Tonight I was at Walmart in a packed parking lot. I was looking for my car so I hit the lock button twice and heard the beep, which got me in the general area. Walked up to my car and hit the unlock and it wouldn't work. I've had problems with it lately and thought "not again". Hit the lock button a couple of times and heard the beep. Right behind me and across was my HHR - a duplicate Cappaucino Frost '07 Premire Edition.
It was really funny - they're pretty rare and I hardly ever see one.

 

A friends mom got off work. Went out to "her" yellow Acadian used key to unlock door. Started and drove most of the half hour home before realizing it had different stuff in it. Drove back parked in a different spot 3 or 4 rows away ( busy lot ) . Found her real wheels and took off. She later told the story to her GM dealer who said "THATS IMPOSSIBLE".

My Dad found out by accident that his Chrysler minivan and his GM Astro both will accept his GM key. They are from before the chip fob keys.

 

Had a 1983 Malibu wagon and a 1989 Beretta that were keyed the same, it does happen from time to time and it leaves you shaking your head.

 

Strange & funny stuff..

I just got some keys to another hhr, have to give them a try in mine.. Can't hurt..

 

Yeah, but that's not what he was saying. He's not talking about his key/remote working on another vehicle, he was at the wrong vehicle thinking that it was his.

 

remember when early 60's chevys didnt even need keys as long as you didnt turn the igniton to lock??

 

My uncle had a Chevy van and a Pontiac that took the same key. It is like hitting the lottery and nearly impossible but ever once in a while it does happen.

I just had my father inlaws truck and tried to unlock it at work. A co worker had parked his identical truck there and I finally saw the other one. I felt stupid trying to unlock the thing.

 

This happened to me years back with my 1997 ford ranger. After leaving work and heading to the parking lot I walked up to an almost identical Boysenberry blue ranger xlt extended cab stuck my key in the lock and opened the door. I started to get in before I realized hey this is not my truck and quickly locked the door and spotted my vehicle. That was really strange , but it does happen.

 

Kind of the same, but not quite.....

I wrote a long time ago about my experience in a Home Depot parking lot.

I approached my HHR, at about the rear driver fender, and pushed my remote unlock button. A BMW 325 was parked next to me and it also unlocked his/her doors. I tried it several times, unlocking and locking, and it worked. Sat around for a while to let the BMW owner know, but he/she didn't show up for the 15-20 minutes I waited. I left a note on the BMW windshield explaining what happened and my phone number if more info was required.

Never heard a thing (probably some good looking honey who thought I was "hitting" on her).

 

There are a finite number of possible lock combinations - far less than the number of vehicles that use the same type of lock and key combination. It is not remarkable that one person's key can work in another person's vehicle. What is remarkable is inadvertently finding another vehicle that will work with your own keys. The odds of that happening are pretty long - and with electronic technology incorporated into vehicle security systems as commonplace as it is, you have just as good a chance of hitting the jackpot in one of the big lotteries.