All Too Common Keyless Ignition Headaches

Keyless Ignition Headaches

The development of hybrid vehicles all but required a change in the way a car is started. A hybrid deems itself “Ready” (or not) with the ignition on, and the gasoline engine is started with a press of the gas pedal. Thus were born keyless ignition, or push button start, systems. Well what are perceived as the coolest gadgets ultimately will always find their way into everything eventually, and these systems are no exception. But what looks and feels cool comes at a price.

Which is a dead key fob, or remote control, battery. Most of us have used keyless entry for years, unlocking our cars with the touch of a button. But in order to start the vehicle without a key, the remote control must send out and/or receive a radio signal continuously, or nearly so. As a result, the life expectancy of the battery in the key fob can be as little as 12 months. Thousands upon thousands of drivers are caught unprepared by this in their busy, busy lives every year.

The industry sees this as little more than a trifle, despite the number of calls that come in to service departments and roadside assistance centers every day. They wash their hands of the problem noting that the vehicle does, in fact, notify drivers when the key fob battery is weakening, and that there is a back up plan for getting in and getting moving even when the fob battery has died.

Why It’s Still a Problem

However:
– The back-up instructions are treated as an afterthought in owner’s manuals, buried inside what are today 500+ page tomes.
– And the manual is necessary because, there are no standard means for starting the vehicle when this happens. Not between manufacturers and sometimes not within product lines!
– There is also no standard means for retrieving a hard key to get into the vehicle from manufacturer to manufacturer.
– And for five vehicle manufacturers, there is no visible keyhole in the driver’s door for that hard key!

The disrespect for drivers is appalling. You can well bet that the designers of those hidden keyholes have NEVER talked a panicked driver through the process of prying off a piece of a $50,000 vehicle in order to find key cylinder on a cold winter night in a dark parking lot. A very, very vulnerable position that you do not want to be in, or have a loved one in. And this so that a single square inch of the vehicle can be more attractive!

And once inside, two manufacturers have six different methods for starting the vehicle, and another has four. Most have at least two starting methods. A driver will be lucky indeed to get someone on the phone at a dealership – assuming they are open – who knows how to start a particular model.

There are many good reasons for keyless start systems: theft deterrence, convenience, even pain relief for some. But let’s standardize the back-up plans and give drivers a break! Yes, satellite services can open and start a car – if the service is available and paid for. It is no excuse for the schizophrenic approach now employed by the industry.

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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the  use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.

These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.

Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.