Automakers accused of gouging with replacement keys

A consumer group is asking the federal government to stop automakers and their dealers from charging excessive amounts of money for replacement keys, reports Automotive News. Clarence Ditlow, executive director of the Center for Auto Safety, said consumers sometimes pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars to replace keys with embedded computer codes. "The specter of auto theft does not justify auto companies picking the pockets of consumers by charging hundreds of dollars more for replacement keys than they could in a competitive market," he wrote. The typical cost of replacing a single so-called smart key is more than $150, but that cost can soar into the thousands of dollars if the automaker or dealership replaces car's internal computer.