2019 Subaru WRX Key Replacement

2019 WRX key specs

From 2015 the WRX and STI became their own model, and most cars use a four-button remote-head key with a side-cut blade. Upper trims added Keyless Access with push-button start, using a smart fob with an emergency blade inside. Subaru's bulletin shows the 2015 smart key with a different emergency key from 2016 and later cars, and the 2020 remote-head key has a new part number, so check the part number on your old key.

What's specific to the 2019 WRX

The 2019 Subaru WRX is the fifth of 7 model years in the WRX VA (first standalone generation) (2015–2021), so it shares its key system with the rest of that run, which makes replacement parts easy to source. A 2019 Subaru WRX 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.

Smart-key cars like the 2019 WRX can be targeted with relay attacks that extend the fob's signal from inside your home, so keep fobs away from exterior walls or in a signal-blocking pouch, and have any missing fob erased from the car.

Key options for the 2019 Subaru WRX

• Remote head key. A remote-head key puts two separate systems in one piece: a cut blade with a transponder chip that the immobilizer reads, and a small circuit board with buttons that signals the body control module to work the door locks. On a 2019 Subaru WRX with this style of key, each side is programmed separately. That explains some confusing failures. If the remote stops working but the car still starts, the problem is usually the battery or the remote board. If the buttons work but the engine won't run, look at the chip side. Knowing which half failed tells us whether you need a repair, a reprogram or a whole new key.
• Smart proximity key (push-to-start). A smart or proximity key lets a 2019 Subaru WRX open when you touch the door handle and start with a push of a button while the fob stays in your pocket or bag. Antennas in the doors and cabin send out a low-frequency wake-up signal; the fob answers on a higher radio frequency with an encrypted reply, and the car only allows a start once it confirms the fob is inside. When the fob battery is weak, that conversation fails, which is why most designs include a backup: hold the fob against the start button or set it in a designated pocket. The owner's manual shows where, and it's worth checking before you need it.

How the Subaru immobilizer works on the WRX

Subaru came to engine immobilizers later than most brands sold in the US, which keeps things simple for owners of early-2000s models: no 2000-2004 US Subaru has a transponder, so a correctly cut key starts the car. Subaru's own chart shows immobilizers arriving by model and trim from the 2005 model year. That year only the Forester XT, Impreza STi, Legacy GT and Outback XT and 3.0R had one. Every Legacy, Outback and Tribeca followed for 2006, the WRX joined the STi, the whole Impreza line had one by 2008 and the whole Forester line by 2009. The first systems use Texas 4D62 chips in side-cut keys. Subaru then moved to high-security laser-cut keys on 2008-2011 Imprezas, 2008-2014 WRX and STI models, 2009-2013 Foresters and 2010-2014 Legacy and Outback models. From the 2012 Impreza, an 80-bit Subaru G chip arrived in a side-cut remote-head key. The 2017 Impreza introduced the 128-bit Subaru H chip, which reached the Crosstrek for 2018, the Forester and Ascent for 2019 and the Legacy and Outback for 2020. Keyless Access smart keys began with the 2013 BRZ and the 2013-2014 Legacy and Outback.

• Subaru's bulletin lists the 2015 WRX and STI smart key with a 5+4 laser emergency key and a thinner 4+4 key from 2016.
• The 2015-2019 WRX remote-head key, FCC ID CWTWB1U811, is the same part used on several Imprezas and Foresters of the era.
• The STI used the same keys as the WRX of its year and ended US sales after 2021.

Programming a 2019 WRX key

With a working key, adding a remote-head key or Keyless Access fob is routine through the OBD-II port, and the remote is registered in the same pass. Smart fobs must be new or reset to blank. When every key is lost, remote-head cars are handled with Subaru's immobilizer data, while smart-key cars can need special tools or the dealer. 2020-2021 cars carry a new key part number, so we confirm the chip before ordering.

Spare keys are routine. All-keys-lost on remote-head cars is usually fine, but Keyless Access cars can need special tools or the dealer.

Lost every key to your WRX?

