In some cases, a faulty key fob means you won’t be able to get into your vehicle. And even if you’re able to do that with a physical key (which is present in some key fobs), you won’t be able to start your car. Either case is frustrating!
Car key fobs or remotes are designed to make the driver’s life a lot easier, but they do fail sometimes. Key fob failures can be either very easy to solve or might require reprogramming or replacement of the faulty one.
Whatever is the problem with your key fob, this guide should help you identify the problem, and you should be able to get your key fob working using any of the fixes explained below.
Is Your Car Key Fob Actually Bad?
Before coming to the conclusion that your key fob is bad, you would want to confirm that the problem is not with your car. Issues like a dead car battery and mechanical and physical problems with the car locks could also pose a problem. These will make the doors unable to open with the key fob and replacing your key fob won’t solve this problem.
So, before you jump right into the causes of key fob problems, you would want to confirm that your key fob is actually bad. The best way to confirm that your key fob is bad is to use your backup key fob to try and open the door. This should give you some clarity.
If the backup key fob fails, then you might want to check your car battery if it’s got some juice. If the car battery is fully functional, then there might be a problem with the door locks though this is not common. In some cases, it could be that you did not program the key fob properly.
If the backup key fob gets the car open, then you know that the main key fob is faulty and you can dive into the reasons why that is so and how to fix it.
Ford F150 Key Fob Not Working: Causes
Dead or Bad Battery
If you’re having a problem, the first thing to check is the key fob battery. The battery usually comes with a long shelf life so it is easy to overlook it when you encounter problems with the key fob.
Car lock problems
In some cases, the key fob failure could be due to issues with the car locks rather than the key fob itself. You should be able to confirm this by using the backup car remote. If it doesn’t work and your car battery is fully functional then you can go ahead and try the physical key.
If the physical keys get the car open, that confirms that the problem is not mechanical. It could possibly be an electrical problem. You can rule this out by locking and unlocking all car doors using the physical primary control in the vehicle.
Damaged key fob remote transmitter or receiver
There are chances that the key fob would be damaged which could be external or internal. The most common damages would be to the terminal contacts and the buttons. If you notice physical signs of damage, it might be best to change the key fob but you can still go ahead to try and repair the key fob to see if it works.
Other causes
- Key Fob not programmed properly
- Car key remote broken
Ford F150 Key Fob Not Working: How to Fix
Replace the Battery
Once you’ve confirmed that there is a problem with the key fob, you should first check the battery. Your key fob may be using category 4 button cell batteries which are extremely affordable.
While this is the popular battery-type, you should confirm the actual battery the key fob uses. You could check the manual or contact a local dealer. You can just take a look at the bad batteries and take them to the auto store to get a replacement.
Getting the batteries replaced should fix the problem in most cases but if it doesn’t, then you can go ahead with the other fixes.
Have the Car Checked
In some cases, key fob issues can be solved by working on the key fob. But if you still can’t unlock your car with the physical key, then the fault is most likely from your car. The same goes if you can’t unlock the car using the physical primary controls. This tells that your car locks have both electrical and mechanical problems.
For that, you would need a mechanic to check out the car to figure out what is causing the problems with the car lock. This is the most unlikely fix so you won’t really have to worry about it, however, you shouldn’t rule this out and go for it if other fixes fail.
Inspect and Repair the Key Fob
If the key fob is damaged, there are chances that putting its parts in place would get it to work properly. You can check the exterior parts for any signs of damage. Then open the key fob and inspect the interior.
Check if the battery terminals are broken or feel loose. If so, then you can carefully solder them back in place. You should also check the buttons and solder them in place and check if this fixes the problem. If it doesn’t, then you might as well shop for a new replacement.
Replace the Key Fob
If don’t mind spending extra, then getting a new key fob could be the best way to go about this. This would save you time with repairs. Note that purchasing a new key fob means you would have to program it to respond to your car only. It would be best to get someone with knowledge of programming key fobs to do this for you. The salesperson might also assist you with this for no extra charge depending on where you purchase it.
