redtomatoman Posted August 3, 2011 Report Share Posted August 3, 2011 Does anyone know how to start a 2011 Journey with a dead FOB i.e. with the traditional key? I have heard that you pry the start button off and there is a traditional ignition key slot that can be used. Not sure about that. I tried it. My start button cover does not seem to come apart so easy; I stopped because I was afraid of breaking my button. My understanding is that the start signal actually comes from the key portion of the FOB and putting it in the key ignition will power the FOB signal so that the car will recognize it and allow a start. Am I right? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrlux Posted August 3, 2011 Report Share Posted August 3, 2011 The key fob may be low enough that it won't start from any distance away. Try pushing the start button with the end of the fob. That is what Toyota told a friend of mine to do on his Toyota. It might just work for a Dodge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2late4u Posted August 3, 2011 Report Share Posted August 3, 2011 Does anyone know how to start a 2011 Journey with a dead FOB i.e. with the traditional key? I have heard that you pry the start button off and there is a traditional ignition key slot that can be used. Not sure about that. I tried it. My start button cover does not seem to come apart so easy; I stopped because I was afraid of breaking my button. My understanding is that the start signal actually comes from the key portion of the FOB and putting it in the key ignition will power the FOB signal so that the car will recognize it and allow a start. Am I right? Thanks. since it is 2011 why not call the dealership and have them fix it .still under warrenty i assume ,so get it documented instead of tearing up the start button Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dre Posted August 3, 2011 Report Share Posted August 3, 2011 I wouldn't pry off the start button. This is what the owners manual says: In case the ignition switch does not change with the push of a button, the RKE transmitter (Key Fob) may have a low or dead battery. In this situation a back up method can be used to operate the ignition switch. Put the nose side (side opposite of the emergency key) of the Key Fob against the ENGINE START/STOP button and push to operate the ignition switch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armendegga Posted August 3, 2011 Report Share Posted August 3, 2011 I am guessing different vehicles had a keyhole under the start button or something because when it happened to me, the dealer advised me to pry off the start button as well. I started to, but was worried about breaking it so I stopped... Another user received the same advice, and when he pried off the button, it broke, and there was no keyhole underneath it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bojanglespa Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 I was wondering the exact same thing. My other vehicles I use to keep a spare ignition key hidden inside the vehicle so I could start it if I lost my keys. Now if I lose my keys I will have no way of strting the vehicle. You can't keep a spare FOB in the vehicle either as anyone would be able to open doors and start vehicle. An option might be to have a FOB hidden with the battery out of it then you could install the battery and away you go..Not sure about that though as I assume a spare FOB would be costly..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisPollard Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 What Dre said - the procedure is in the owners manual. To be fair, when I asked my dealer about the dead fob starting issue, they had no idea. Nobody has apparently had this system out there long enough for it to die yet. But there has to be a way, and I would assume the manual would be correct. I historically find that dealerships have almost no knowledge of the new tech in their vehicles. In college, I used to play a game where I'd visit dealerships and ask them technical questions about their new products. NEVER found a salesman who could tell me anything that I could find (or had found) on my own in car mags. I DID once find one honest enough to say that if I read the car mags, I probably know more about it than he did. To which my first thought was, isn't it your job to know this stuff? How can you try to sell a product you don't know anything about? Why are you selling cars if you're not really all that interested in them? Still boggles my mind to this day. There is a part number in the manual for the fob battery - CR2032. If in doubt about the strength of your battery, buy a couple and keep them in the glove box, or somewhere handy at home. DO NOT pry your start button off! I'm pretty sure that will NOT be covered by your warranty, unless your dealer put that in writing and you can prove it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armendegga Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 I was wondering the exact same thing. My other vehicles I use to keep a spare ignition key hidden inside the vehicle so I could start it if I lost my keys. Now if I lose my keys I will have no way of strting the vehicle. You can't keep a spare FOB in the vehicle either as anyone would be able to open doors and start vehicle. An option might be to have a FOB hidden with the battery out of it then you could install the battery and away you go..Not sure about that though as I assume a spare FOB would be costly..... If you lose your keys, you won't be able to get into the vehicle to start it The only way around it is what you suggested, by keeping the fob hidden without the battery. Definitely not an ideal solution. I never actually thought about this myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
