As of October 2026, replacing an Acura key in Fort Worth costs $130 – $220 for a standard transponder key, $160 – $260 for a remote head key and $220 – $450 for a Keyless Access smart fob, cut and programmed at your vehicle. Add $50 – $200 if every key is lost. Which band applies depends on the model year and trim, not on the Acura badge. Call or text 817-674-2304 with the year and model and we will tell you which row you are in before anyone drives out.
The Price Table
These are our published Fort Worth bands from the car key replacement cost page, mapped onto the Acura range. Every figure is the complete job: the key or fob, the cutting, the programming and the mobile visit.
| Acura key era | Typical models and years | Complete job |
|---|---|---|
| Basic mechanical key, no chip | Integra, Legend and Vigor from the early-to-mid 1990s | $50 – $100 |
| Transponder key, separate remote | Late-1990s to mid-2000s TL, CL, RL, RSX, first-generation MDX, early TSX | $130 – $220 |
| Remote head key (buttons in the key head) | Mid-2000s to mid-2010s TL, TSX, MDX, first-generation RDX, base ILX | $160 – $260 |
| Keyless Access smart fob (push-button start) | RL and ZDX, later TL trims, ILX, TLX, RLX, current RDX, MDX, Integra | $220 – $450 |
| All keys lost | Any of the above | add $50 – $200 |
Two notes on reading it honestly.
First, the year boundaries are approximate on purpose. Acura moved models between key eras trim by trim, so two cars from the same model year can sit in different rows. The VIN settles it in about a minute, which is why we ask for it.
Second, Acura is a luxury badge but it does not price like a European luxury key. The architecture underneath is Honda's, the parts supply is healthy and the programming route is well understood. That is why an Acura smart fob sits in the ordinary push-to-start band rather than the $300 – $700+ band we publish for European smart keys.
Which Era Is Your Acura In?
You can usually work this out standing next to the car.
There is a metal key and no buttons on it. If the car is from the early or middle 1990s it may have no immobilizer at all, and the key is a plain mechanical cut. From the late 1990s on, the same-looking key has a transponder chip moulded into the plastic head and the buttons live on a separate remote. A green key-shaped light on the dash at key-on is the giveaway that a chip is involved.
The lock, unlock and trunk buttons are on the key head itself. That is a remote head key. Acura used it widely from the mid-2000s: the blade is a high-security sidewinder cut and the remote and transponder share one housing. Many of these are stamped Driver 1 or Driver 2 because they link to seat and mirror memory.
There is a Start/Stop button on the dash and you never insert anything. That is Keyless Access. The fob still carries a slide-out emergency blade for the driver's door, but the car starts by detecting the fob inside the cabin.
If you are unsure, tell us what is on the dash where the key would go. A keyhole and a button are two different price rows.
Model by Model
A short run through the range, in the order we are asked about them.
Integra and RSX. The original Integra spans the no-chip and early-chip years, so the first question is always the model year. The RSX that followed is a transponder-key car throughout. The current Integra is a push-button car with a smart fob. Detail on the older ones is in Acura RSX, CL and Legend transponder keys.
TL. The TL crosses three eras in one nameplate: transponder key and separate remote on the early cars, a remote head key through the middle years, and Keyless Access on later higher-trim cars. If you have a TL, the trim matters as much as the year.
TSX and ILX. The TSX is a transponder-then-remote-head car. The ILX started with a remote head key on base cars and Keyless Access on upper trims, then moved to push-button across the board. The detail is in Acura ILX and TSX transponder key replacement.
TLX and ZDX. Push-button from the start. Every TLX and both generations of ZDX are smart-fob cars, covered in Acura TLX and ZDX all keys lost.
RDX. The first generation is a remote head key car for most of its run. Later model years bring Keyless Access, and the current generation is push-button throughout. Spare-key detail is in Acura RDX and Integra spare smart keys.
MDX. Transponder key on the first generation, remote head key on the second, smart fob from the third generation on. The modern lost-key case has its own guide: Acura MDX 2014-2026 all keys lost.
