Car key fobs undoubtedly make your life easier. You have to press the button to lock and unlock your car. They can accomplish a lot of other functions as well.
The problem starts when your car key fob stops working.
In that case, you will have to find the cause and remedy for the situation.
Many car owners ask, why has my car key fob stopped working?
I will today share with you the most common reasons for the same. Once you go through these reasons, diagnosing the problem is easy. After that, fixing it is certainly possible.
Why has my car key fob stopped working?
The reason why a car key fob might stop working can be plenty like low battery, broken internal contacts, damage to the receiver/transmitter, lack of proper programming, and even water damage.
I will go into the details of all these causes below. Once you go through the reasons below, it is easy for you to diagnose the problem. After that, taking a proper course of action is also possible.
1. Low Battery:
The number 1 reason why a car key fobs stops working is because of low battery. A battery powers the transmitter and the receiver in the car key fob.
Sooner than later, it will run out of charge. They are not rechargeable. When the battery is low or the battery is dead, the car key fob will not lock or unlock the car. The car key fob cannot fulfill any function with a dead or low battery.
In that case, it will stop working. However, the solution to this problem is pretty simple. Most car key fobs come along with the manual. The manual will let you know the type of battery you need to replace it with and how you should do it.
I have also written a post to explain how you can change the battery of the car key fob. You can read it here.
Thus, you need to replace the battery of the car key fobs. When you do that, it will start functioning again.
2. Broken internal contacts:
Most of us do not pay any particular attention to the preservation of car key fobs. We often use them roughly.
Not only that, many times they might fall accidentally from our hands. In that case, the car key fob will suffer from extensive damage.
The damage results in the breaking of internal contacts. It might result in the breaking of internal wires or the circuit within.
In both these cases, it will stop working.
If your car key fob started lagging in locking and unlocking and after that stopped working altogether, this might be a problem.
It can also suffer from this problem if it fell and after that stopped working.
The solution to this problem is easy as well. You have to open it and solder the loose connections. Once you do so, it will start working once again.
3. Damaged transmitter or receiver:
The car key fob consists of a transmitter as well as the receiver. Only when both of them are working correctly, the locking and unlocking function will happen seamlessly.
The transmitter and the receiver, however, are the weak points of the car key fob. With consistent use, they can suffer from wear and tear. Not only that, it might so happen that the circuits might malfunction as well.
It is another reason why the car key fob might not work.
The only bit of issue is that you cannot fix them on your own.
If this is the problem, you have to contact a locksmith. Only a locksmith can fix this issue.
However, you can be rest assured that in most cases, the transmitter and the receiver can be fixed.
4. No programming:
A car key fob essentially consists of 2 parts. First is the hardware inside. It has circuitry, which includes a transmitter as well as a receiver.
Secondly, to make it work seamlessly, it requires programming code inside the circuit as well. Only then can it function properly.
If your new car key fob is not working correctly, it might indicate that it does not consist of the programming code. It might often consist of the programming code, which is not compatible with the car you have.
In case it is a car key for which you have been using for long, it can still suffer from lack of programming.
With damage, it can lead to data loss. When that is the case, all the programming data within might be lost.
Once that happens, no matter which button you press and how many times you press, nothing will function appropriately.
The downside to this problem is that you will have to change your car key fob.
This is a pretty rare problem.
5. Water damage:
The car key fob consists of a circuit inside. Like any other circuit, it is susceptible to water damage as well.
Most car key fobs are designed in such a way that they can keep water at bay. However, if the car key fob is getting consistently soaked in the rain or falls in a bucket of water, it might not be able to keep water at bay for long.
In that case, the water might enter the car key fob.
Once that happens, the circuit inside might not be waterproof.
In that case, the shorting of the circuit will occur, damaging the circuit permanently.
If your car key fob has stopped working after exposure to water, this is most likely the problem.
If this is the problem, it makes perfect sense to go with a new car key fob. Once the circuit is damaged by water, there is no way to fix the problem.
So, if your car key fob has stopped working certainly, these might be the few probable causes. Depending on the reason, you can choose the respective solution. In most cases, it is easy to find the cause and determine the possible remedy. If some of the solutions do not work, then there is no other alternative but to buy a new car key fob.
In case you’re looking to preserve your car key fob, you can read my post here on magnetic car key holders, which can securely hold the car key fobs.