[jeffrsmith]

I had the same issue, in the end I put the key in and grabbed the outside of the lock with a pair of channel locks and pulled them off. I suspect they had been on there a long time and were slightly corroded - I put them back on for a short time, then took them off - I figure I don't need some cheap ass lock stopping me from changing a flat in the middle of a dark rainy night on a single lane back road in the middle of nowhere because I forgot to leave the pliers in the car.