What has happened, the decorative cover has come off. There is a part called the "Shutter" that has a spring loaded door that the key goes through. There is also the "Cap that holds the shutter in place. Behind the shutter are two small springs that hold the shutter tight against the cap.

When you remove the key, there is sometimes enough friction to pull the cap and shutter loose and parts fly everywhere because of the springs.

I had a car with the problem and spent several hours at three different locksmiths. I figured I might save other Reatta owners the time I spent if I put together a KIT that replaces the lost parts.

I sell a KIT with a NEW Shutter, Cap, and two springs. The kit comes with instructions. The price per kit is $ 9.00 including shipping. Email Barney Eaton  at: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it for more information.

Because you must remove the tailamp assembly and the plastic panel below the bumper, it takes about 1-1.5 hours to take out the lock, install the new parts and reinstall everything. It is not difficult, just time consuming.

Information submitted by: Barney Eaton, AACA Reatta Forum Member

Instructions can be found for replacing the lock cover below .
Thanks to wwa944 for providing the instructions!

Instructions for replacing the lock cover:

Once again, the FSM is not very detailed on how to do this. Basically you have to remove the tail light assembly to get access to the two screws that hold the lock cylinder housing in place.
Click here for tail light removal instructions.

Then you have to remove the black "under bumper" cover to actually access the cylinder housing. So here are the steps:

1. Under the car, unscrew most, if not all, of the under bumper cover. There are two 10 mm nuts on each side - next to the rear wheels. The rest are screws with 7 mm heads along the bottom of the bumper cover. I removed all the 7 mm screws and just the 10 mm nuts on the right side.
    
2. Back on top, pull up the grommet/wire harness that leads to the lock cylinder.
    
3. Unplug the connector.
    
4. Unscrew the two 8 mm head bolts that hold the lock cylinder housing in place.
    
5. Back under the car, slide the lock cylinder out of its hole. Unscrew the cylinder from the bracket. Clean the cylinder as needed.
    
6. Insert two springs into the two spring holes. Insert the shutter so that the ends of its spring fit in the slots in the cylinder housing. Stick your pinkie finger through the black cover, press it against the shutter, and slide the cover off your finger and onto the cylinder. The slot in the side of the cover matches the slot in the lock cylinder.
    
7. Use a hammer and punch on the four dimples to set the cover firmly in place.
    
8. Perform steps 1 - 5 in reverse. At step 2, close the trunk lid and test the key to make sure that everything works.
    
9. If you have a 'vert, put the top down. If you have a sunroof, open it. Go for a drive.

Instructions submitted by: wws944, AACA Reatta Forum Member