General Motors key fob battery
General Motors key fob batteryWe recently added a new video replacing a General Motors key fob battery. The fob is used in various Buick, Chevrolet and GMC models and Cadillac uses a mirror version of the same fob.
The fob uses a larger battery than is typically seen, a CR 2450. It will last longer than the more common CR 2032. The embedded mechanical key and the tip of a very small screwdriver will be needed as tools.
The video has been added to our Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC, and pages here, here, here, and here respectively. Overall, we now have a seven videos that help drivers of GM models in the event that the battery in the key fob dies. These videos will help you get in and start your vehicle even if it is not responding to the key fob, as well as replacing the battery in the fob.
Smart Keys or Intelligent Keys, or Access Keys – or whatever the manufacturer of your chooses to call them – that let you into your car and start it with just a touch use up their internal batteries at alarming rates, catching busy drivers unawares – even though the car had tried to warn you.
Our goal is to help you feel safe – and keep you moving or get you moving if at all possible – rather than leave you fretting whenever your key fob stops working. The instructions for getting into and starting most keyless start cars can be found on our pages – without roadside assistance.
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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Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow.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.
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
Buick opening instructions
Removing the cap requires pulling the handle out and using the mechanical key to press on a difficult to see spot. See 
In a word. no. Top the left is the new Auto Start symbol. It is very similar to others in use across the industry. In fact, we have a post (
However, what Buick chose to use was sufficiently different that it could not be ignored. The symbol shown to the right is the closest pre-existing version, but the new one did not include the words Start and Stop.
Pre-existing versions of the symbols are shown to the right. Certainly in the case of Super Cruise, the new symbol is very, very close to the original representation. However, we feel an obligation to present them exactly as a driver would see them.
So lets set some parameters. Our first thought is to look for Troubleshooting chapter. So, result #1 is that not a single one of these 25 manufacturers have a chapter with this title. Only 3, Mazda (right), Toyota and Lexus, even use the word Trouble. Emergency, Roadside or Breakdown are most likely to be found, and this is a pretty short hurdle. VW raises the hurdle, with a Do It Yourself chapter that includes flat tires and dead batteries, etc. that tend to be found in the Breakdown chapters from other manufacturers.
So, back to the our troubleshooting-like chapters. Once inside, only Honda/Acura, Toyota/Lexus and Subaru got this right! Setting aside for a moment the fact that the owner’s manual is most likely inside the car and the driver locked outside, at least if the driver manages to get the car open, he or she will be able to get started.
Subaru (right), Lexus and Toyota chapters point directly to pages with solutions to issues with the electronic keys. Again, it may not be obvious to the driver that the key fob is the problem, but these manufacturers come the closest to nailing the problem. Titling the sections using something like what to do if the car does not respond to the electronic key would come closest to replicating exactly what the driver is experiencing.
With the flip key key fob, the mechanical key remains attached to the fob, but several back-up locations are used. In the Buick Verano, Regal (through 2017) and pre-2014 Lacrosse, remove the cup holder from the center console in front of the storage area. This may be the entire cup holder assembly (above right), or simply a cup holder insert (below right).
Look for a notch at the top rear of the cup holders to insert a finger or tool to aide removal. Then place the transmitter in the transmitter pocket with the buttons facing up. The pocket will be shaped somewhat like the key fob.
The back up location is changed in the Regal beginning with the 2018 model year, and the car uses a newer key fob. The spot is in a narrow compartment at the front of the center console, as can be seen in the image at right. And for the first time in any GM vehicle, the spot is marked. There is an image of a padlock with lines radiating from it, meant to invoke radio waves.
For the LaCrosse in 2014, the transmitter pocket is moved into the storage area inside the armrest near the auxiliary power, USB and audio ports (right). Place the transmitter in the pocket.
The newest key style was introduced in 2014. It features a removable key. Note that there are still some flip keys in use. The Buick Encore, with exception, and Envision, until 2021, crossovers will use this spot. Simply drop the key fob into the front cup holder with the buttons up, and start the car as normal. Check out videos for these models 
The exception is the Encore GX, beginning with the 2020 model. There is a small depression at the rear of a tray on the center console that is just in front of the center console storage area. This is the back up spot. The new Envista model introduced in 2024 uses this spot as well. Drop the key fob onto this spot with the buttons up and start the car as normal, again pressing the Start / Stop button while stepping on the brake.
And the 2021 Envision finds the back up spot moved to the front of the center console storage area, See the image to the right. Inside and at the front of the console there is a small, flat depression. Drop the key fob onto this spot with the buttons facing up and start the vehicle as normal, stepping on the brake while pushing the Start / Stop button. See a helpful 
Finally, the Buick Enclave gets keyless start for the first time in 2018. The back up spot is beneath the rubber mat at the bottom of the center console. Remove the mat and place the transmitter on the fob-shaped depression that is now visible. As always, with the vehicle in Park or Neutral, press the brake pedal and the Start / Stop ignition button as normal. We’ll post more information as it comes available.
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.
2024 Buick Dashboard Symbols Update Comes with a Shock
We just finished updating our Buick Dashboard Symbols page, or at least we tried.
Generally, updating a manufacturer’s symbols page results in the addition of at least a half a dozen new symbols. This site now hosts over 1,000 symbols and telltales found on instrument panels.
In this case, and despite the introduction of a new model in 2024, the company is not using any new symbols! This is quite literally a first.
It also means that Buick models are not using any new systems in their vehicles. We are likely to get piled on in 2025!
Locked Out?
Smart Keys or Intelligent Keys, or Access Keys – or whatever the manufacturer of your chooses to call them – that let you into your car and start it with just a touch use up their internal batteries at alarming rates, catching busy drivers unawares – even though the car had tried to warn you.
Our goal is to help you feel safe – and keep you moving or get you moving if at all possible – rather than leave you fretting whenever your key fob stops working. The instructions for getting into and starting most keyless start cars can be found on our pages – without roadside assistance.
——————————————————————-
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