Faulty ignition keys

[addendum9]

I have a 2000 Town Car. The car had been running with no problems for almost 15 years. Last Wednesday morning I tried to start it and it cranked as normal, but wouldn’t start. It didn’t even fire one time. The starter motor cranked the engine freely, but no start. I seemed to have a spark, but no fuel flow. I thought it might be fuel-related, so I had it towed into a local garage for diagnostics and repair. The shop later called me and recommended replacing the fuel pump because they couldn’t get it to pump (not sure if they applied power directly to the pump). This Monday, the mechanic called and said the engine still cranks, but he couldn’t get power to the new pump assembly. Also, the fuel volume sensor malfunctioned and gave him an “empty” signal. When he opened the tank access door, fuel poured over him (it had a full tank). He asked if the key that I sent with the car was the one that I always used. The day before the no-start I had switched keys because the one I had been using was the courtesy key. I took him four keys to try and the first one started the engine, but two of the four keys (including the one I sent with the car) would only crank the engine with no-start.
Turns out that the original pump assembly and fuel sensor were operating correctly, but the malfunctioning key chip would not allow the engine to start. Both keys had a micro-crack in the plastic handle where it meets the metal key shaft, and that killed the keys. It cost me $770 and half tank of fuel to find out that the keys were at fault!
Please examine your OEM keys.