Key Fob Buttons Stopped Working

[JamesU]

I had noticed a month or so back that on the key fob I carry, the car quit responding to the buttons. Lock, Unlock, Trunk, etc. - Nothing. I just tried my two key fobs at home and the car is not responding to their buttons either. But - the key fob's proximity functions still work fine. I can walk up to the car, unlock using the door handle touch, start the car, open the trunk with the button on the trunk. I would think the batteries in the key fobs are OK - they all would not die at once. I would also think if the batteries were dead the proximity stuff would fail to work. I believe the two functions (button press vs. proximity) are at different frequencies - different radios - different antennas.

I'm guessing this means something is wrong with the part of the car that is supposed to be listening for the key fob buttons. Antennas are usually solid state (no active components) so I am simply guessing that the computer responsible for this function is hung up or in a bad state.

The other thing I am noticing is that my car's clock is off and not self-correcting. A few months ago it was 6 minutes fast. Now it is 8 minutes fast. I would have to believe this is also a similar computer function that has lost it's ability to check the time through Sirius, which is what I thought it did (maybe I'm wrong there). I've never had to set the clock before in this car.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[Slowpoke387]

You would be wrong - all of your batteries will pretty much expire at once believe it or not. It's def your batteries. Do them all and you will be surprised lol. Very well known thing. Your car is three yrs old and this is exactly when they die. Do them all though, not just one. I remember something about that needing to be done as well.

 

[Hellcatcfp]

Remember similar set of circumstances a ways back from others. Things get weird when batteries get weak...either with key fobs or car battery on the Hellcats. Replace all fob batteries.

 

[JamesU]

Well I'll be darned! I just replaced one of the key fob batteries and it worked. I was planning to try that anyway, but I posted first. Very interesting that they all go out together - when one key fob has been carried and the other two key fobs just stay at home unused.

Now on to the clock issue!

Thanks!

 

[Slowpoke387]

Well I'll be darned! I just replaced one of the key fob batteries and it worked. I was planning to try that anyway, but I posted first. Very interesting that they all go out together - when one key fob has been carried and the other two key fobs just stay at home unused.

Now on to the clock issue!

Thanks!

Oh the clock issue is from a worn tire on the right rear. Well known issue.



-kidding

 

[JamesU]

You almost had me, as I just dealt with a flat tire.

 

[Catless]

Batteries are cheap so I change them in all our fobiks once a year just to avoid the problems. Our 2010 Jeep SRT is especially sensitive to batteries but since I started the yearly change out - no problems.

 

[Stormtrooper1320]

Well I'll be darned! I just replaced one of the key fob batteries and it worked. I was planning to try that anyway, but I posted first. Very interesting that they all go out together - when one key fob has been carried and the other two key fobs just stay at home unused.

Now on to the clock issue!

Thanks!

There should be a setting that you can select to tie the clock to the headunit time. Then you won't have to worry about changing the time twice per year.

 

[Slowpoke387]

There should be a setting that you can select to tie the clock to the headunit time. Then you won't have to worry about changing the time twice per year.

Pretty sure you can switch it over to follow the GPS time if you have the nav. I know my aftermarket Kenwood in my truck has that and I thought my Hellcat does too. Have to check when I get home.

 

[JamesU]

So, my clock was set to the GPS auto setting, but it was/is still wrong. I'm going to need to do a test drive and see what the nav does. I'm finding some historic, and even recent, forum posts where people's navigation shows them way off the map and their clocks are wrong.

 

[2fast4u]

There is distinct probability that GPS time update is off, don't know if any of you have been following the Earth's axis movement, but, the GPS satellites in relation to magnetic north have been changing as North as we know has moved considerably...if I remember correctly, they had to do an emergency update because north pole was moving about 10"+ a day...it is over Northern Siberia now. Not sure how time update correlates, but would not be surprised if it was somehow related.

 

[Stormtrooper1320]

Pretty sure you can switch it over to follow the GPS time if you have the nav. I know my aftermarket Kenwood in my truck has that and I thought my Hellcat does too. Have to check when I get home.

I think it can be done regardless of nav if you have some sort of satellite info going to your car. I always set mine to 24 hr time anyway (old habit) and make everything sync together (if possible) so I don't have to keep track of however many time displays there are.
My old Benz was a PITA until i figured out how to sync them all together. It had a clock in the instrument display, a clock for the nav, and a time display in the satellite radio. I hated having to change them twice per year.....until I bothered to read the owners manual and found out I could sync them all