hsuther1 Posted January 20, 2021 Report Share Posted January 20, 2021 Hello, Dodge community, I am completely confused and baffled by my most recent 2016 DJ problem. Last week, I was getting the message that my key fob battery was low and so I changed out the battery and everything was still working fine. Starting this past Friday, my car told me that "Key Fob not Detected" and it is refusing to crank, or even go into ACC or RUN mode, and my keyless entry does not work. My buttons on my key fob work and allows me to lock and unlock and use my panic button. On Friday we jumped off my car and it was able to crank that one time. After talking to my dealership they said it was most likely a car battery issue. On Sunday I got a new battery put into my car and it was able to crank a couple of times, but I am assuming that was because my whole programming system was reset. After about 15 minutes of letting it sit there after my battery replacement, I went to try to crank it and it read the same "Key Fob not Detected" message and my keyless entry did not work again. Then today, Tuesday, I attempted to jump off my car so I could drive it to the nearest dealership, 60 miles away, but my car did nothing and gave me the "Key Fob not Detected" message. I have tried all the online hacks about starting your car when it gives that message and nothing seems to work. Does anyone have ANY idea what I should do? I am an independent college student so I really cannot afford to pay to get my car towed then fixed at the closest dealership to me. Could it be just that I need a new key fob? Or could something more be wrong with my car? Thank you and any help is greatly appreciated!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armando G Posted January 20, 2021 Report Share Posted January 20, 2021 I always like to stay with the simplest thing and go from there... - Did you buy a quality battery for the FOB? I bought a cheap battery from CVS, and had issues a week later. Replaced it with a Duracell, one year with no issues? - Did they check the ground connection when they replaced the battery? You get corrosion on the terminals (focusing on the ground) and cars act weird. - Did you get a quality battery for the car? These cars are temperamental, and don't like cheap batteries. If you have someone that can lend you a good battery charger, you can get that tested along with the alternator. - Try disconnecting the battery, then reconnect and jump. If this works, then yes you might have internal issues. I'm sure there are other suggestions coming, but always stay with the basics of you haven't already done so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsuther1 Posted January 20, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2021 10 minutes ago, Armando G said: I always like to stay with the simplest thing and go from there... - Did you buy a quality battery for the FOB? I bought a cheap battery from CVS, and had issues a week later. Replaced it with a Duracell, one year with no issues? - Did they check the ground connection when they replaced the battery? You get corrosion on the terminals (focusing on the ground) and cars act weird. - Did you get a quality battery for the car? These cars are temperamental, and don't like cheap batteries. If you have someone that can lend you a good battery charger, you can get that tested along with the alternator. - Try disconnecting the battery, then reconnect and jump. If this works, then yes you might have internal issues. I'm sure there are other suggestions coming, but always stay with the basics of you haven't already done so. As for the FOB battery, yes- I bought the energizer 3v 2032 battery from Walmart, which is what I find to be recommended for the FOB. not sure about the ground connection. My dad had come up to my school to switch out the battery, which I Know he bought a good battery from my dealership parts shop. So I do not think we checked anything to do with the ground connection, so that could be a problem. If we can not find anything else that could be wrong with it, I am going to have to disconnect and reconnect my battery to get my car going in order for me to get home. I am 3 hours from home so it is just hard for my dad to come and do it, and the battery placement in the DJ is so bad and a pain to get to, so I would have a hard time with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John/Horace Posted January 20, 2021 Report Share Posted January 20, 2021 (edited) If you have a second key fob, try if it helps. Could measure fob new battery voltage, new batteries is 3.3 volts usually. Anything 3 and over should work. Placing fob right against the start button and pressing is supposed to start car. Unhooking battery probably won’t do anything. Car keeps fob settings even without power. Edited January 20, 2021 by John/Horace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsuther1 Posted January 20, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2021 20 hours ago, hsuther1 said: Hello, Dodge community, I am completely confused and baffled by my most recent 2016 DJ problem. Last week, I was getting the message that my key fob battery was low and so I changed out the battery and everything was still working fine. Starting this past Friday, my car told me that "Key Fob not Detected" and it is refusing to crank, or even go into ACC or RUN mode, and my keyless entry does not work. My buttons on my key fob work and allows me to lock and unlock and use my panic button. On Friday we jumped off my car and it was able to crank that one time. After talking to my dealership they said it was most likely a car battery issue. On Sunday I got a new battery put into my car and it was able to crank a couple of times, but I am assuming that was because my whole programming system was reset. After about 15 minutes of letting it sit there after my battery replacement, I went to try to crank it and it read the same "Key Fob not Detected" message and my keyless entry did not work again. Then today, Tuesday, I attempted to jump off my car so I could drive it to the nearest dealership, 60 miles away, but my car did nothing and gave me the "Key Fob not Detected" message. I have tried all the online hacks about starting your car when it gives that message and nothing seems to work. Does anyone have ANY idea what I should do? I am an independent college student so I really cannot afford to pay to get my car towed then fixed at the closest dealership to me. Could it be just that I need a new key fob? Or could something more be wrong with my car? Thank you and any help is greatly appreciated!!! UPDATE--- I tried to jump off the car today and had no luck. The message of "key fob not detected" continued to appear and the engine was not budging to ACC or RUN mode. