How to Open, Start and Replace Fob Batteries in Holden Vehicles
We have three videos for Holden owners
This video is a compilation of five models.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Flip key key fob battery replace.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Traditional key fob battery replacement.
Models covered include the Commodore, Acadia, Equinox, Spark and Trax.
——————————————————————-
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Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow.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.
The author has 25 years of automotive experience and has assembled the most extensive collection of symbols and warning lights anywhere (over 1,000!) and can help you open and start any keyless start car with a dead key fob battery. BA, St. Joseph’s College, ME: MS, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY
Holden uses three key fob or transmitter styles. To get in the vehicle when the key fob battery is dead, a mechanical key will have to retrieved from the fob and used to unlock the car.
The next two (shown to the right) feature a removable mechanical key and are quite similar (one has more buttons than the other). Each has a button on the side of the transmitter (remote control or ‘clicker’) near the key ring end. Press the button, as shown, and pull the key out.
The Commodore, Acadia and and Equinox models are hiding their key holes behind a cover at the back of the driver’s door handle. To remove the cap on the Acadia and Equinox, pull the door handle out to the open position. Insert the key into the slot on the bottom of the cap (number 3, right).
The cap on the Commodore is slightly different but there is still a slot under the cap. Insert the mechanical key into the slot and again hold upward pressure. Then rotate the key upward until the cap comes away.
In the Commodore, open the cover of the center console storage area in front of the shift lever. Place the transmitter in the transmitter pocket beside the power outlet, with the buttons facing up as shown in the image. Remove any additional items that might be in the area. Press the brake pedal and the engine Start / Stop button and you’ll be on your way.
The Equinox uses the left side cup holder as a back up location. Make sure there is nothing, particularly coins, in the cup holder, and simply drop the fob into it with the buttons facing up. The car will recognize the fob and pressing the brake pedal and Start / Stop ignition button will have you on your way.
The Trax, also uses a cup holder as its back up spot. However, there are three cup holders in the center console area, and the choice is the front and is separated from the two behind it. Be sure to use the one in the very front (see the image to right). Drop the key fob into the front cup holder, buttons up, and start the car as normal, using the Start / Stop button while stepping on the brake pedal.
The Spark uses a unique back up start location. The electronic key fob is placed in the center console transmitter pocket, which is in front of the cup holder and alongside the brake handle (image to the left). While in Park, press the brake pedal and press the engine Start/Stop button and you will be on your way.
Finally, the Acadia uses a back up pocket located in the back of the center console (image to the right). Drop transmitter or key fob into the pocket with the key ring up and the buttons facing the front. With the vehicle in Park or Neutral, press the brake pedal and the Start / Stop ignition button as normal. Once again, you will be underway.
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.
To start your Alfa Romeo Giulia, Stelvio or Tonale with a dead key fob battery, you will need a back up location to place the fob. For the first two models, it can be found in the center console.
In the Tonale, the spot is in the front cup holder, as shown to the right. There is no marking we are aware of.
They use the same key fob.
The back cover can now be pulled away moving, it towards where the key ring was attached. The mechanical key is seen inside and can then be pulled out.
Newer Mitsubishi models use a Start / Stop button. With the newest models, built roughly 2018 and later, simply press the the Start / Stop ignition button with the back of the key fob, as shown to the right, while stepping on the brake. The key fob or FAST key will be recognized and the car will start.
In earlier models, there will be a slot to accept the FAST key fob. It may be inside the glove box (right) or somewhere near the front of the console (below). Early Outlander models are the only ones we are aware of that has a slot in the glove box, although later models also use a slot near the console. See examples below.
In other models, the back up slots will be found somewhere on the dashboard, generally in the vicinity of and in front of the shifter. We did find one model, sold outside North America, the Shogun, where the slot is actually alongside the console, as seen to the right. Wherever the slot is, it will look like a small rectangular opening just the right size for the key fob. You may be using it for business cards or coins! Remove them!
Once found, insert the FAST key fob into the slot. The engine can then be started normally, stepping on the brake while pressing the Start / Stop ignition button. Mitsubishi recommends removing the key fob once the vehicle is started.
If there is a keyless turn knob, on the steering column, it is a three step process however. Start by slipping the back end of the mechanical or emergency key into the FAST key fob. It will then look like the illustration and the feel of a more traditional ignition key (right).
This assembled key will be needed to turn the ignition switch, which is hiding under the turn knob on the steering column. When the key elements are assembled, the transponder is close enough to the switch’s antenna module to be recognized. The module supplies the power when the key’s battery is discharged.
Remove the ignition knob cover (above right) by pushing the lock release buttons on the each side. Then insert the emergency key into the now exposed lock cylinder (right). The vehicle can now be started in a traditional key-start manner by pushing, then turning the key. See the illustrations.
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.