(414) 279-5510 Call Car Lockout Service · 24/7
Keys locked inside, shut in the trunk, or a dead fob — MKE Towing & Recovery opens your car with professional, no-damage tools and your exact price on screen before we roll. Answered live 24/7, with a ~30-minute average arrival across Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County.
No-damage entry ★ 4.3 · 373 reviews Flat price up front Licensed & Insured
Your exact price, on screen or on the call, before any truck rolls — never after.
A car lockout service gets you back into a vehicle you're locked out of — without damaging it. Across Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County, MKE Towing & Recovery dispatches 24/7 and reaches most drivers in about 30 minutes, using air wedges and long-reach tools — never a slim-jim on airbag-equipped doors. See your exact price online in about 60 seconds, or call (414) 279-5510 and hear the same number before we roll.
Instant quote — free, no phone call needed
A few taps — where the car is, what you drive, keys inside or lost — and your exact price is on screen in about 60 seconds. It comes with a quote reference (Q-XXXXXXXX): give it to the dispatcher and we pick up right where you left off. Online pricing covers our standard ~30-mile service area; beyond that, a dispatcher at (414) 279-5510 prices it personally.
If a child or pet is locked in and in any distress — heat, cold, or trouble breathing — call 911 first. Fire and police can get in immediately. Then call us at (414) 279-5510 and we'll roll on priority dispatch. On a hot or freezing day, never wait it out.
Sound familiar?
If you recognize your situation below, you're in the right place — every one of these is a routine call for us.
Shut the door with the keys or fob still on the seat — the most common call we run.
Keys shut in the trunk. On most cars we reach it through the cabin once we're in.
Locked out with the car running — we treat it as priority dispatch.
Someone's locked in. Call 911 first if they're in distress, then us — we move you up the line.
Push-to-start fob shut inside or out of battery — we still get you back in.
What a lockout service does
A lockout service gets you back into a car you're locked out of. It's not the same trade as cutting or programming keys — knowing the difference saves you a wrong call.
If that's you, call us anyway — we'll point you to a trusted automotive locksmith so you're not stuck guessing.
How we open it without a scratch
Modern cars aren't the cars a coat hanger was built for. Here's how we approach each kind — safely.
We use air wedges and long-reach tools — never an old slim-jim that can hit the side-airbag wiring inside the door. A coat hanger destroys weather seals for the same reason.
A 3500, Sprinter, box truck, or semi cab is a different job than a sedan — higher doors, different entry points, its own pricing class. The calculator sizes your vehicle automatically.
Fob shut inside or with a dead battery? We get you back to it — then you’re moving again.
Some luxury and laser-cut systems are a locksmith job. If yours is, we’ll tell you straight and point you the right way.
What it costs
Lockouts run on a flat callout from $75 — tiered by distance, no per-mile fee. Your exact quote is computed by the same pricing engine our dispatchers use, from the five factors below. The calculator up this page shows your exact price in about 60 seconds — free, before any truck rolls.
Straight from the live pricing engine — no estimate ranges, no call-for-price games, and never a different number when the truck arrives.
See my price nowPriced in tiers from our South Side Milwaukee yard — roughly 0–10, 11–22, and 23–30 miles out. Closer costs less.
A standard car, a commercial van (3500 / Sprinter / box truck), and a semi or HD cab are different jobs with different rates.
Day, evening, and night rates differ — the calculator applies the right one automatically, nothing sprung on arrival.
Keys visible inside is the standard job. A lost key can also need a locksmith for a replacement — we say so before any extra work.
Airport lots and parking structures take extra access time and can shift the price.
What happens after you call
Address, intersection, or one-tap GPS in the calculator — or call and a real Milwaukee dispatcher picks up, no menus.
Pick your vehicle (we classify its size automatically), answer keys-inside or lost, and see the exact price — with a quote reference like Q-XXXXXXXX you can hand the dispatcher.
On arrival we match your government-issued photo ID against one vehicle document — title, transfer receipt, insurance card, or registration. It protects you and your car, and it deters thieves.
Air wedge and long-reach tools open the door clean — and you're back in.
Is this the right service?
A lockout, a lost key, and a no-start are three different jobs. Pick the one that fits.
Why MKE for a lockout, anywhere in the metro
Metro-wide, the dispatcher gives you a real ETA based on the closest truck — not a canned promise.
A real Milwaukee dispatcher around the clock, every day. Never a machine, never voicemail.
Years of unlocking cars across Milwaukee and Waukesha counties — trained in non-destructive entry, not guesswork.
Air wedges and long-reach tools, never a slim-jim on airbag doors. Licensed & insured, USDOT# 4272551.
Metro Milwaukee lockout reviews
Rated 4.3 / 5 across 373 Google reviews
Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County drivers count on MKE Towing & Recovery for fast, fair, damage-free tows. Read what real customers say on Google — or call and find out yourself.
Lockout questions
It depends on distance from our South Side Milwaukee base, vehicle size (standard car, commercial van, or semi cab), time of day, and whether the keys are inside or lost. The calculator on this page shows your exact price for your location — anywhere in the metro — in about 60 seconds — free, no payment, no phone call needed. Prefer to talk? A dispatcher at (414) 279-5510 quotes the same number from the same pricing engine.
No. We use air wedges and long-reach tools made for non-destructive entry, and we skip slim-jims on cars with door-mounted airbags. Done right, a professional lockout leaves no marks — and our work is licensed and insured either way.
Yes, and we treat it as a priority — a running, locked car wastes fuel and can be a safety issue. Tell us when you call and we’ll move you up the dispatch line.
Usually, yes. Many vehicles let us reach the trunk through the cabin or a fold-down seat once we’re inside. Tell us your make and model when you call so we bring the right tools.
If they're in any distress from heat or cold, call 911 first — fire and police can enter immediately. Then call us for priority dispatch. On a hot or freezing day, never wait.
No — that's an automotive locksmith's job. We do non-destructive entry to get you back into a car you're locked out of. If your only key is lost or broken, we'll point you to a locksmith who cuts and programs keys.
A government-issued photo ID plus any one of: vehicle title, transfer receipt, insurance card, or registration. Your driver matches the two before opening the door — and if the documents are locked inside, we verify them the moment the door is open. It protects you and your car.
We're open 24/7 — a real Milwaukee dispatcher, never a machine. Lockouts average about 30 minutes to arrival metro-wide. Call (414) 279-5510.
Answers reviewed July 2026 — pricing model, hours and ETAs are checked quarterly.
Jump back to the calculator — free, no phone call, and your quote reference holds your place with dispatch.
Lockout help near you
One call reaches a live dispatcher — no damage, a flat price up front, and most lockouts opened in about 30 minutes.