General Motors | DashboardSymbols.com

New Standard Services from GM

General Motors announced on June 5th, 2013 that GM Will Make Door Unlock, Remote Start standard (read, free!) for five years through the OnStar RemoteLink Mobile App. The services will be available for OnStar-equipped 2014 Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac models “even if the owner declines to pay for other OnStar services.” Thirty-six 2014 model year GM vehicles are compatible with the app.

Bravo. We can only continue to encourage an expansion of the program, making it permanent and moving it down the chain to older vehicles equipped with OnStar. GM’s own statistics bear this out.

Mary Chan, president GM Global Connected Consumer stated “GM owners request remote door unlock assistance through OnStar more than 60,000 times each month, so it makes sense for us to offer RemoteLink Key Fob Services to enable customers to lock, unlock or start their vehicle from anywhere they have a wireless or cellular connection.”

Sixty thousand times a month! The company did not say but given the number of calls going into roadside assistance centers and service departments for owners of vehicles that do not have the luxury of OnStar, we will bluntly assume that a very, very large percentage are due to dead key fobs.

Safety First

These are safety issues for motorists who could very well be stranded in potentially dangerous situations, caught off guard by a dead key fob. The service should be free and permanent for ALL OnStar customers, period. And other manufacturers should at least offer instructions on mobile platforms to help them get in and start their cars – particularly those manufacturers foolish enough to hide the lock cylinder for the sake of aesthetics. Ford is the latest addition to this list.

Interestingly, GM says that “remote start is the most popular remote service by current users of the RemoteLink Mobile App”. If the company’s commercials are any indicator, the feature is fun to play with. And while clearly many GM owners use the service for convenience, our experience suggests a very large percentage are useful or necessary starts due to dead key fobs.

This is a GREAT start. But GM, take a step further to the front and make this free for all OnStar equipped vehicles. Forever. You’ll still have lots of stuff to sell.

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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.

M Favreau

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

How to Open Chevrolet Models with a Dead Key Fob

First, if you are already inside, click here for help getting started!
Second, you can find video help here!
Finally, if you need another manufacturer, click here.

Retrieving the mechanical key

GM makes three key fob (remote control or ‘clicker’) styles, and Chevrolet uses them all. 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.

For the rectangular style fob or transmitter press the thin button near the bottom of the transmitter (remote control or ‘clicker’) used to remove the mechanical key. Do not pull the mechanical key out without pressing the button.

In next style is a flip key, shown to the left, press the unmarked chrome button to extend the mechanical key. It remains attached to the key fob. Use the mechanical key to unlock the driver’s door.

The final rounded style key fob is similar to the rectangular fob, in that the mechanical key is removed from the fob for use getting into the vehicle. However, it is similar in appearance to Style 2. To remove the mechanical key, press the button on the side of the transmitter near the key ring, as shown, and pull the key out.

Getting Inside

If a key hole is visible at the back of the driver’s door handle, simply insert the mechanical and turn, and you’re in.

Beginning with the 6th generation Corvette introduced in 2005 and adding the Cadillac CTS and ELR Coupes, no external door handle is obvious, and thus no backup entrance option. See below.

Then in the 2013, the Chevrolet Impala and followed by eight additional models the by 2017, the key hole was hidden. Sadly, more and more General Motors products will likely feature this unnecessary change going forward.

Chevrolet models with traditional door handles but no obvious key holes or lock cylinders, hide the key holes under a cap at the back of the driver’s door. They include the Impala, Tahoe, Suburban, Malibu, Cruze, Camaro and Volt as well as new Bolt and Blazer models. To remove the cap, pull the door handle out to the open position. Insert the key into the slot on the bottom of the cap (“3”, right).

Push it as far upwards as possible and hold that upward pressure. Then pry outward. And yes, you WILL feel like you are prying off a piece of your car! Move the cap rearward revealing the key cylinder. Now the mechanical key can be used in the cylinder. Look for a video here to help.

To replace the cap, insert the two tabs at the back of the cap between the black seal and the metal base. Pull the door handle out to the door open position and move the cap forward and press to snap it into place. You can then release the door handle.

Remember, getting in the car is most important. If you have difficulty replacing the cap, don’t. Let your dealer do it when you get a new battery for your Key FOB!

Corvette models are a very different animals. The C6 through C8 models have non-traditional, all electronic locks, latches and door handles, if they can be called handles at all. The C8 does have a key cylinder, but it is found in the air inlet located on the body, behind and above the left door handle. See the image to the right. Insert the mechanical key and turn to open the car.

Older C6 and C7 Corvette models, also have flush door handles (right image) with no key holes at all. They have a very different trick up their sleeves. You must use the mechanical key to open the trunk. The key hole is under the lip of the trunk lid facing the ground.