now, i guess this only applies to people with normal keys? i have a baseline ram and a fully loaded journey, the journey has the fancy chip key. anyway...

i was fooling around the other day and decided to try and turn the ignition with my hand like i can do in the journey. note, the journeys ignition will turn, but not do anything without the key. so i took the key, used the end to push the plunger down and twist. it started. the freakin truck started without me using the key. not only that, i got out and walked around, holding the keys in my hand. do you really mean to tell me i could start this truck with just a screwdriver?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldCNtSyqgIw

 

Try it with different key with your dodge key left in the house. thought most newer cars had chips in the key set.

 

That is why it starts. you could probably put a challenger button in there and have push start

 

I agree with Mike. Try it with the fob in the house or even further away. I am not sure why they didn't just go right to the push button start. I have it in our 2011 Journey and it is great. To have this plastic key looking thing to insert into the little hole and turn it is stupid, especially when it can be turned by pretty much anything you stick in there. I wonder how hard it would be to swap it out for a push button?

 

That is because your key has a chip in it.. Standard on all level Rams.

 

Yup, its nothing but a twist switch. If your key fob had been in the house the truck wouldn't have started.

 

i have fooled around and tried somethign like that with my truck but not had my key on me and my evic says i have a damaged key cause it doesnt sense the chip.

 

Mine starts from in the house with auto start so I think he will need to take his key farther in fact I can start mine from at least 130 ft from inside a house, was at a family dinner in winter and was parked down the street but it started luckily. Sometimes , very rarely lately have we had any issues with it. A while back we mentioned that were were having issues with the key fobs not working and we had already changed batteries so do waste my money on that if they want to change them on their dime fine. Anyway it was not scheduled for that it was in for some recall and to get a new mirror. Maybe they reprogrammed them or something I didn't look at the bill was no charge all warranty. It mentioned a number of things and they showed all completed so I didn't read it all. Since then they must have done something because I cannot remember lately it not unlocking or locking or starting. But of course you need the fob within range to start the truck, if it starts with the fob in the house try driving away, see how far you get.

 

I would be surprosed if the range of the simple transponder type key was more than a few inches but who knows. I'm just guessing here, but I thought the transponder type keys had a close proximity chip in them.

The real test would be to leave all keys in the house and try to start it with a screwdriver as others have mentioned.

Sean

 

You're talking apples and oranges. The auto-start works by the key fob sending an RF signal to the truck. That signal has quite a range. I've locked/unlocked my truck at a measured 200 yards at my gun range. The security chip in the key that prevents theft is sensed by the vehicle's computer system by sending out a signal to 'energize' it and look for its response (basically the presence of the chip within the range of the signal being sent out - similar to those anti-theft devices in retail packages that are activated by the door sensors). I'd have to imagine for similar systems with push button start switches in other vehicles that range is intentionally kept down to a few feet to ensure that the key is within the vehicle's passenger compartment.

Will the vehicle start without a key present at all? Probably, just as it can with auto start at hundreds of yards. But it won't be drivable because the anti-theft system will kick in when the vehicle is put in 'drive'. If the truck were started with this hack described by the OP the vehicle might be drivable as long as the key is in the driver's possession or at least in the passenger compartment.

Rob