The short answer: blade for the door, fob against the button
When the fob's battery dies, the buttons and walk-up unlocking stop, but two backups usually keep working. The blade hidden inside the fob opens the driver's door by hand. Then the car can read the fob's chip at very close range, with no battery power, when you hold it against the start button or in a marked backup spot.
First, make sure the fob is really to blame. Open the door with the blade and watch the dash:
- Dash lights come on, but a message says the key isn't detected: the fob is the likely cause. Keep reading.
- Nothing lights up, the dash flickers, or you hear rapid clicking: the car's own battery is low. A new fob won't help; the car needs a jump or a new battery.
- Your second fob works fine: the first one is the problem, either its battery or the fob itself.
Getting in with the hidden blade
Look for a small slide or button on the back or end of the fob. Hold it and pull, and a metal blade comes free. On many cars the driver's door handle hides its keyhole under a small cap; slip the blade tip into the slot underneath and lift the cap off gently.
Turn the blade to open the door. The alarm may go off until the fob is detected at the start button. No keyhole in sight? The owner's manual shows it under emergency entry or a discharged key battery.
If the blade is missing from the fob, you're effectively locked out. Call us at (208) 629-0482. We open the car with entry tools and methods chosen to avoid damage, and the locksmith can cut a replacement blade for your fob. If a child or pet is inside the car, especially on a hot or very cold day, call 911 first.
Starting the car with the backup method
The idea is the same on most push-to-start cars, but the spot where the fob goes differs by vehicle:
- Against the start button. On many models you touch the fob to the button and press the button with it.
- In a marked pocket or slot. Some vehicles have a place in the center console, near the cupholders or under the armrest.
- On a marked area of the steering column or dash. A few cars show a small key symbol where the fob should be held.
Your owner's manual names the exact spot, usually where it covers starting the engine with a weak key battery. A key warning may stay on the dash while you drive. That's expected, and it should clear once you put in a fresh cell; our fob battery guide shows how.
When the backup start doesn't work
If the dash lights up, the fob is in the right spot, and the car still can't find it, the fob may be more than flat. Water, a hard drop or a cracked board can knock out the chip along with the battery. A fob bought online that was never properly programmed will fail here too; see can a key fob bought online be programmed.
This guide gets you moving today. If your fob has been unreliable for a while, with buttons that cut out or range that comes and goes, see key fob not working.
When you call, tell us the year, make and model, where the car is parked, whether you have the blade, and what the dash shows, plus whether the registration is locked inside. The price is explained on the phone before we drive out, and we'll tell you when we can be there. The locksmith checks your photo ID and the registration or title, programs a working key or makes a new one, and tests every button.
If this is your only smart key
A dead fob is a warning when it's the only one you own. If it fails for good or goes missing, the job becomes making a key with nothing to copy. Our push-to-start smart key page explains how a spare gets added, and all keys lost covers what happens when no working key is left.
Step by step
- Check the dashNo lights at all means the car battery, not the fob.
- Release the bladeSlide the release on the fob and pull the metal key out.
- Unlock the driver's doorLift the cap off the handle if there is one, and turn the blade. Expect the alarm.
- Hold the fob in the backup spotTouch it to the start button or set it in the marked pocket, as your manual shows.
- Brake and press startFoot on the brake (and the clutch on a manual), shifter in park or neutral, then press start.
- Replace the cellChange the fob battery soon, so the buttons and walk-up unlocking work again.