I was going to the store last night to grab food for my fiance to cook for supper. Her daughter was visiting us. Two sets of keys with the exact key ring and pretty close to the same kind of keys on the table. I grab a set of keys,run to the 2004 explorer,turn the key on. Dash lights and head lights come on, but it just clicks once and won't start. GREAT,right? So I don't have time to check it out,run to my 2005 focus,go to the store,come back the whole time thinking it's damned cold outside to be changing a battery or starter. Fiance is freaking out because her baby is broke. Her daughter is getting ready to leave...can't find her keys. Did you know keys from a 2000 ford taurus will fit into and turn the ignition over but not start the engine? I guess the chip does work. lol I grabbed the wrong keys. Funny thing is just for giggles,I tried to put my 2005 focus key into the explorer ignition. It would fit,but wouldn't turn the ignition. I thought for sure it would do the same thing the taurus key did since they are only a year apart. I hope you guys enjoyed your laugh for the day at my expense....

 

I had a long-term rental for work (Chevy Blazer) and owned a Chevy Tahoe. One day, I grabbed the wrong keys went out and unlocked the door with the key, put the key in and it wouldn't turn.. did a WTF? and then noticed I had the wrong keys and sure enough the door lock is less specific keyed than the ignition. Both keys unlocked both vehicle doors, but only turned the correct vehicle's ignition (this before the chip type keys) ..

Imagine selling many many thousands of vehicles and having only a few "tumbler" combinations for the door locks for all keys.. Clearly only a few "master" keys are required to open a door... in any Manufacturer's vehicles.

You could likely go to the mall and walk the aisles and find lots of cars you could unlock with your key(s). Just don't get caught "testing" this..

Of course, with the "key pad" it's probably even easier to get in...

 

now I see the wisdom of owing a ford and a chevy.....

 

Back in my younger days my Sgt. car and mine were exactly the same except for one thing. My keys would open his doors and crank the car, his wouldn't do it to mine. He never knew so occasionally i would ship over to his house and open up the car, turn on everything I could even the siren. It was always a good laugh when he came in the office raising holy cain about the lowlife getting into his car. Ah the good old days.

 

Used to have a '78 LTD and a '79 Thunderbird that had the exact same door lock and ignition keys. We didn't do it ourselves as the cars were bought multiple years apart from each other and had the original locks/ignitions.

 

Another one that happened a few months back...somehow I locked the keys in my 2005 focus(I never heard the power locks go off,but the door was locked when I tried to open it a little while later.) We live out in the country,I'm looking at a $100 locksmith bill probably. So just for curiosity sake,I went and got my son's key to his 2000 escort zx2. I finagled the key for a minute,then was getting ready to call it quits when I heard what I thought was the power locks make a noise...I wiggled it back and forth a couple times and ALL the power locks unlocked...makes me believe it really had nothing to do with the key because the key only went in part way. Almost like I hit a sensor or something that made it unlock. After I got my keys out,I locked it and unlocked it again with the escort key.....guess I'm not leaving anything valuable in this car ever again....lol

 

I used to have Toyota pickups as a kid, and a bunch of my HS buddies did too. Mine was an '81 4x4, the rest of the group had an '85, 2 '86s and an '87. My key would unlock and start ALL of their trucks, but their keys would not unlock my truck or start it...it was fun to keep them on their toes by moving their trucks around the parking lot between classes

 

I remember you!! Always wondered how it got moved...

 

wife has 1994 mercury villager, son has 1994 ford explorer, keys will open and start either one, found out the same way by grabbing wrong keys