How to Start a Mitsubishi with a Dead Key Fob
Starting Your Mitsubishi
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Starting a Mitsubishi will depend on whether or not there is an actual Start / Stop button. If there is, continue below.
Push Button Start
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.
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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.
Keyless Turn Knob Start
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.
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, Getting In
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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
To start a Mercedes-Benz that uses the tapered SmartKey style, the engine Start / Stop ignition button must be removed. It appears to ‘float’ above the dashboard and is easily pulled away from the ignition lock. Insert the tapered end of the KEYLESS-GO key in the ignition lock and turn it to start and operate old school style.
Beginning in 2017, the ignition lock in AMG roadsters and coupes is found at the back of the center console storage area, as shown in the image. Insert the tapered key fob into the ignition lock and turn it to start and operate old school style.
Models using the new, rounded SmartKey fob styles , shown to the left, require that the fob be placed in a back up location or slot. These models, as of the 2019 model year, are the AMG, C-Class, E-Class and S-Class.
The new SmartKey fob style had spread through nearly the entire product line by the 2019 model year. However, the mark (the image of a metal key with lines radiating from it) is found in or near cup holders, which are at the front of the center console. See the two images at left. The 2021 S-Class Maybach uses the rear cup holder as well (second image) as well as a newer key fob. It is similar to the one shown above.
Also in 2019, Mercedes-Benz introduced the first of its electric and electrified models, the GLC 350e. And while the mark is also found in the cup holder, it too uses the image of the SmartKey (see the image to the right), like the updated C-Class models noted above. This will likely take over all model lines with time.
Finally come a small number of exceptions. Since 2019, the GLE and GLS SUVS use a slot, with the mark of a key with lines radiating from it, is found inside the center console storage area in the front. G-Class SUVs joined them in 2024. See the image to the left. Drop the key fob into the slot and start the vehicle as normal.
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.
Beginning with the 2020 XC-90 redesign and the newer key fob style, plus Polestar EV models, a sensor location is provided for the key fob. It is found in the second cup holder in the center or tunnel console. An illustration of a key with lines radiating from it can be seen at the bottom of the cup holder.
Note that you will find the mark inside the small center console of the Polestar 2 (right), which is also the location of the second cup holder! Place the key fob in the cup holder. The vehicle will recognize the fob even if the fob’s internal battery is dead. The alarm will be turned off and the car can be started as normal, by turning the Start / Stop switch to the Start position while depressing the brake. Note that the Polestar 2 is started, or powered up, by stepping on the brake.
In the Volvo XC-40, the company’s first all electric model, and subsequently the C40 and EX40 EVs, the mark will be found inside the center console on the bottom and to the front (right). It too features the mark of a key with lines radiating from it. Place the key fob on the mark. The vehicle will recognize the fob even if the fob’s internal battery is dead. The alarm will be turned off and the car can be started as normal.
So, in both the Polestar 3 and 4, the key card is placed on the spot used to charge your smart phone (right), which is at the front of the center console. The key fob for the Polestar 3 can be recharged on this spot, the card reader, as well.
In older, second generation keyless start Volvo models, an ignition slot comes into play. The slot will be found either alongside or below the Start/Stop ignition button. Insert the key fob into the ignition slot. This will turn off the alarm and allow the vehicle to be started as normal by pressing the Start / Stop button while depressing the brake.
The vehicle will recognize the key fob even if the fob’s internal battery is dead.
In first generation keyless start models, the ignition switch is turned in normal conditions, similar to key start vehicles. There is a dummy key that needs to be removed. Press the the button found on the side of the dummy key, which frees it to be pulled away. The key fob can then be inserted in its place and the vehicle can be started (right).
If there is a dummy key, it will need to be removed in order to use the key fob in the ignition. The owner’s manual holds a somewhat complicated set of removal instructions that will leave you exposed and vulnerable for far too long. Ignore the instructions and do the following.
Make two attempts to start the car normally. The car’s instrument panel will then note that the dummy key can now be pulled away. Once this is done, the vehicle’s key fob can be inserted into the ignition switch and the car started normally. The fob will be recognized even if the fob’s internal battery is dead.
