Your transponder key for your car makes your driving experience a lot easier.  Most can remotely unlock and lock your car, and some transponders offer that ability to open your trunk or even start your engine!  They’re also extremely important for those vehicles with key-less entry and ignition.  However, in the rare case that your transponder key no longer works, it can become a huge inconvenience.  Fortunately, transponder keys are fairly simple and there are really only a couple of issues to troubleshoot.

Transponder Key Not Working? Check the battery

Since the transponder needs to be able to emit a certain frequency in order to work, it needs to have a requisite amount of electrical power.  If the power is low, the transponder may emit a signal of a different frequency that your car does not recognize, and, therefore, will not react.  You may want to replace the battery in the transponder; contact your local dealer or manufacturer to find the necessary type of replacement battery.

Chip Damage

For one reason or another, your transponder chip may have become damaged and now is no longer working.  If this is the case, you may need to actually buy a new transponder key from your dealer.  The main reason you’ll want to talk to your dealer (even though it may be more expensive than going to a local locksmith) is because they can deactivate your old key so it will no longer give any unauthorized person access to your car.

 Additional Help

You should call your dealership as soon as possible so that you can get your transponder key replaced.  Even though it may be expensive, remember that your transponder key is extremely important for adding another layer of security to your car.  However, if you have any other car problems or troubles, TalkLocal can help you find a high quality local auto-repair shop to take care of your problem within minutes!

This entry was originally posted on Thursday, February 21st, 2013 at 6:00 pm and is filed under Auto Repair. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.