Experiencing issues with your Jeep key fob after replacing the battery? You’re not alone. Many Jeep owners have encountered a perplexing situation where a brand new battery fails to revive their key fob. You might try several new batteries, only to find the old, weak battery still operates the system while the fresh ones seem to do nothing. It’s a frustrating scenario, but there’s a potential fix that dealerships might not immediately tell you about.
One user discovered a simple yet effective workaround: after installing the new battery, go to your Jeep and use the key fob to start the vehicle by pressing the fob directly against the start button. This is the same method you would use if your key fob battery was completely dead. Surprisingly, performing this action can bring your key fob back to life with the new battery. After starting the vehicle this way, all the key fob functions, like remote start, locking, and unlocking, may return to normal operation.
This suggests that Jeep key fobs or the vehicle’s system might have an undocumented process for recognizing new battery levels. Perhaps the system retains some memory of the previous battery state, and simply swapping in a new battery isn’t enough for it to register the change. Starting the car using the fob-on-start-button method could be the key to resetting or recalibrating the system to acknowledge the new power source.
It’s worth noting that even dealership staff may not be fully aware of or officially acknowledge this trick. Instead of offering this simple solution, dealerships might suggest costly alternatives like selling a new key fob, replacing the battery at an inflated price, or reprogramming the existing fob – often at the customer’s expense, even for basic maintenance. This experience echoes a growing concern across manufacturers where customers face charges for what should be simple self-service tasks. While older Chrysler models had key fob batteries lasting for many years, newer Jeeps seem to require more frequent battery changes, sometimes as often as every 1-2 years, even with conservative use of features like remote start.
If you find your Jeep key fob unresponsive after a battery replacement, try the fob-on-start-button method. It might just be the undocumented trick to get your “Jeep Key Fob Stopped Working” issue resolved without unnecessary dealer intervention.
