Locked out of your car? What to do right now

Is anyone inside at risk?

If a child, a pet or a vulnerable adult is inside, call 911 before anything else. Emergency crews can break a window when a life is at risk, and a window is easy to replace.

A parked car traps heat. The National Weather Service warns that heatstroke can happen in a parked vehicle even on a mild day with temperatures in the 70s, and that the temperature inside climbs quickly. In a Memphis summer, with the car in the sun, it gets dangerous much sooner than most people expect.

While you wait for help:

• Stay by the car and keep talking to a child inside, so they stay calm and you can see how they are doing.
• If the engine is running with the air conditioning on, tell the 911 dispatcher. It buys time, but it is not a reason to delay.
• Do not hold off for a locksmith or a roadside truck in an emergency. Their job is the routine lockout, not a rescue.

If nobody is at risk, take a breath. A locked car is an inconvenience, and the steps below usually solve it without damage.

What should you check first?

Walk around the car once and try every door, the trunk and the tailgate. Then check your phone: someone with a spare key, a carmaker app or a roadside plan may get you in for free.

• Every door. Some cars unlock only the driver's door with one press, and people often lock four of five doors.
• The rear hatch or tailgate. On many SUVs and hatchbacks it has its own latch.
• A window left down a little. Do not force it. Note it for whoever opens the car; a gap makes the job simpler.
• The key itself. Look through the glass. Is it on the seat, in the ignition, in a bag, or not there at all? That decides which job you have.

Then think about spare keys. A partner, a roommate or a family member with a spare is often the cheapest fix, even if it means a ride across town.

Who can you call for free?

Start with services you may already pay for: roadside assistance on your insurance, a motor club, the plan that came with a newer car, or a connected-car app. Police help with routine lockouts depends on the department, so use the non-emergency number to ask.

Roadside plans usually send a local contractor, often a tow operator or a locksmith. The wait depends on how busy they are. It is fair to ask them for an estimated wait, and to ask a locksmith for a price to compare.

About the police: some departments still open cars for routine lockouts and many no longer do, or only when nothing else is available. Do not call 911 for a routine lockout. Call the non-emergency line and ask.

What should you have ready before anyone comes?

Have the exact location, the year, make and model, where the key is, and something that proves the car is yours. A legitimate locksmith or roadside crew will ask for proof before they drive off.

• Location. A street address, a store name and which part of the lot, or the nearest cross streets. Drop a pin from your phone if you can.
• The car. Year, make, model and color. Some models need a different tool or method.
• The key. Inside the cabin, in the trunk, in the ignition with the engine running, or lost.
• Proof of ownership. The registration or title, an insurance card in your name, and photo ID that matches. If the papers are inside the car, say so. The car is opened and the papers are checked before you drive off.

Borrowed the car? Then the owner needs to confirm by phone or text, and you need ID that ties you to them. That rule protects you as much as anyone: it is what stops a stranger from having your car opened.

How does a locksmith open a car without damage?

Most cars are opened with an inflatable air wedge that makes a small gap at the top of the door and a long reach tool that presses the unlock button or pulls the handle. Some are opened by picking the door lock with a tool made for that lock.

What you will see:

1. Checks first. The tech looks at the car, asks where the key is, and confirms the details you gave on the phone.
2. A small gap. A flat air bag goes into the top corner of the door frame and is pumped up just enough to fit a thin rod. Pads protect the paint.
3. The reach. The rod presses the unlock button, pulls the inside handle or lifts the lock. The bag is let down and the door closes as before.
4. Proof. If your papers were inside, you show them now, before you take the car.

The alarm may go off when the door opens. It usually stops once the key is in the ignition or the fob is inside and the car is switched on. Cars with frameless windows and some luxury models need extra care; the tech may choose to pick the lock instead.

What should you not try yourself?

Avoid coat hangers, slim jims and screwdrivers on modern doors, and do not break a window unless someone inside is in danger. A door holds wiring, airbag sensors, the window motor and seals, and repairs cost far more than an opening.

• Coat hanger: scratches paint and tears the rubber seal, which can leave a leak or wind noise.
• Slim jim: made for older cars with simple rods. In a modern door it can catch wiring or side airbag parts.
• Prying the frame: bends the door, and it may never seal properly again.
• Breaking a window: glass ends up in the seats and vents, the car can't be locked until the glass is replaced, and you still have to wait for the repair.

What if the key is in the trunk, or it's a push-to-start fob?

Open the cabin first, because many cars have a trunk release button or fold-down seats. Push-to-start cars usually refuse to lock with the fob inside, but a weak fob battery can fool the car into locking.

If the key is in the trunk, say so when you contact us. When the cabin has no release and the seats don't fold, the trunk lock itself has to be opened, which is a separate step.

If the fob is locked inside with the engine running, the car may keep idling. Some cars switch off by themselves after a while. Either way it is a normal opening job. Once you are in, replace the fob battery soon; a weak battery is a common reason the car did not detect the fob in the first place.

What if the key is lost, not locked inside?

Then opening the door does not solve the problem, because you still cannot start the car. You need a new key cut and programmed, which a mobile locksmith can often do at the car.

Tell whoever you call that the key is lost, so they bring the right equipment the first time. Our guide on what to do when you have lost all your car keys covers proof, the VIN and what happens at the car. The service page is all keys lost.

How do you avoid a bad lockout call?

Ask for the total price, trip included, before anyone drives out, and ask for it by text. A very low phone quote is often only a fee to send someone, with the real price set at the car.

Three questions sort out most calls: What is the total? Can you text it to me? What is the name of your business? A real business answers all three. More warning signs are in our guide on how to spot a locksmith scam, and how our quotes work explains what we text you.

How do you avoid the next lockout?

Keep a spare key where you can reach it, not in a magnetic box under the car, and set up any app your carmaker offers while you still have the key.

• A spare with a person, not on the car. Magnetic boxes fall off and are the first place a thief looks.
• A phone key, if your car supports it. On compatible cars a digital key in your phone or watch can lock, unlock and start the car, set up through the carmaker's app or the car's screen (see Apple's car key instructions; Android phones have similar options).
• A habit. Key in hand before the door closes. It sounds simple, and it works.
• A fresh fob battery once the range starts to drop.