Experiencing frustration when your brand new battery doesn’t seem to work in your 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee key fob? You’re not alone. Many owners have encountered a peculiar issue where replacing the key fob battery with a fresh one doesn’t immediately restore functionality. You might try several different batteries, only to find your old, weak battery still operates the fob while the new ones seem dead. This can be incredibly confusing and lead you down a rabbit hole of troubleshooting.
One Jeep owner recently shared their perplexing experience and a surprisingly simple solution that bypassed the need for expensive dealer reprogramming or unnecessary new fobs. After struggling with multiple new batteries that failed to activate their key fob, they discovered an undocumented trick that brought everything back to normal.
The solution? It turns out the key might be in how you initiate the fob after a battery change. Instead of assuming it should work immediately, try using the “fob-on-start-button” method, exactly as you would if your key fob battery was completely dead. This involves physically pressing the key fob against the engine start button. After performing this action to start the vehicle, the user reported that all key fob functions returned to normal.
This suggests a possible, and seemingly undocumented, system behavior within the Jeep Grand Cherokee (and potentially other models). It’s speculated that the vehicle or the key fob might have a memory system that monitors battery levels. When a new battery is inserted, the system may not instantly recognize the change in power. The “fob-on-start-button” method could potentially serve as a reset or recalibration, allowing the system to acknowledge the new battery and restore normal operation.
Interestingly, even dealership staff may not be officially aware of this quirk or its simple fix. In the user’s experience, the dealership offered solutions like selling a new key fob, a new battery at an inflated price, or fob reprogramming – all at the customer’s expense and not covered under warranty. This highlights a common frustration with modern vehicle maintenance, where simple DIY tasks can become unnecessarily complicated and costly.
It’s worth noting the user also compared key fob battery life across different vehicles. Their older 2002 Chrysler key fob battery lasted approximately 8 years, while the Jeep Grand Cherokee fob battery seems to require replacement much more frequently, around every 1-2 years. While the older Chrysler lacked remote start, the user also mentioned infrequent use of the Jeep’s fob buttons (primarily relying on remote start), suggesting the shorter battery life isn’t solely due to increased usage of standard functions like lock/unlock.
If you’re facing key fob battery issues with your 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee after replacement, before heading to the dealership or considering purchasing a new fob, try the “fob-on-start-button” method. It might just be the undocumented trick to get your new battery working and save you time and money.
