Last edit by: IB Advertising
See related guides and technical advice from our community experts:
Browse all: Interior Guides
- Dodge Ram 2009-Present: How to Replace Smart Key Battery
Step by step intructions for the do-it-yourself repairs.
Browse all: Interior Guides
For those who's key fob stops working....
#172
Recently picked up a 2010 1500 crew cab. Luckily the fobs seem to be working OK for the last month or so.
BUT
My wife's 2010 Jeep Commander (similar style remote) does the same thing as many describe here, have to push unlock like 20 times to get it to unlock at times. Dodge/Jeep dealer says they never heard of a remote issue, naturally it wont do it when at the dealer. I have switched fobs, new battery in both, changed every option for the locks and it still wont unlock at times.
Hopefully the Ram wont do it, for a while the dealer was blaming the problem on the corvette key fob next to it (they are always active when moving) but my wife doesnt carry one and she has issues as well.
I cant believe that in 2010 remotes would be an issue, I have had a lots of cars with remotes and never had a problem..
BUT
My wife's 2010 Jeep Commander (similar style remote) does the same thing as many describe here, have to push unlock like 20 times to get it to unlock at times. Dodge/Jeep dealer says they never heard of a remote issue, naturally it wont do it when at the dealer. I have switched fobs, new battery in both, changed every option for the locks and it still wont unlock at times.
Hopefully the Ram wont do it, for a while the dealer was blaming the problem on the corvette key fob next to it (they are always active when moving) but my wife doesnt carry one and she has issues as well.
I cant believe that in 2010 remotes would be an issue, I have had a lots of cars with remotes and never had a problem..
#173
good luck, they won't admit there's a problem to you otherwise they'd have to fix it. problems is that we can't reproduce it on demand, therefore it will be hard to lemon law it because there won't be a record of it being taken in for that problem. They need to have it happen each time at the dealer for them to record the problem in their records as a seen problem and attempted fix.
#174
good luck, they won't admit there's a problem to you otherwise they'd have to fix it. problems is that we can't reproduce it on demand, therefore it will be hard to lemon law it because there won't be a record of it being taken in for that problem. They need to have it happen each time at the dealer for them to record the problem in their records as a seen problem and attempted fix.
Its just funny that the Dodge doesnt do it and the Jeep does, no one on the Jeep forums mention it much. My guess is there is just a lot more pickups out there, I'm sure the receiver and transmitters are all made by the same people.
Best info I got was from a ex-Chrysler engineer buddy of mine that said the remotes have a rolling code and they can easily lose sync around other transmitter sources that overload the receiver, pretty much a safety shutdown so errant signals dont unlock the doors, roll down the windows, set off the panic etc. Apparently the receivers are very sensitive (long range) and have little front end protection (cheap) so they can be easily overloaded and knocked out of sync by strong transmitters. Supposedly pressing unlock 5-10 times is what it takes to resync the remote.
#175
Had one installed for a couple of months now and love it! Of course it's not my first one, I've been running the Viper (DEI) products for years.
I also had the Smart Start module installed so I can start/unlock/lock my truck from my iPhone. Soon they are releasing an update to the iPhone application that if the alarm goes off, your iPhone will get a text (push notification).
Would have had it done after I drove off the lot but had to wait for the new module (CHALL) that interfaces the funky key with the Viper system.
I also had the Smart Start module installed so I can start/unlock/lock my truck from my iPhone. Soon they are releasing an update to the iPhone application that if the alarm goes off, your iPhone will get a text (push notification).
Would have had it done after I drove off the lot but had to wait for the new module (CHALL) that interfaces the funky key with the Viper system.
Will this setup use the factory remote start features? like will it still turn on the heated mirrors/ HVAC and rear defrost when remote started from viper fob or iphone?
#176
I posted my latest dealings with the dealer on this issue on the other thread. For continuity, it is here: https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2074548-post30.html
BTW, I believe contrary to popular belief the Lemon Law only applies to direct safety issues, so I'm not sure it could be used no matter how long Chrysler wants to pretend they don't have a key-less entry issue. However, with the lifetime bumper-to-bumper warranty on my truck, they are going to get really tired of the ongoing warranty issue and negative feedback for each service visit that doesn't resolve the issue.
BTW, I believe contrary to popular belief the Lemon Law only applies to direct safety issues, so I'm not sure it could be used no matter how long Chrysler wants to pretend they don't have a key-less entry issue. However, with the lifetime bumper-to-bumper warranty on my truck, they are going to get really tired of the ongoing warranty issue and negative feedback for each service visit that doesn't resolve the issue.
#177
I don't think so...
