote is a frequent mistake. The 500 and 500c use Delphi-type remotes marked LTQF12AM433TX or 2ADFTF12AM433TX, while the 500L uses the Marelli-type 2ADPXTRF198. The blades match, but the buttons only work on the right car.
• On the push-button 500X, a weak smart-key battery can bring up a key-not-detected message. Fiat's manual says to touch the back of the fob, the side opposite the emergency key, to the START/STOP button, which usually gets you home.
• Used smart keys bought online for the 124 Spider or 500X are often already locked to another vehicle and can't be reprogrammed. Buy new, or ask us to check the FCC ID and part number before you order.

Tips from a mobile locksmith

• Photograph the back of your fob and any key tag that came with the car. The FCC ID, part number and key code printed there make ordering a replacement faster and more accurate. Store the photos somewhere you can reach from any device, not only on the phone that might go missing along with the keys.
• When a key's head cracks or its blade bends, replace it before it fails. A transponder chip can slip out of a split head, and a bent blade can break off inside the ignition or door lock, turning a simple key replacement into an extraction and repair job. Small symptoms are the inexpensive time to act.
• If your vehicle has a proximity key, think about where it sleeps at night. A fob hanging by the front door can sit within range of relay equipment used to open and start cars from outside. A drawer deeper inside the house, a signal-blocking pouch, or the fob's own sleep mode reduces that risk considerably.

Proof of ownership

Making car keys is regulated work in California. Locksmiths are licensed and overseen by the Bureau of Security and Investigative Services under the Locksmith Act, Business and Professions Code section 6980 and following, and Julian's Locksmith holds company license LCO7891. Verification protects you more than anyone: a locksmith who will make a key for whoever asks will also make one for someone who wants your car. We record your name, the vehicle and its VIN on a work order, and we politely decline jobs where ownership can't be established. You can look up our license at search.dca.ca.gov.

Need a 2019 Fiat 500 key?

Need a key for your 2019 Fiat 500? Call Julian's Locksmith at (951) 903-3193 with your VIN and tell us which keys you still have. We'll confirm what the job involves, give you a quote before any work starts, and come to you in Southern California with everything needed to cut and program the key on the spot.