So, you’re having trouble starting your 2016 Toyota Corolla and you’re thinking it might be the key fob battery? You’re not alone! Many car owners immediately suspect the key fob when their car acts up during startup. I recently went through a similar experience, and while the key fob battery did cross my mind, the real issue turned out to be something quite different, and it’s a lesson worth sharing, especially if you own a Toyota Corolla from around 2016.
It all started with a familiar ticking sound when I tried to start my Corolla. This time, however, it was accompanied by a bizarre flickering orange passenger airbag light – flickering so intensely it was almost seizure-inducing! Pressing the start button with my key fob, even after recently changing the key fob battery, did nothing to bring the engine to life. The car simply wouldn’t start, no matter how many times I tried. Even the brake pedal became stiff and unyielding.
Naturally, my first thought was, “Maybe the new key fob battery is faulty?” So, I went back, swapped out the key fob battery again, and tried the emergency start method – pressing the key fob directly against the start button. Still nothing. The car remained stubbornly off. The strange part was that the lights and dash indicators were all illuminated, suggesting it wasn’t a completely dead battery situation, or so I thought initially.
Frustrated and out of ideas, I resorted to calling for roadside assistance. Living in Canada, my CAA membership (similar to AAA in the US) came to the rescue. Luckily, I had just purchased the membership a week prior! Talk about perfect timing. The CAA technician arrived promptly within 15 minutes and quickly diagnosed the problem: my car battery was critically low, holding only 12% charge. It turned out the culprit wasn’t the Toyota Corolla 2016 Key Fob Battery at all, but the main car battery itself! I ended up purchasing a CAA Premium battery, which came with a 6-year warranty, for $245 plus tax after discounts, and had it installed on the spot. The car started immediately with the new battery.
This whole experience highlighted a crucial point, and it brought back a past service visit to my Toyota dealership, Markville Toyota. Back in October 2024, I had specifically asked the service advisor if my battery needed replacing. My 2016 Toyota Corolla was approaching the 5-year mark on its original battery, and I knew car batteries typically have a lifespan of around 5 to 6 years. The service advisor assured me that the mechanic would flag any issues if the battery needed changing. However, no mention was made of the battery’s condition during that service.
The CAA technician, upon inspecting my old battery and my service papers from Markville Toyota, chuckled. He pointed out that a proper battery test would always include a battery test report – something conspicuously absent from my dealership service record. He estimated that my “2019” car likely had a battery from 2018, making it already 6 years old. This reinforced the idea that the dealership might have overlooked or intentionally ignored the aging battery.
So, thank you to online forums and communities for highlighting that those ticking sounds and non-start issues can often be attributed to a failing car battery, and not necessarily a toyota corolla 2016 key fob battery. Furthermore, advice suggesting that the OEM Toyota batteries are often undersized and that opting for a better aftermarket battery is a wise move resonated with me and made my CAA battery purchase feel like a good decision. Having it installed on the spot was an added bonus.
The key takeaway from this whole ordeal? Replace your car battery proactively after 5 years! If you’re unsure about your battery’s health around the 5-year mark, get it tested by a reputable mechanic or battery service. Don’t immediately jump to conclusions about your toyota corolla 2016 key fob battery when facing starting problems. It’s often the main car battery that’s the real issue.
As for Markville Toyota, while I appreciate them saving me money this time (unintentionally!), I think I’ll be exploring other dealerships for future services and parts. Avoiding potentially unnecessary services and oversights is now a priority.
