Start a Cadillac with a Dead Key Fob

How to Start a Cadillac with a Dead Key Fob

Starting Your Cadillac

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Cadillac vehicles use two of GM‘s three different style keys and many different start procedures or locations. They are all here, and you can find a whole lot of videos here.

Here’s the deal: Buckle up, find your model, and if the main start battery is still good, we’ll get you underway.

The Cadillac Coupes show up early in this list: the CTS, XLR, and ELR. So, please note immediately that the latches are electronic and if the main 12-volt battery is dead and you’ve closed the door, the lever to the right is your only escape. You will find it below the door on the floor where you would expect to find a trunk release (right). Pull it up and the door will open. There’s another on the passenger side for that door.

With Style 1 (square) key fob, used in most GM vehicles prior to 2014, and in some Cadillac CTS Coupes and Sedans ongoing, place the transmitter in the transmitter pocket at the top and rear of the center console storage area with the buttons facing towards the front of the vehicle (right).

With the vehicle in Park or Neutral, press the brake pedal and the Start / Stop button to start the vehicle as you would normally.

The XLR Coupe use either a small key fob that does not hold a mechanical key or the Style 1 fob. Regardless of the key fob type, the pocket for the transmitter (or fob) is on the left of the inside of the glove box. Place the transmitter in the pocket with the buttons facing the glove box storage area (right).

Again, with the vehicle in P (Park) or N (Neutral), press the brake pedal and the Start / Stop ignition button as normal.

In the Cadillac SRX, the transmitter pocket is located at the bottom of the console storage area (right). The new CT5 crossover uses this location as well, but using the Style 3 key fob. The spot may be beneath a storage tray, which must be lifted out, or at least beneath all the stuff that has gathered inside. Then insert the transmitter with the buttons facing up and with the vehicle in Park or Neutral, press the brake pedal and the Start / Stop ignition button as normal.

The new key style, Style 3, was introduced in 2014. In the ELR Coupe and some CTS Sedans and Wagons (later models all use this location), locate the transmitter pocket on the shelf in the front of the console, as shown to the right. It is beneath a rubber that will need to be removed, and is the shape of the transmitter. Place the transmitter in the pocket, buttons facing up, and with the vehicle in Park or Neutral, press the brake pedal and the Start / Stop ignition button as normal.

In the XTS sedan, the transmitter pocket is found in the front of the center console storage area. A storage tray may have to be lifted out. Place the transmitter in the pocket with the key ring up and the buttons facing out. See the image below. With the vehicle in Park or Neutral, press the brake pedal and the Start / Stop ignition button as normal. Check out the video here.

In ATS sedan, the transmitter pocket is located in the face of the front of the inside of the center console, similar to or as shown to the right. Slide the transmitter into the pocket with the key ring facing out and buttons up. With the vehicle in Park or Neutral, press the brake pedal and the Start / Stop ignition button as normal.

In the CT6 sedan, the transmitter pocket is located in the center console as well, but  in the face of the back of the console, as shown to the right. Slide the transmitter into the pocket with the key ring up and buttons facing the front of the car. With the vehicle in Park or Neutral, press the brake pedal and the Start / Stop ignition button as normal.

Cadillac now has new models and as has become all too common with General Motors, the back up locations are new and not reflective of any used previously in a Cadillac model. And the Escalade went along for the ride.

In the XT4 and the 2020 Escalade and Escalade ESV, the key fob is dropped into the front cup holder, as shown to the right. Make sure the cup holder is empty and that the fob’s buttons are facing up. With the vehicle in Park or Neutral, press the brake pedal and the Start / Stop ignition button as normal.

Meanwhile, the new CT4, CT5 and Lyriq EV models, for no apparently good reason, use the rear cup holder as the back up start location. Again, make sure the cup holder is empty and that the key fob’s buttons are facing up. With the vehicle in Park or Neutral, press the brake pedal and the Start / Stop ignition button as normal to start the vehicle.

In the XT5 and XT6 SUVs, clear away anything being stored in the center console. At the bottom near the back, there is a depression shaped like the Cadillac key fob. Set the fob down in the depression with the buttons facing up. With the vehicle in Park or Neutral, step on the brake pedal and press the Start / Stop ignition button as normal.

The large SUV’s from GM, including the Escalade (prior to 2020), feature a transmitter pocket also located in the face of the front of the inside of the center console. However, the pocket points down, as shown to the right. The pocket in the Escalade is placed to the center and a bit lower. Slide the transmitter into the pocket with the key ring facing out, buttons forward (in a Suburban we had on hand, the engine started with the buttons facing either way). It is a loose fit, so don’t be concerned. With the vehicle in Park or Neutral, press the brake pedal and the Start / Stop ignition button as normal. Check out the video here.

Note: If you have made an attempt to start the vehicle without success, there may be residual pressure in the brake system and a new warning light may appear (left) or text message to Step on the Brake. Press the brake pedal very, very hard when trying to start the vehicle again to be sure that the release switch behind the pedal is engaged. Or wait a few minutes and try again.

… Return to Part I

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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.