generaltso Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 If you lose your keys, you won't be able to get into the vehicle to start it The only way around it is what you suggested, by keeping the fob hidden without the battery. Definitely not an ideal solution. I never actually thought about this myself. It's not a bad idea to hide a fob without the battery somewhere in the car, but you're right that you wouldn't be able to get into the car if you don't have another key. I guess you could hide the fob in the car without the battery and then also hide the emergency physical key on the outside of the car somewhere. Even if you don't have a battery, you should be able to start the car by pushing the start button with the end of the fob. The reason this works is that it relies on RFID instead of the active transmitter in the remote that requires a battery. Same tech as SpeedPass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Powdered Toast Man Posted October 26, 2011 Report Share Posted October 26, 2011 (edited) Wow, this is getting elaborate for something that may or may not ever happen. The car comes with two fobs - what's the chance that you'll lose both of them... at the same time? I've pulled out the "emergency key" and it has no ignition capability. What I mean is, pretty much every vehicle made these days has an RFID chip in the base of the key which is required to start the car due to the imobilizer technology. The emergency key is just a piece of metal with almost no base. The only thing it's good for is unlocking the driver's door in case of the vehicle's battery being completely dead. The days of hiding a spare key in a little magnetic box on the underside of the car are over. If you lose your key fob, you'll have to call someone to bring the second one to you from home. If you lose both, I suppose you'll have to call roadside assistance and have to towed to a dealership so they can program a new fob for you. Since the key fob operates the doors, AND it never has to leave your pocket (because you don't have to put your key in the ignition) it's virtually impossible to lock yourself out, or your keys in the car. Edited October 26, 2011 by Powdered Toast Man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bramfrank Posted October 26, 2011 Report Share Posted October 26, 2011 Many modern vehicles DO have a backup manual keylock for the ignition. Ours don't. Many people have issues with leaving things in their pockets - depending on what I am wearing, I will often find my wallet lying on the floor of the vehicle - so my things go into the cup holder and/or into the storage shelf when I get in - the good news is that the software makes it difficult to lock the fob in the car. The old system, where the fob was stuck into a recepticle and had no radio range meant that you always knew where your keys/fob were - not so with the new technology. And many keyless systems do have a backup manual arrangement - the Journey has the remotely excited RFID chip that we can hold against the button - I wonder what your dealer would do if they told you to break the start button and it cost $200 or more to replace the ignition pushbutton switch? Leaving a FOB hidden battery-less somewhere outside the vehicle is a non-starter as far as I'm concerned because over time it would be likely to de dead from corrosion due to moisture inflitration. The cost of dealing with a weak or dead FOB is just one more reason to have an extended factory warranty - so, at least if you're in Canada, it makes sense to join our buyer's group. (See? I managed to both make my comment AND do a plug for the buyer's group - ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaskGuy Posted October 26, 2011 Report Share Posted October 26, 2011 I haven't locked keys/fob in a vehicle since 1993, when I got my first vehicle with a fob. I ONLY lock the doors with the fob, NEVER with the inside button. This habit has saved me a great deal of inconvenience!! Before that, I had actually become an expert at breaking in to my 82 Olds!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armendegga Posted October 26, 2011 Report Share Posted October 26, 2011 AS of yet, I haven't had any issue with forgetting the fob anywhere. In fact, it never leaves my coat pocket... Theres been a couple times that I'm so used to not even needing a key that I just try to get in without having my keys LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigtsr Posted October 27, 2011 Report Share Posted October 27, 2011 I always carried my keys either in my pants pocket or if wearing jeans I would hang them from a carabiner off a belt loop. Having said that I accidently leaned against the kitchen cupboard abt 3 wks ago and hit the "remote startbutton " 2x. My garage is located beneath my kitchen and when going down to the family room I could hear the car running. Garage was full of fumes needless to say I don't carry them anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bojanglespa Posted October 29, 2011 Report Share Posted October 29, 2011 Myself and my wife each carry a fob. It would be nice to have a spare one in the vehicle with the batteries out incase but for $200 plus $55 for programming I don't think I want it that bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OurJourney Posted November 3, 2011 Report Share Posted November 3, 2011 AS of yet, I haven't had any issue with forgetting the fob anywhere. In fact, it never leaves my coat pocket... Theres been a couple times that I'm so used to not even needing a key that I just try to get in without having my keys LOL Problem I have been having is sometimes when I am dropping my kids off at varoius places I tend to leave the keys in the car with it running as it is just a min sitting... BUT, it turns out my sweet dog has figured out how to press the lock button on the arm rest. That does not alot of good for me. But he aswell knows how to press the window down button and the unlock at various times. I have gotten into the habit of removeoing the key out of the end of the fob as I get out of the car for this reason. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