Today I gave my dealership a call to check in on the status of this issue. They told me that one of their customers raised a a big enough stink with Chrysler that they sent one of their factory technicians out to take a look at this customers key fob issue. The technician was able to verify the issue and identify that it was coming from the wireless control module in the truck. Currently they do not have a fix for this issue yet. However, this is a huge step in the right direction that Chrysler has identified and verified the issue. Now we only have to wait for the fix to come. Hope this helps many of you that are anxious as I am to get this issue resolved.
There have been a couple of times where I happened to have tried to lock the door before completely shutting it when it happened. At that moment, I immediately tried using the door locks built into the door. Guess what? They didn't work either. You could hammer the button built right into the frikkin door and it would not respond to lock or unlock.
If this was truly a key fob, wireless transmitter, or interference problem, the door button should still work, should it not?
I have thought about adding an after market unit like the Clifford or Viper, but since it appears to be something internal to the truck and not just the remote, I didn't want to give Dodge an excuse not to fix the issue (by blaming it on my aftermarket remote).
So does this shed any new light on the subject?
#178
my solution
hi all,
welp. i had this issue with my '08 avenger and found this site while searching for a solution. here's my story:
a few months ago, i was leaving my office and hit unlock on my fob, walked to my car, and went to open the door to no avail. i had to use the key manually, setting off the alarm, and then the fob would work. so everytime i went to my car, i had a one horn honk, hit unlock, and into the car i went. very annoying. earlier this week, i read in this forum that some things can throw off the signal. i thought "what the hell do i have that could do this?" i then remembered that i had my phone charger plugged in at all times in the middle bucket storage... or whatever it's called, for the last few months since i bought it.
in any event, i simply unplugged it and success. since then i have had no problems. so maybe if you have something plugged into the cigarette lighter, or maybe just any type of cable, for too long or when the car is not running, unplugging it when the car is not in use might fix it.
i hope this helps out! i know this is such a huge annoyance.
good luck everyone!
edit: side note - i had to go to my dealer for an non related issue, i brought this up and they said the standard "we can run some programs, but it's probably your fob." i have 2 fobs and they both did not work. mine are not after-market or anything, they came with the car. so i do not know if this works for after-marketing fob's.
welp. i had this issue with my '08 avenger and found this site while searching for a solution. here's my story:
a few months ago, i was leaving my office and hit unlock on my fob, walked to my car, and went to open the door to no avail. i had to use the key manually, setting off the alarm, and then the fob would work. so everytime i went to my car, i had a one horn honk, hit unlock, and into the car i went. very annoying. earlier this week, i read in this forum that some things can throw off the signal. i thought "what the hell do i have that could do this?" i then remembered that i had my phone charger plugged in at all times in the middle bucket storage... or whatever it's called, for the last few months since i bought it.
in any event, i simply unplugged it and success. since then i have had no problems. so maybe if you have something plugged into the cigarette lighter, or maybe just any type of cable, for too long or when the car is not running, unplugging it when the car is not in use might fix it.
i hope this helps out! i know this is such a huge annoyance.
good luck everyone!
edit: side note - i had to go to my dealer for an non related issue, i brought this up and they said the standard "we can run some programs, but it's probably your fob." i have 2 fobs and they both did not work. mine are not after-market or anything, they came with the car. so i do not know if this works for after-marketing fob's.
Last edited by shutdown; 05-14-2010 at 12:15 AM.
#179
#180
I'm not that picky to try lemon law over keyless entry, as long as the thing doesnt leave me stranded somewhere I'm pretty easy on minor issues, all cars have them. I can start a forum on my wife's Mercedes, BMW an Audi issues over the years alone so nothing is perfect.
Its just funny that the Dodge doesnt do it and the Jeep does, no one on the Jeep forums mention it much. My guess is there is just a lot more pickups out there, I'm sure the receiver and transmitters are all made by the same people.
Best info I got was from a ex-Chrysler engineer buddy of mine that said the remotes have a rolling code and they can easily lose sync around other transmitter sources that overload the receiver, pretty much a safety shutdown so errant signals dont unlock the doors, roll down the windows, set off the panic etc. Apparently the receivers are very sensitive (long range) and have little front end protection (cheap) so they can be easily overloaded and knocked out of sync by strong transmitters. Supposedly pressing unlock 5-10 times is what it takes to resync the remote.
Its just funny that the Dodge doesnt do it and the Jeep does, no one on the Jeep forums mention it much. My guess is there is just a lot more pickups out there, I'm sure the receiver and transmitters are all made by the same people.
Best info I got was from a ex-Chrysler engineer buddy of mine that said the remotes have a rolling code and they can easily lose sync around other transmitter sources that overload the receiver, pretty much a safety shutdown so errant signals dont unlock the doors, roll down the windows, set off the panic etc. Apparently the receivers are very sensitive (long range) and have little front end protection (cheap) so they can be easily overloaded and knocked out of sync by strong transmitters. Supposedly pressing unlock 5-10 times is what it takes to resync the remote.