RL and RLX. The RL was one of the first Acuras with Keyless Access, so a mid-2000s RL is frequently a smart-fob car even though its neighbours in the car park are not.
What Changes the Price
The band is set by the key era. Where you land inside the band, and whether anything is added, comes down to six things.
1. Whether a working key exists
This is the largest single variable. With one working key present, adding another is registration: the vehicle is told to accept a new credential alongside the existing one. With no working key, the cutting code has to be derived and the security system opened without an authorised key in hand. That extra work is the $50 – $200 all-keys-lost surcharge. The arithmetic of doing it early is laid out in spare key now vs all keys lost later.
2. Trim, not just year
A base car and a Technology or Advance package car from the same year can use different keys. The package decides whether the car has Keyless Access, and that decides the row.
3. OEM or aftermarket fob
For most Acura fobs there is a genuine part and a quality aftermarket equivalent. Both program. They differ in button feel, case durability, range and how long the part will stay in supply. The trade is covered properly in key fob replacement cost: OEM vs aftermarket. If you have a preference, say so on the phone, because it moves the quote within the band.
4. How many keys you want made in one visit
The expensive part of a key job is getting a technician and the programming equipment to the vehicle and into the security system. The second key made during the same session costs the part and a few minutes. Two keys in one visit is almost always cheaper than two visits.
5. Driver memory
Many Acura keys are tied to Driver 1 or Driver 2 seat, mirror and climate memory. A replacement needs to be registered to the right driver position or the car will greet you with someone else's seat setting. It is a small step, but it is a step, and it is worth mentioning which driver's key you lost.
6. The state of the car's battery
Programming needs stable voltage. A car that has been sitting, or one that was jump-started to get the windows up, may need the battery supported before anything else happens. This does not change the band, but it changes how the visit goes, so mention it.
What Does Not Change the Price
A few things people expect to matter and that do not.
The Acura badge. Covered above: the bands are the same ones we publish for every make.
Where in Fort Worth the car is parked. We come to the vehicle. A driveway in Wedgwood, an office car park near Alliance and a hospital garage in the Medical District are the same job.
Whether you bought the car new or used. The vehicle does not know. A used Acura with one key is priced exactly as a new one with one key. What does matter on a used car is how many old keys are still registered, which is a security question rather than a price one. See how many keys can my car hold.
Mobile Service Compared With the Dealer Route
A dealership can replace any Acura key. The practical differences are about what happens around the key rather than the key itself.
If every key is lost, the car cannot be driven to the service lane, so the dealer route usually starts with a tow. We publish $75 – $200+ as the realistic range for that on our cost page, and it is paid before any key work begins. Then there is the parts counter: if the fob is not on the shelf, it is ordered, and the car waits.
A mobile visit removes both. The key is cut and programmed where the car is parked, and the vehicle never moves. For a remote head key that is a short appointment. For a lost smart fob it is longer, and it is still done in the driveway.
There are jobs where the dealer is the right answer, and we say so when it applies. The general rule is in which cars need the dealer for key programming. Acura is rarely on that list.
What We Need From You
Three things make the quote exact and the visit short.
- The VIN. It is on the driver's side of the dash, visible through the windscreen, and on your insurance card and registration. It tells us the key type, the trim and the cutting information without anyone guessing.
- Proof the car is yours. Registration or title, plus photo ID. This is not optional and it is not us being difficult. The National Automotive Service Task Force runs the vetting scheme under which independent technicians are identity-checked before manufacturers release security data, and verifying ownership at the vehicle is the other half of that bargain.
- Every key you still have. Including the worn one in the drawer and the one with dead buttons. On many platforms keys are registered as a set, and a key that is not present when the set is rebuilt can stop working.
How the Visit Runs
For anyone who wants to know what they are paying for:
- Ownership is checked before the vehicle is touched.
- Battery voltage is confirmed. Programming on a weak battery is how modules get into trouble.
- The blade is cut to the factory code. On Acura that is a sidewinder cut made on a dedicated machine, not a duplicate traced from a worn key.
- The key or fob is registered to the immobilizer, and to Keyless Access where fitted.
