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Key fob programming procedure?

119K views 54 replies 42 participants last post by  Rockphone 
#1 ·
Has anyone had to program a new key fob and been successful by following the procedure on Page 2-6 in the Owner Manual?

I did not receive a matching, second key fob when I took delivery of my XTS Premium late last month. After some delay I finally received a key fob yesterday with a key matched to the driver's door lock cylinder. However, when trying to program/pair/match the new key fob with the one that actually enables the car to go, the following occurred:
  1. the DIC did not display the message "READY TO LEARN ELECTRONIC KEY #2" or any other message (black screen)
  2. the car locked up (no engine start and no moving the transmission out of PARK) for ~20 minutes
  3. the new key fob was not programmed
Is there a missing step that was not included in the Owner Manual?

BTW, removing the cap over the Key Cylinder as described on Page 2-11 by using the mechanical key is not easy. I had better luck using a small flat-blade screwdriver.
 
#3 ·
That is, of course, in the plan. The dealer did, after a couple of weeks, send me the laser cut key that fits the key cylinder, but the fob still needs to be electronically matched to the car. Since the procedure is in the owners manual I assumed it was a straightforward procedure. Silly me!

I called OnStar and they transferred me to GM Customer Service who told me to drive the car to the nearest dealer. This after telling GM CS that the car would not start and was locked in PARK.!
 
#5 ·
Here's what happened to me when I tried to program a key fob. My wife has a 2013 SRX. I have a 2013 XTS. I thought it would be nice to have one key fob work both cars. The dealership where I bought the cars provides free carwashes so I was there with my wife's SRX and had the XTS key fob with me. After they washed the car I drove it back into the service intake area and started the process. Like the the poster indicated, I also never got a message on the DIC that the car was ready to learn another key fob. I also found that the SRX key fob would no longer start the car. It would lock and unlock the doors and it would do remote start, but it would not allow the car to be put into run mode to be driven. After using the key fob to cancel auto start, the car would not recognize the presence of the key fob and pressing the start button did nothing.

It took the dealer an hour to reprogram the car to recognize both fobs. My wife had to bring the second SRX fob to the dealership. Luckily we live close. Anyway I'll never try that again. I've since learned that one fob can't control more than one car.
 
#7 ·
Jeff,
I have tried numerous times to reprogram the 2nd key fob. The XTS always goes into lockup mode. But, then after 10 or 15 minutes it responds normally to the 1st, operating, key fob.

The dealer service department tried and failed to program the 2nd key fob this past Saturday. They have now determined that the 2nd key fob is defective and have ordered another one. So, I'll drive another 60 miles RT this coming Saturday to see if replacing the key fob solves the problem. My guess is that it will not.
 
#8 ·
Good News!!!

After buying several remotes online which I was not able to program, I finally decided to buy a "Brand New" one directly from GM so that I can know for sure that it was never programed to a different car.

I purchased one from the site "GM Parts Direct" for $99 it arrived in a few days and lo and behold in less than a minute it was programed and ready to go without any costly visits to the dealer!

If anyone wants more information I will be happy to share it with you.
 
#9 ·
hinschar said:
Good News!!!

After buying several remotes online which I was not able to program, I finally decided to buy a "Brand New" one directly from GM so that I can know for sure that it was never programed to a different car.

I purchased one from the site "GM Parts Direct" for $99 it arrived in a few days and lo and behold in less than a minute it was programed and ready to go without any costly visits to the dealer!

If anyone wants more information I will be happy to share it with you.
I am also interested in buying a back up remote, the one I purchased from eBay
Could not be programmed by me or the GM svc dept. GM parts direct has it
Listed for 110.$ can it be programmed using the owners manual inst.
Thanks for your help

Rlarge1
 
#13 ·
The remotes/fobs have a transponder in them. The car learns the fob & the fob learns the car. If you buy a used fob, it's probably already learned a car & can't be reused, unless you use someone like FreshCarKeys.com.

Before I knew about the fobs learning the car, I had a fob from a 2012 SRX & tried (unsuccessfully) to reprogram it to my 2013 SRX.

After some web research & phone calls, I found out about the fobs learning the car piece & then found the FreshCarKeys guys. You have to mail the fob to them in Florida & they "virginize" it for about $20. Why the dealership &/or locksmiths can't do this, I have no idea. When I emailed FreshCarKeys, they acted like it was a pretty simple deal.

They virginized the 2012 SRX remote & I just reprogrammed it to my 2013 SRX. I didn't get the DIC message, but apart from that, the instructions from the manual worked & I now have a 3rd remote.
 
#10 ·
After not giving up with several lockups and no display whatsoever I decided to try proceeding without the messages and putting the new transmitter in the pocket before I did the key "...five times in ten seconds...". I allowed about 30 seconds after pushing the start button. The lock, unlock, re,mote start worked immediately on both FOBs but the car was still locked up for about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes both FOBs worked correctly for all features.