Lay the key fob, buttons up, in the compartment in the front of the center console to the left of the cup holders. Turn the ignition dummy key to the start position (position 2) and back to off. Turn the dummy key back to the start position a second time and the vehicle will start. The instrument panel will also acknowledge that the key fob has been recognized.
There are several methods for starting a Honda or Acura vehicle. To start a Honda and the newest Acura models lacking a slot, touch the “H” in the Honda logo or the “A” in the Acura logo on the remote control to the Start / Stop button until the small indicator light in the button begins to flash. For the next 30 seconds, the vehicle can be started using the Start / Stop button normally. You can also simply press the Start / Stop button with the remote control itself, while stepping on the brake of course.
exactly the same.
In earlier Acura models (newest models are above), there is a slot for the remote control (key fob) to the left and below the Start / Stop button. Insert the remote and use the Start / Stop button to start the vehicle as normal.
In the oldest keyless start Acura models, there is a cover on the ignition switch that must be removed. This will allow the use of the mechanical key built into the key fob. To remove the ignition switch cover, slip the built-in key into the parallel slot underneath the cover. Push the key in while pull it towards you at the same time and the cover will come off. Once the cover is removed, the mechanical key can be inserted and turned to start the vehicle.
Two methods exist in Nissan and Infinity vehicles. Some models use method 1. In this case, insert the Intelligent Key in the port provided. It will be found to the left of the steering column. It might be horizontal (first image) or vertical (second image).
port or with the buttons facing the door in the vertical port. Make sure the key ring side is out.
If a port does not exist, method 2 comes into play. Simply touch the ignition switch with the Intelligent Key (a chime will sound). Push the ignition Start / Stop button while depressing the brake pedal within 10 seconds after the chime sounds to start the engine.
To start a GMC model with a dead key fob, a pocket to place the transmitter will need to be identified. Once the fob is properly placed, the vehicle will recognize the fob and the vehicle can be started as normal. In the new Hummer EV, the pocket is the rear cup holder, as shown to the right. Place the key fob in the cup holder with the buttons facing up and start the car as normal, pressing the brake pedal and the POWER button while in park or neutral.
The large SUV’s from GM, including the GMC Yukon, feature a transmitter pocket located in the face of the front of the inside of the center console, as shown to the right. Slide the transmitter into the pocket with the key ring facing out, buttons forward (in a Chevrolet Suburban we had on hand, the engine started with the buttons facing either way). It is a loose fit, but 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 
In an all to common inability to leave well enough alone, this is changed in the Yukon with bucket seats for the 2021 model year. Its changed again in 2023 (below). This will also cover the 2020 and newer GMC Sierra. There are now three back up locations for the transmitter. Again if the vehicle has bucket seats, the transmitter is dropped between the two cup holders (right). In the Sierra in 2022, the cup holders are one in front of the other (far right). In this case, drop the transmitter in the space between the cup holders and the shifter.
In both the Sierra and Yukon models in 2021 and beyond without bucket seats, the back up transmitter pocket is a slot at the back of the lowest storage bin (there are two of them) in the center area of, and beneath, the front seat. In all cases, once the transmitter is in place, press the brake pedal and the Start / Stop button together, starting the vehicle as normal.
The Terrain small crossover SUV got its first taste of keyless ignition in the 2018 model. It has bucket seats and the back up location is in a cup holder, nearly identical to the Yukon above, and exactly what the Yukon with bucket seats uses beginning in 2023. The cup holders are side by side (right) and the left side cup holder is used. As always, face the buttons up and with the vehicle in Park or Neutral, press the brake pedal and the Start / Stop ignition button as normal.
The location is changed in the Acadia for the 2020 model year, though 2023. For those years, the back up slot is at the bottom of the center console, as shown to the right. The console liner must be lifted away to expose what is a fob-shaped depression. Once again, with the transmitter in place, press the Start / Stop button and the brake pedal together to start the vehicle.
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