1. Gather your documents and the VIN. Call with the year, make, model and VIN if you can read it through the windshield, plus where the car is parked. Those details let us confirm whether your Subaru WRX can be done on-site and bring the right key, so the first trip is the only trip.
2. Get into the vehicle without damage. Entry comes before key-making because we need access to the ignition, the OBD-II port and sometimes the documents in the glove box. We take care with weather stripping, door frames and paint, and we confirm the dash VIN matches your registration before going any further.
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. Next, the new key is introduced to the car's security system. Many vehicles allow this through the OBD-II port with a PIN or security procedure. Some all-keys-lost cases require reading a module on the bench, and a few platforms only allow dealer programming, which we'll tell you up front.
5. Erase missing keys and add a spare. Once the car starts, we remove the lost keys from memory wherever the system allows, so they can't start the engine if someone finds them. Making a second key during the same visit costs much less than a repeat all-keys-lost call down the road.

Why a spare key pays for itself

• 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.
• A spare stored safely at home rescues you from a locked car with the fob sitting on the seat, a key dropped somewhere along a hiking trail, or a fob that stops responding on a busy morning. Keep it indoors, never in a magnetic box under the bumper.

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 Subaru WRX 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.

WRX key battery

Battery details for the 2019 WRX: CR1620 (remote-head key); CR2032 (most smart fobs). Swap cells one at a time and match each one exactly; if a key still fails with a fresh battery, the board, buttons or programming may be the problem, which we can test on site.

How the job works

1. Identify the exact key your WRX 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 Subaru 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. Cutting happens right beside your car. For a smart key, that means the emergency blade hidden inside the fob; for a transponder or remote-head key, it's the main blade you'll use every day. We deburr the cuts and check the fit in each lock so nothing binds or sticks later on.
5. Program the chip, remote or smart key. Programming tells the car's computers that the new key belongs to the vehicle. Transponder chips are added to the immobilizer, remote buttons to the body control module, and proximity fobs to the keyless system. If a step requires dealer-only access on your WRX, you'll have heard that before we arrived, not halfway through the job.
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 WRX 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 WRX came with different key styles by trim, the one your car actually uses is the one that sets the quote.
• Factory or aftermarket parts. Some owners want an exact factory match; others just want a dependable key that starts the car. Both are reasonable choices. The part you pick changes the quote, so we lay out the options side by side, with the trade-offs in fit, button feel and long-term durability, before you decide.
• All keys lost or adding a key. On some vehicles, losing the last key changes the programming entirely, from a quick add-key procedure to a full immobilizer reset or a module read on the bench. That extra labor shows up in the price, and it's the strongest argument for keeping a spare in the house.
• 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 Subaru key problems

• Subaru remotes of one era were built on two frequencies under different FCC IDs: CWTWB1U811 at 315 MHz and CWTWBU766 at 433.92 MHz. Both appear on remote-head keys for 2010-2015 Subarus, so match the part number printed on your old key before you buy a replacement.
• Remote-head keys from 2012 through at least 2022 mostly run on a CR1620 cell, while Keyless Access fobs from 2014 on take a CR2032. The 2024 remote-head key moved to a thicker CR2025. Inland Empire summer heat shortens coin-cell life, and shrinking range is the usual warning.
• Remote-head key shells tend to crack at the blade root after years on a heavy keyring. The remote board and transponder can usually be moved into a new shell with a freshly cut blade, which often costs less than a complete new key.

Tips from a mobile locksmith

• On any vehicle with a turn-key ignition, keep the key ring light. A heavy cluster of keys, tools and charms swings with every bump and slowly wears the ignition wafers and the key itself. When the key starts to stick or needs a wiggle to turn, deal with it early, before it stops turning entirely.
• Every so often, use the mechanical blade in the driver's door lock. Cylinders that go years without a key can seize from dust and dried grease, and you won't find out until the day the fob dies and the blade is your only way in. A small shot of dry lubricant keeps the lock ready.
• Never hide a spare key or fob on the outside of the car. Magnetic boxes in wheel wells and under bumpers are the first places a thief checks, and with a proximity fob, a hidden key can let anyone open the doors and drive away. Keep the spare at home or with someone you trust.

Proof of ownership

Not every situation fits the simple case, so here's how we handle the common exceptions. For a leased or financed vehicle, a registration that lists you as the registered owner or lessee works with your ID. If you just bought the car, bring the signed title or bill of sale along with your ID. For a company or fleet vehicle, we need written authorization from the business plus the driver's ID. If the car belongs to a family member, the registered owner should be present or provide signed permission and a copy of their ID. Rental vehicles go through the rental company.

Need a 2019 Subaru WRX key?

Need a key for your 2019 Subaru WRX? 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.