felber61 Posted February 16, 2012 Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 Reading this thread I'm asking myself why you wouldn't just buy an extra battery and leave it in the glove box. It won't help with the situation with the 4 legged friend but if you can use the emergency key to get in, which you can still make a spare of them I think, that would allow you access to the battery in the glove box. You would still retain the FOB with you and the emergency key also. Losing them is a different story altogether though and thats just the breaks of some of us being forgetful since all this new technology evolved and became overhelpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtomatoman Posted February 16, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2012 Reading this thread I'm asking myself why you wouldn't just buy an extra battery and leave it in the glove box. It won't help with the situation with the 4 legged friend but if you can use the emergency key to get in, which you can still make a spare of them I think, that would allow you access to the battery in the glove box. You would still retain the FOB with you and the emergency key also. Losing them is a different story altogether though and thats just the breaks of some of us being forgetful since all this new technology evolved and became overhelpful. After starting this thread, I have played around with my key fob. I have come to the conclusion (as I think you have) that having the fob is not any different than having a traditional, really. Yes, it does contain a battery that has to be replaced, but all the same rules apply. Whether you lose a traditional key or a fob, you can't get into nor start your journey. If you haven't already tried this, it may make you feel better about your fob. Take the battery out, enter your journey using the traditional key, and push the batteryless fob against the starter button. It will start. The only wild card here is the alarm. When you lock the journey manually with the armrest switch, the alarm will not arm. If you lock from outside the journey with the fob button, the alarm will arm. Not sure if starting your journey with a dead fob will stop the alarm if you armed it with the fob previously. On my testing day, I did't want to wake the neighborhood. I'm assume starting the car will disarm the alarm. Not sure, though. BUT, I can tell you your journey will start with a dead fob. If you do the experiment with the alarm armed, let us know what happened. As an aside, trying to lock the key fob in the journey takes work. You have to manually lock each door by pushing down the barrel. Yes, all four. The car hates it. I have a special situation. When I go surfing, I take nothing to the beach (due to theft) or in the water (obviously) except a traditional key attached to my surf trunks or wetsuit. I need to lock the fob in the car and enter the car using the traditional key. Ace Hardware can copy your traditional key so it attaches to a key ring or whatever you want. The fob key has no holes. Hope this is helpful. Peace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halofan.3 Posted February 17, 2012 Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 A bit off topic, but does anyone know how much a replacement key blade (the one that fits inside the fob) is for the 2011-12? I had the factory remote start installed after we purchased the Journey, so now I have 4 working fobs, 2 with remote start, 2 without. But I only have 2 key blades, and it would be nice to have 4 complete fobs. Chris1276 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djw11 Posted November 20, 2012 Report Share Posted November 20, 2012 Didnt think this was possible but happened....we were meeting friends and I was parking our journey in a lot and travelling with them.....when they arrived we left our car i had my FOB in my pocket but wife left her purse with her FOB in front seat storage area. I went to the passenger side to get some things out of the car, then proceeded to lock doors with the passenger door button lock. All doors locked and horn sounded Here is the stupid and embarassing part - when I exited forgot to shut off car with start button! - so 4 hrs later we returned to a warm idling journey minus 1/4 tank of gas. So upon returning home I have been experimenting with this keyless entry and go system - here is what i found: With the car running and you leave with the FOB and lock doors with door handle button - all doors lock and car is still running - now place FOB out of range of vehicle, looking thru the window the EVIC displays that keys have left vehicle but continues to run with doors locked - I thought that after 15 minutes of no active FOB detected it would shut off engine automatically, but nothing happened I let run for 30 minutes still nothing. So I guess it is feasible to exit vehicle with it running and you have the FOB then lock doors, it could continue to run to out of fuel??? Other thing I tried is start vehicle - leave running exit with FOB do not lock doors - place FOB out of range - go back to vehicle the EVIC warning shows Keys have left Vehicle, but you can drive vehicle without the FOB in vehicle - not sure how far you could drive it but was able move up and down driveway. I would think that the if FOB is not detected and vehicle is running as soon as you tried to drive it would automatically shut down?? Tried to read thru the manuals but not much info on this Appreciate anyone's expertise and assistance Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redtomatoman Posted November 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2012 Didnt think this was possible but happened....we were meeting friends and I was parking our journey in a lot and travelling with them.....when they arrived we left our car i had my FOB in my pocket but wife left her purse with her FOB in front seat storage area. I went to the passenger side to get some things out of the car, then proceeded to lock doors with the passenger door button lock. All doors locked and horn sounded Here is the stupid and embarassing part - when I exited forgot to shut off car with start button! - so 4 hrs later we returned to a warm idling journey minus 1/4 tank of gas. So upon returning home I have been experimenting with this keyless entry and go system - here is what i found: With the car running and you leave with the FOB and lock doors with door handle button - all doors lock and car is still running - now place FOB out of range of vehicle, looking thru the window the EVIC displays that keys have left vehicle but continues to run with doors locked - I thought that after 15 minutes of no active FOB detected it would shut off engine automatically, but nothing happened I let run for 30 minutes still nothing. So I guess it is feasible to exit vehicle with it running and you have the FOB then lock doors, it could continue to run to out of fuel??? Other thing I tried is start vehicle - leave running exit with FOB do not lock doors - place FOB out of range - go back to vehicle