Revised Instructions (abbrev)
Working TX in cup holder
New TX in pocket
Key five times
Press "START"
Wait 30 or more seconds
Remove TX from pocket
Check by pushing "lock " or " Unlock" on new TX
If works Push and hold "Start" for 10 seconds
Wait 15 or longer minutes if car is locked up
Everything thing should then work
.....if not....buy a Honda

This worked for me. note: NO MESSAGES EVER DISPLAYED

Good luck
 
#14 ·
found this thread while trying to figure out why my Escalade won't let me program fobs to the car.


um...transponders don't "learn" the car...nor do you need to "virginize" them. The car learns the particular RFID code of that transponder key, and the RF code from the clicker itself. the clicker and the key never get programmed themselves. they stay the same no matter what happens. the car itself gets programmed by learning the particular code of the clicker/key

anyways, I'll continue my travels to figure out my issue. just couldn't believe the utter nonsense I read in the post above
 
#15 · (Edited)
Also worked for me after reading your post. One added note: If your car goes into the lockup where it won't start for the 15 minutes delay just take the negative terminal off the battery and it resets immediately mine on ATS is in trunk under a little plastic panel and uses 10mm socket. I don't know if it cancels the programming of a new key fob or not if you do it right after using the above procedure but I do know on my unsuccessful attempts before reading the above instructions it worked resetting the old remote to work instantly every time. Mine never displayed a message either.
I thought this would post below as a quote on the post that describes the procedure. It does work as he describes.
______________________________________________________________

Good evening, Your CF account is activated. Please use the Profile and Settings tabs to update your profile to reflect your proper birth date, approximate location, car owned and time zone - or do you really live in London - GMT ?
 
#16 ·
I also haven't been able to program a pre-owned FOB. I just stumbled on this thread. I'll try the revised procedure above and see if that works for me. One thing I did note though was that the DIC would not come on unless I did the key procedure right after turning the engine off. It also seems to be aware that FOB #2 is already learned and it jumps right to programming FOB #3. I'm still not confident that I can reuse a FOB, but once I am, I think I'll need to do the full reprogramming procedure in order to get FOB #1 and FOB #2 assigned.
 
#17 ·
Hello spydah,

I apologize for the key fob programming difficulty you are experiencing. Have you been in contact with your Cadillac dealership regarding this yet? If you would like to further discuss your situation, please feel free to send us a private message that includes your full contact information, VIN and dealership name.

Sincerely,

Laura M.
Cadillac Customer Care
 
#18 ·
I had this same problem over the weekend and can't figure it out. Now the dealership wants to charge me $100 just to take a look to see what might be wrong with electrical, etc . Both of my fobs worked fine and there are new batteries so I don't understand why it just stopped working and why this happens: the DIC did not display the message "READY TO LEARN ELECTRONIC KEY #2" or any other message (black screen).

Did anyone figure it out yet?
 
#19 ·
Hi rachelk80,

I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused for you. I understand unexpected vehicle issues can be frustrating. If you would like to further discuss your situation, please feel free to send a private message that includes your full contact information, VIN, current mileage, and dealer name. We are always happy to assist anyway that we can.

Laura M.
Cadillac Customer Care
 
#21 ·
Glad to hear that I'm not rhe only one having difficulty programing a second key fob. I am getting the message ready for remote 2, but nothing seems to happen. I did find that there is a last step in the manual that will take the vehixle out of the lockup mode though. Press and hold the ignition button for 10 seconds it says, I've found you have to hold it a little longer. When it comes out of the programming lockup mode the ignition will come on to the acessory mode.
I will try the programming procedure above later and see what happens.
I've stopped by my local dealer in passing and they were able to verify my remote does work. We still have some warranty on our new/used 2011 srx and the service advisor said he might be able to get the programing done for me. I'm not holding my breath on that though.
 
#24 ·
I was about to call a locksmith because both fobs became locked. I found a comment somewhere that said to just wait 10 mins and the original fob would work again. I waited and both fobs worked! So none ofthe display stuff had to come on, but i did still do all the othe steps- as best i could....and magically they both worked.
 
#25 ·
I needed to change the battery on the second remote. I changed the battery and it still wouldn't work. I went to Autozone and using their remote checker confirmed the remote was transmitting. Back home and using the DIC programmed bother remotes successfully. Here is the kicker, I didn't see it written anywhere that once you find the "ready to re-program" display you must hold the lock/unlock buttons until you hear a double beep. (about 5 to 10 seconds) Do this immediately with all the remotes you want the car to recognize within a short time span. Not sure but this might be a "Stealer Secret". I tried it because my old Chevy Blazer is re-programmed this way.
 
#26 ·
So I thought I had locked up my car. Panicked....came on line, read this and went out to fix with the new instructions. Tried my old and new fob and BAM both worked. I think the problem is the Driver information doesn't display so you think you haven't done anything...and it takes a few minutes to actually work.

Thanks everyone. My husband will be proud of me.
 
#27 ·
You are a lifesaver! I spent about 30 minutes trying to do it the way described in the owners manual to no avail. I found this thread and tried it as you described and it programmed in less than 5 minutes. It worked in my 13 luxury just as you said. Thanks a bunch!
 
#28 ·
Hi there - I'm a first time Caddy owner of a few months now. Loving our SRX (mostly)! :)

When we bought it, it had only a single remote. I purchased what is supposed to be a new remote from a parts seller on eBay. I received it today and it looks brand new, etc... However, when I try to program it I get the "no remote detected" message. If I put the original remote in the transmitter pocket, it detects it and prompts me to put the new remote in. At this point, it just goes back to the "no remote detected".

Just want to confirm that if this is actually a new remote that's never been programmed that I shouldn't have to do anything other than what's in the owner's manual (such as sending it off to get unprogrammed, etc...). I may also need to take the remote by somewhere like AutoZone to verify that it's transmitting, right?

Thanks in advance.
 
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