Stolen Car Keys and Coverage under the PAP

December 6, 2011

The claim is simple. A car was broken into and the insured's purse was stolen. In the purse was a set of car keys (one ignition key and one valet key). The insurer is willing to only replace the one set of stolen keys. The insured had two other sets to the car. Our questions are as follows: if the insured purchased the car with multiple sets of keys are they not considered part of the overall value of the vehicle, similar to a spare tire in the trunk; if the second set of keys is part of the auto, and there is a loss of its use value due to a covered incident, would not the company be obligated to replace this set as well?

Washington Subscriber

We agree with the insurer. All of the keys to a covered auto are definitely auto equipment that is covered if they are lost or damaged. But, in this instance, the insured lost only the one set of keys and that should be paid for by the policy. As for the other set(s), they were not lost or damaged. If the insured wants to change the locks and make the keys unusable, that is not an accidental loss; the insured is choosing to make the keys unusable. We can understand the reasoning behind this, that is, to prevent a possible future theft. And, the insurer might want to consider this since paying for a new set of keys is a lot cheaper than paying for a car that has been stolen. But, as of now, the insurer is right: there has been no loss or damage to the other set of keys and no insurance policy is going to pay so as to prevent a possible future loss. The policy does not cover losses that have not occurred.

 

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