the EVIC warning shows Keys have left Vehicle, but you can drive vehicle without the FOB in vehicle - not sure how far you could drive it but was able move up and down driveway. I would think that the if FOB is not detected and vehicle is running as soon as you tried to drive it would automatically shut down?? Tried to read thru the manuals but not much info on this Appreciate anyone's expertise and assistance Thanks Not to be sarcastic, but I think it is important to not leave your DJ running if you do not intend it to be running. I have no idea if your observations are an intentional design feature (maybe for the factory?) or just an engineering oversight. Keep your fob on your person and make sure you always push the start button to kill the engine when you exit. If a driver does kill the engine, the engineers did make it more difficult to lock a fob in the car. This difference you point out here (locking the doors without a fob inside with the engine running) makes me think the engineers have allowed the driver some intellectual wiggle room; that the driver knows what he/she is doing and has intended to leave the vehicle running with the doors locked and the fob outside the vehicle. Treat your fobs like traditional keys and 99% of the time you will be fine. Killing the engine, I think, brings that percentage up to 100. I can't imagine that leaving another fob in the vehicle is a good idea. Peace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djw11 Posted November 21, 2012 Report Share Posted November 21, 2012 Thanks - can't agree more on killing the engine on exit - unfortunately being new to No Key starting thus having FOB and other keys in your pocket - it is easy to get out without pushing the off button - a learning curve for us older folks - lol. When this occurred were we parked was near a busy road with alot of noise and meeting friends thus did not hear/realize journey was still running!! and proceeded to lock doors as usual. You bet I will be checking in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Official Dodge Support DodgeCACares Posted November 21, 2012 Official Dodge Support Report Share Posted November 21, 2012 Didnt think this was possible but happened....we were meeting friends and I was parking our journey in a lot and travelling with them.....when they arrived we left our car i had my FOB in my pocket but wife left her purse with her FOB in front seat storage area. I went to the passenger side to get some things out of the car, then proceeded to lock doors with the passenger door button lock. All doors locked and horn sounded Here is the stupid and embarassing part - when I exited forgot to shut off car with start button! - so 4 hrs later we returned to a warm idling journey minus 1/4 tank of gas. So upon returning home I have been experimenting with this keyless entry and go system - here is what i found: With the car running and you leave with the FOB and lock doors with door handle button - all doors lock and car is still running - now place FOB out of range of vehicle, looking thru the window the EVIC displays that keys have left vehicle but continues to run with doors locked - I thought that after 15 minutes of no active FOB detected it would shut off engine automatically, but nothing happened I let run for 30 minutes still nothing. So I guess it is feasible to exit vehicle with it running and you have the FOB then lock doors, it could continue to run to out of fuel??? Other thing I tried is start vehicle - leave running exit with FOB do not lock doors - place FOB out of range - go back to vehicle the EVIC warning shows Keys have left Vehicle, but you can drive vehicle without the FOB in vehicle - not sure how far you could drive it but was able move up and down driveway. I would think that the if FOB is not detected and vehicle is running as soon as you tried to drive it would automatically shut down?? Tried to read thru the manuals but not much info on this Appreciate anyone's expertise and assistance Thanks djw11, Vehicle’s with “Keyless Go” will continue to run the engine with the ( key present-key in range) or ( not present- key out of range) once started. This is actually done on purpose, similar to starting your vehicle and leaving the key in the ignition. Once your Journey is started, it stays running; when you walk away the EVIC will say “key out of range” but will not shut off. This is part of a safety feature that enables the vehicle to stay running in the absence of a signal from your key in the event that you dropped someone off with the Fob in their pocket. i.e. you’re on the 401 and the passenger leaves with the FOB in their pocket or purse, your vehicle won’t shut down un-expectedly when it sees the (Key out of range). To give an example, you go to the hardware store with your wife, you run in (with the Fob in your pocket) and your wife gets in the driver’s seat to go get a coffee; vehicle will stay running all over town until the engine is turned off. Now the key feature here, or detriment depending on the situation, is that once the vehicle is shut off, it will not start again until the Fob signal is back in range. Hope that makes sense and helps you understand of the Keyless Go system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djw11 Posted November 21, 2012 Report Share Posted November 21, 2012 DodgeCACares Thanks for the explanation on the Keyless Go system -- the obvious thing to remember is to ensure vehicle is turned off upon exit. If you leave the vehicle running to go into a store etc quickly and have FOB with you. Someone could hop in and drive away till they shut it down and then would be unable to restart. Lesson learned here - press the start button to kill the engine at all times!! Good thing that I had locked the doors!! or I posssibly could have been minus a 2011 Journey!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Official Dodge Support DodgeCACares Posted November 22, 2012 Official Dodge Support Report Share Posted November 22, 2012 djw11, As vehicle owners, we are all learning as we go. Just when you have one thing figured out you find out your DJ can do somehting else. Don't be shy to PM me if you ever have an issue, I will always to do my best to help out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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