It is cold in Central Illinois and I just about got stranded. I walk my Golden every morning and afternoon, however when it gets bitter cold we take the wife's Edge to the park. Monday morning we drive to the park and everything seems normal about the car. There is no "replace keyfob battery" message. After a very brisk single digit temp walk we get back into the car.

I pushed the start button and nothing happens. I make sure the fob is in my pocket and almost immediately realize what the problem is. I get out the manual and read what I need to do. It tells me the location where I need to put the key is in the console. However, it is located where you can't see if if seated normally in the driver's seat. I had to put the seat as far back as possible and then lay the seat down as far as possible and use the flashlight to see the secret spot. You don't place the entire fob there, just the key and it has to be aligned a certain way.

While I am doing all of these things, it is getting much colder in the car. I am thinking about walking home, not that far, or calling my wife and telling her to drive my car to the park and bring me her key. However, we live at the bottom of a hill, our street is covered in ice and my Lincoln does not do well on ice.

After much stretching and squirming, I put the key in the spot, pushed the button and the car started. I drove to Interstate and replaced the fob battery.

When I got home, I tried to explain to my wife what she would have to do should this ever happen to her. All she wanted to talk about was the time the car battery died. I gave up on trying to explain the difference.

Read your manual and see what you will have to do should this happen to you. If out in the middle of nowhere on a hunting or fishing trip or in a sub zero situation, it could get serious.

On the 2010+ Taurus, the port is in the center console storage box. You slide the whole key into the slot and can start the car.

You also use the slot to create a Valet Mode key.

On a Mercedes, you pop the push button plastic cover off and there is a space to insert the fob.

On my new Yukon, there is a laser cut key that pops out of the fob to unlock the doors. But to crank it, you place the (dead) fob in a little pocket in the console and it will crank with the push button.

This whole proximity key / push button start thing is a bad idea. I know someone who had his car stolen from him essentially while he was standing there in range of the car with the fob. While he was busy unloading his kids, someone jumped in the car, started it up and drove off.

My car still has to have the key in the ignition to start it. I like it hat way.

quote:

Originally posted by BBMW:
This whole proximity key / push button start thing is a bad idea.

My car still has to have the key in the ignition to start it. I like it hat way.

Unfortunately, the average consumer prizes convenience over security.

There are some (Nissan maybe?) that your use the fob to push the start button & it recognizes it if the fob battery dies.

My (now gone) 2015 Mercedes was the only one I'd had with push-button start, but like mentioned above, the button could be removed & the key inserted like a traditional key & turn to start.

Newer Mercedes have just a button that cannot be removed.

On a 2019 Ram 1500 you touch the tip of the fob to the push button

quote:

Originally posted by gpbst3:
On a 2019 Ram 1500 you touch the tip of the fob to the push button

Same with our 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. This thread got me wondering so I looked it up. Good to know just in case.

On my Mazda CX-5 you just use the fob to push the start button when the fob battery is low.

On my Toyotas, you just hold the dead fob up to the start button until the light turns green. Then push to start normally.

Weird I have a Fusion which is pretty much the same car as an edge. For mine you put the key in the cup holder.

quote:

Originally posted by flesheatingvirus:
On my Toyotas, you just hold the dead fob up to the start button until the light turns green. Then push to start normally.

Yup. Had to do it once.

That's where the phone app on my GMC truck would be handy. Assuming the phone had battery!

It's not a bad idea to know what the fall-back is.

If bending and searching isn't your thing, you can do what I do, which is to keep some fresh car-fob batteries in the glove compartment.

quote:

Originally posted by gpbst3:
On a 2019 Ram 1500 you touch the tip of the fob to the push button

From my 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee manual:

quote:

NOTE: In case the ignition switch does not change with the push of a button, the RKE transmitter (Key Fob) may have a low or dead battery. In this situation, a back up method can be used to operate the ignition switch. Put the nose side (side opposite of the emergency key) of the Key Fob against the ENGINE START/STOP button and push to operate the ignition switch.

I suspect, from this, they're using RFID for the backup mechanism.

Thanks to maxwayne for starting this thread. Astonishingly, to me, it had not occurred to me how to start my Jeep if the keyfob battery died or the keyfob's wirelessness went out-to-lunch

ETA: I made certain to relate to my wife How It Works with my Jeep.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ensigmatic,

I won't bore anyone explaining how MY vehicle works , but I will say that everyone should know how to do their own vehicle and make sure your spouse knows .

quote:

Originally posted by Sailor1911:
That's where the phone app on my GMC truck would be handy. Assuming the phone had battery!

Same here with my phone app for my Bronco

quote:

Originally posted by Flash-LB:

quote:

Originally posted by Sailor1911:
That's where the phone app on my GMC truck would be handy. Assuming the phone had battery!

Same here with my phone app for my Bronco

I don't know about GMC and Ford, but using the phone app with my JGC would incur a monthly recurring charge.

Also figure out how to unlock the car if the transmitter battery dies.

On my cars, you use the backup key blade to pop off a plastic cover on the driver's side door handle to expose the key slot.

Once inside, there's a designated near-field spot to hold the transmitter up against. I'm assuming it uses a short range RFID chip for the near-field backup starting procedure.

quote:

Originally posted by BBMW:
This whole proximity key / push button start thing is a bad idea. I know someone who had his car stolen from him essentially while he was standing there in range of the car with the fob. While he was busy unloading his kids, someone jumped in the car, started it up and drove off.

My car still has to have the key in the ignition to start it. I like it hat way.

I think the wireless implementation is a little more sophisticated now, or at least more sophisticated above a certain price point.

My two newer vehicles have very robust sensor coverage. They both detect when the key is *inside* the vehicle, and will prevent you from locking the key inside the vehicle accidentally by closing a locked door or liftgate on a key inside the vehicle. To lock a key fob inside the vehicle, you have to command the locking sequence from another key fob (and this will in-turn disable any key fob left in the vehicle so that the glass can not be smashed and the inside key fob used to start the car), or you have to manually lock the door from inside with the doors already closed.

Similarly, the car won't start if the key is not inside the vehicle. If you keep the key in your pocket, and you are unloading your kids, someone won't be able to hop into the driver seat and drive off with your car.

There are thieves out there that now use signal repeaters to trick your car into thinking that the fob is closer than it really is, but this level sophistication is still preferable to someone just smashing in your face and taking your keys.