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsuther1 Posted January 20, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2021 17 hours ago, John/Horace said: If you have a second key fob, try if it helps. Could measure fob new battery voltage, new batteries is 3.3 volts usually. Anything 3 and over should work. Placing fob right against the start button and pressing is supposed to start car. Unhooking battery probably won’t do anything. Car keeps fob settings even without power. I do not have a second key fob- the dealership only provided us with one. I have also tried to press the start button with the key fob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John/Horace Posted January 20, 2021 Report Share Posted January 20, 2021 Unfortunately I think fob could be bad. So buying and programming new remote might be needed, could phone and ask if they can do it without car being there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsuther1 Posted January 20, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2021 12 minutes ago, John/Horace said: Unfortunately I think fob could be bad. So buying and programming new remote might be needed, could phone and ask if they can do it without car being there. After doing LOTS of research, we also think that this could be the problem. My only concern is paying $300+ for a new key fob and it not fix the problem and have to pay to tow and fix my car on top of that. But I think that the best option is to pay for the new key fob and then hope it fixes it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John/Horace Posted January 20, 2021 Report Share Posted January 20, 2021 (edited) Yeah fob communicates with wireless module to close the loop for starting. I think there is an antennae as well. Could ask for a diagnosis of problem first. They should should be able to pin point problem first without throwing a lot of parts at it. Don’t just sign a blank work order and say fix it. Ask for communication and details up front. You have tried flipping battery in fob the opposite way to make sure there is proper polarity. Edited January 20, 2021 by John/Horace OhareFred 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armando G Posted January 20, 2021 Report Share Posted January 20, 2021 It seems odd that you mention it still unlocks and locks your doors but will not start it. I know there's a lot backend stuff going on in that little thing, but needing to buy a new one is frustrating. Not sure if you have tried this one, but my mechanic buddy suggested this one. Says it helps on Chrysler cars. While in the car with the doors shut, hit unlock, then lock, then unlock and lock again, and see if it starts. There was a lot more conversation as to why, but it supposedly re-established the connection to the FOB. Hopefully it turns out to be something simple (and cheap), but let us know. Good luck... OhareFred 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhareFred Posted January 21, 2021 Report Share Posted January 21, 2021 If there is a BatteriesPlus store close, they now have a FOB tester and are very good with changing FOB batteries. (At least by me) Got nothing to lose, could be something simple.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John/Horace Posted January 21, 2021 Report Share Posted January 21, 2021 If fob is cycling locks the battery is probably ok. Must be related to something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhareFred Posted January 21, 2021 Report Share Posted January 21, 2021 1 hour ago, John/Horace said: If fob is cycling locks the battery is probably ok. Must be related to something else. missed that, good point John... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted January 21, 2021 Report Share Posted January 21, 2021 17 hours ago, hsuther1 said: After doing LOTS of research, we also think that this could be the problem. My only concern is paying $300+ for a new key fob and it not fix the problem and have to pay to tow and fix my car on top of that. But I think that the best option is to pay for the new key fob and then hope it fixes it. there are lots of places that can get you a fob now locally other than dealerships ask about it on F B or check with your better grade key shops in town Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graeme Posted March 3 Report Share Posted March 3 Hi. I have the same issue, did you solve the issue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aacook Posted March 10 Report Share Posted March 10 I am having the same exact problem with my DJ. What was the solution for you? Luckily I have a remote start so that’s the only way I can get my car started right now but it gets extremely frustrating that the DJ doesn’t recognize my key fob and it displays the message on the dash and constantly dings that the key fob is not in the vehicle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aacook Posted March 10 Report Share Posted March 10 On 3/3/2024 at 2:17 PM, Graeme said: Hi. I have the same issue, did you solve the issue? Did you fix your issue yet? I’m having the same issue and I’m just wondering what the solution was Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted March 10 Report Share Posted March 10 THIS is a common problem when people ask for help and then when they get the problem fixed they usually never come back to post the fix for the problem thus leaving others wondering on what to try,please repost when you find your problem solution larryl 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larryl Posted March 10 Report Share Posted March 10 Or to say they are junk and never buy one jkeaton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Posted April 18 Report Share Posted April 18 I had to call roadside assistance who sold me a new key that they said they had programmed. Took them and age and I could see they looked a bit confused. $400 and 2 days later the car would say “key not detected” but start after one or two tries. I unfortunately lost the new key, but the old one that they condemned worked again!!! Now 6 months later it’s saying the same thing. Key not detected. I changed the battery, tried all the things on Google and it still won’t start. What is the solution!!!!??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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