Oh well, big thanks for info. I was hoping that wasn't the case. It seems that Dodge Engrg Dept is winning their war against owners who prefer to perform their own repairs. I will now cross my fingers and pray the starter relay, harness wiring, ground strap, battery positive cable to starter or starter solenoid is bad.

So far manufacturers haven't found a way to code wiring, starters and conventional relays with a proprietary dealer-only tool. Hopefully some Chinese or Russian hacker will begin selling $25 cloned software apps on fleabay, so we can reprogram salvage modules.

 

you know one thing its good for security if they only did it but the key is at a reasonable cost not the rates that they charge to even get the car in the door.
others things should be keep it simple and allow anyone to work on it.

 

Part of my troubleshooting effort to determine cause for unreliable starter cranking includes buying a second and third fobik to prove the key is not the cause. The car was sold to me with only one. I found a dealer willing to program one key for $40 (that's provided by the customer), but this is if and only if it's the proper part# and 100% OEM. I told them the seller provided me a second unprogrammed key, so what do they know lol. Hey, I good with that!! Most dealers in my area will not program a key unless it's bought through them which raises total cost for one programmed fobik to $190. Unprogrammed fobiks cost $150ea at dealer so heck with that.

I found factory dodge fobiks on ebay for $60 brand new with exact same part#. The third fobik will be programmed by me. I will wind up spending a total of $160 for two NEW programmed fobiks. If I ever lose the third fobik I will be getting another one to program myself, real quick.

 

I am having the same problem. Key quit working to start the car, but all other functions on the fob like remote start and lock/unlock are fine. Drove the car to dealership, and once there it refused to start again. I found out later by my local mechanic that some locksmiths can now replace and program these. I got a quote for about half the price of the dealership, but he couldn't replace it until middle of next week and I couldn't wait that long, its our only vehicle.

 

My intermittent "no crank" problem turned out to be a bad engine ground which his kinda odd on a 5yo vehicle with under 100K mi. It appears that the factory ground strap used on 3.8L is prone to corrosion which can't be identified by the naked eye. It is clearly inferior setup to the strap used on 3.3 vehicles. The 3.8 strap connects to the aluminum tranny case while the 3.3 setup connects directly to a starter bolt.


The only way to see the problem is to have someone try to start the motor while you have an analog voltmeter connected between starter case ground and battery negative. The needle will not move if the block is sitting solidly at battery negative potential....mine did. My block was essentially rising to +12v during crank cycle. If the no crank symptom is chronic, you can connect a solid ground strap from the negative battery terminal to the engine block or starter case and see if the trouble disappears.

 

Hello I just joined here. Last copuple of days, my caravan would only start if we jump started it every single time. Took it to sears and b atterey was fine, I took it in and the dealer today, they are replacing the win module and that will cost me over $800 dollars. I find it surprising that 2010s were recalled fro having ignition trouble and the very same problem seems to be happineng with a 2011 and yet not covered by warranty. Prior to have to jump start car every time we turn it one we also had problems when backing uo form drive way car would stall , steering whelle and brakes not work. once I turned car off and re satetrd it it would b e ok. Not sure if even related. Botton line is it really this costy . Please advice if you have any ideas. Cheers, Angela soon to be broken for a few months.

 

Hey everyone, I spent hours looking for an alternative solution to get my WIN module fixed...instead of spending far too much by sending it to a dealership. I've always been told that that was the only solution, but there's this Technician, Walton, who repairs win Modules for a VERY reasonable price. It worked for me and many others, see for yourselves.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wireless-Ignition-Node-Wireless-Control-Module-We-will-Repair-Fix-your-module-/281331215702?pt=Automotive_Services&hash=item4180a5ad56#viTabs_0

 

Yes, I posted that link last year. He seems like a good guy. It's worth mentioning that Chrysler just recalled 2008 and up GC to replace ignition key system. They must be scared after seeing the GM mess. I'm not clear ifthey are replacign WIN modules or just the mechanical spring portion. I'm guessing the module itself is not being replaced for free but I haven't seen any details about the recall yet. I just saw it on the evening news.

 

Thank you very much for posting this.

I have an '08 SuperBee, and the WIN just went out on it. When I put either FOBIK in the ignition, I get a single chime, and "Damaged Key" flashes very briefly on the EVIC display, then everything goes dark. According to Walton, this is very common when a WIN goes out.

Really disturbing that there are so many complaints about Chrysler's WINs. There also appears to be a rash of '08 vehicle owners that are just now (well, within the last year til present) having their WINs fail.

Maybe it's time to press for a recall.

Unfortunately, I had already ordered a replacement WIN from my dealer prior to hearing about Walton's service. Since it's a special order item, I had to pre-pay for it, and they will not allow it to be returned. So it looks like I'm going to have Walton repair the original one, which will immediately go back in the car, and I'll have a spare on hand for a rainy day.

 

I had a badkey displayed on the panel due to my fobik falling out from the retention ring multiple times... there was a customer satisfaction notification notice H-30 dealing with this very issue. but, since my VIN was not listed in it although everything else such as model and year and month of manufacturing were as detailed in the notice, Dodge refused to honour it...these notices are no being made public so people can know to watch out for issues, furthermore, this specific issue puzzles me:
fobik are manufactured without vehicle designation..ie not assigned to a VIN until they are brought in and programmed to it... why would they link the fobik key to the VIN when they are not related in manufacturing.

I was told that a coming (sept 2014) recall is going to be extended to more vehicle due to increased complaints but they refuse to do anything now, a month away...in the meantime, I am down to one operational Fobik key, which if it fails, i will have to tow the van to a dealership, pay the tow fee and any amount they charge for programming 2 new keys.

WHAT A JOKE. DODGE/CHRYSLER HAVE THE POOREST CUSTOMER SERVICE..

I am so disappointed and upset with this service that i am now in the process of selling the van (2008 Stow n' go) and look for another vehicle that is not a DODGE. I had bought a VW as a second vehicle...what a difference...

Will not recommend and will be actively deterring people from buying DODGE. Luckily for me I do carry credibility with people i talk to as I hold an Engineering Degree....

PLEASE DODGE THE DODGE TRAP AND SAVE YOUTRSELF SOME MONEY.