- Driver memory is linked if the car uses it.
- Everything is tested. Every key, every button, the emergency blade in the door, and a full start from cold.
You should end the visit with keys that all work and a clear count of how many are registered to the car.
Why the Security Is Worth the Trouble
The reason a modern key costs more than a piece of cut metal is that it is part of an anti-theft system. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and its Highway Loss Data Institute have reported for years that vehicles with immobilizers are stolen at lower rates than comparable vehicles without them. The chip, the registration step and the ownership check are all the same idea: a key should be hard to make for a car that is not yours.
It is also why a suspiciously cheap quote deserves a second look. A key that has been cut but not registered will open the door and do nothing else. We wrote up why legitimate quotes differ, and why some are not legitimate, in why car key quotes differ.
Choosing Who Does It
In Texas, locksmith companies are licensed through the Texas Department of Public Safety Private Security Program. It is DPS, not TDLR, a mix-up that appears on a surprising number of websites. Ask for the licence number and look it up.
The Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau both warn consumers about locksmith lead-generation sites that quote a low national headline price and send an unidentified subcontractor who charges something else on arrival. The defence is simple: get the band for your key type before anyone is dispatched, and make sure the number you are given includes programming.
While you have the VIN out, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recall lookup takes a minute and is worth running on any car you have just bought.
Mobile Acura Key Service Across Tarrant County
We cut and program at the vehicle throughout Fort Worth and the surrounding cities, including Arlington, Hurst, Bedford, Euless, Haltom City, Keller and North Richland Hills.
Acura shares its key architecture with Honda, so the brand detail lives on our Honda key replacement page. The services themselves are described under car key replacement, key fob replacement and push to start keys.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does an Acura key replacement cost in Fort Worth?
As of October 2026, a standard Acura transponder key is $130 – $220, a remote head key is $160 – $260 and a Keyless Access smart fob is $220 – $450, each cut and programmed at the vehicle. If every key is lost, add $50 – $200.
Why is an Acura key cheaper than a BMW or Mercedes key?
Because the security architecture underneath is Honda's. Parts are widely available and the programming route is well established, so an Acura smart fob sits in the ordinary push-to-start band rather than the higher band we publish for European smart keys.
How do I know which key my Acura uses?
Look at the dash and the key. A keyhole with a plain key means a transponder key and separate remote. Buttons on the key head mean a remote head key. A Start/Stop button means a Keyless Access smart fob. The VIN confirms it, because trims within one model year can differ.
Is it cheaper to get a spare made before I lose my only key?
Yes. With a working key present the job is a registration, priced at the ordinary band for the key type. With no working key, the all-keys-lost surcharge of $50 – $200 is added, and on the dealer route a tow is often added on top.
Can you make an Acura key if I have lost every key?
Yes. The cutting code is derived from the vehicle, a new blade is cut, and the key or fob is registered to the car where it is parked. You will need registration or title plus photo ID, and the job carries the all-keys-lost surcharge.
Will my seat and mirror memory still work with a new key?
It will once the new key is linked to the right driver position. Many Acura keys are tied to Driver 1 or Driver 2 memory, so tell us which driver's key was lost and the replacement is registered to match.
Do I have to tow my Acura to the dealership?
No. A mobile locksmith cuts and programs the key at the vehicle, which avoids the $75 – $200+ a tow typically adds when every key is lost and the car cannot be driven.
Does an aftermarket Acura fob work as well as a genuine one?
A quality aftermarket fob programs and starts the car the same way. The differences are button feel, case durability and range. If you want a genuine part, say so when you call, because it moves the quote within the band.
Get the Number Before You Decide
Call or text 817-674-2304 with the year, model and trim of your Acura, whether you still have a working key, and the VIN if it is to hand. We will tell you the band, where in the band you are likely to land and how long the visit takes. If the answer is that you need something other than a key, we will say that too.
Article written by the Fortworthlocksmithexperts Automotive Locksmith Team. For mobile automotive locksmith service throughout Fort Worth and Tarrant County, contact us at 817-674-2304.
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