kwikset smartkey deadbolt stuck

[sdlock]

I'm not into lock picking, but this site seemed like a good place to ask my question. I have an 8 month or so old kwikset deadbolt I bought from home depot that recently stopped working. My wife said the key got stuck and then she had to wiggle it out. I took apart the deadbolt from the door and I noticed that the keyhole is horizontal and only moves a little either way. Essentially the key can not be moved enough to unlock the lock. So to my untrained eye, it looks like the lock is stuck in the "lock" position. I move the inner parts as much as I can, but I can never get it to match the unlock state of the deadbolt. The deadbolt latch works fine when operated by hand.

Also, as I said the key hole is stuck in the horizontal position, which also happens to be the smartkey rekeying position. However, I can not fully insert the smartkey in order to rekey the lock. I'm not sure what that means. I tried putting wd-40 on the keyhole to no avail.

Has anyone ran into this and is it possible to fix it? Is it some sort of auto lock mechanism that can be reset? If there is no easy fix, price wise, whats my best option, get a replacement from home depot at $35, or go to a locksmith? Thanks

[datagram]

You probably need to use a tool (small piece of metal; bobby pin, etc) to push the reset hole in and retract the sidebar. Once you do that insert your working key and rotate back to the locked ("vertical") position and remove the key. In short:

1. Take a bobby pin and push it into the little hole to the left of the keyway. It should push in and stop.
2. Remove the bobby pin and insert the working key into the lock.
3. Rotate the key back to the locked position and remove it. Test the key a few times to make sure the lock works properly.

Failing that, take the lock to Home Depot and have them use the reset tool on it or buy a new one (probably cheaper than calling a locksmith).

Good luck,
dg

[sdlock]

thanks for the reply. Just to clarify, is the little hole to the left of the keyway the same as the smartkey hole? I don't have the lock in front of me right now, so it might be obvious when I see it.

Secondly, what would cause this to occur? More importantly, should I replace the lock even if I fix it, since it has exhibited some faulty operation. Or is it just a rare occurrence that I can fix again if it happens once in a blue moon? Maybe its not fair to ask this question until I try to see if this fixes my issue. So I'll post in a couple of hours with my result.

[datagram]

Yes, the small hole to the left of the keyway (if the lock is mounted in the American style) is the Smart Key hole. If you turn the key 90 degrees clockwise and push something into the smart key hole you can re-key the lock, which is what I assume happened. This would explain why you can't insert a key right now, at least.

You can read more about the lock and how it works here: http://lockwiki.com/index.php/Kwikset_SmartKey

dg

[sdlock]

okay thanks for the clarification. A bobby pin does not fit in the smartkey hole. I do have the smartkey tool and that does not go all the way in. The key goes in and out just fine. The problem is that it cannot turn enough to unlock or lock the deadbolt. So I guess I am out of luck?

[Sirtank11]

Well in my experience with Smart key the locks seem to fail in this fashion
quite frequently. so your best bet would be to buy a new lock Kwickset is fine but i would
try to find a regular pin tumbler lock and have a locksmith re-key it to your existing key.

Hope this helps.

Tank