[Sakia]

My Chevrolet 2018 Impala 4 door sedan sometimes won't unlock when I touch the door handle. Then I try to unlock it using the key fob unlock button. Nothing. Once I had to wait a few minutes and try again. Then, the car recognized the fob and unlocked. This has happened a few times so far and it is extremely disturbing. I am afraid I might get stuck somewhere and no amount of clicking would work. I know now how to manually unlock the door cover exposing where to put the key and unlock it that way.

MY TESTING:
1- I put a multimeter on my key fob battery. It tested at full capacity so I assumed a weak battery was not the problem.
2- The last time the car would not open right away was when I was at home. My touch on the handle nor the fob would open the door. I then took my wife's key fob and tried it. No luck opening the car door either. Finally, after a few minutes, one of the fobs was able to open the car. It then started up right away and no more problems that day.

MY CONCLUSIONS: If the fob battery was at full strength and both fobs were unable to be recognized by the car for a few minutes, the problem must be with the car.

QUESTIONS:
Do I have to re-sync both the key fobs to the car once again?
Is there something in the car that needs to be replaced to get the problem solved?
Should I just sell the car and hope the next one has a better system? (Just kidding!)

Your help would be appreciated.

Sakia

 

[1999 White C5 Coupe]

My Chevrolet 2018 Impala 4 door sedan sometimes won't unlock when I touch the door handle. Then I try to unlock it using the key fob unlock button. Nothing. Once I had to wait a few minutes and try again. Then, the car recognized the fob and unlocked. This has happened a few times so far and it is extremely disturbing. I am afraid I might get stuck somewhere and no amount of clicking would work. I know now how to manually unlock the door cover exposing where to put the key and unlock it that way.

MY TESTING:
1- I put a multimeter on my key fob battery. It tested at full capacity so I assumed a weak battery was not the problem.
2- The last time the car would not open right away was when I was at home. My touch on the handle nor the fob would open the door. I then took my wife's key fob and tried it. No luck opening the car door either. Finally, after a few minutes, one of the fobs was able to open the car. It then started up right away and no more problems that day.

MY CONCLUSIONS: If the fob battery was at full strength and both fobs were unable to be recognized by the car for a few minutes, the problem must be with the car.

QUESTIONS:
Do I have to re-sync both the key fobs to the car once again?
Is there something in the car that needs to be replaced to get the problem solved?
Should I just sell the car and hope the next one has a better system? (Just kidding!)

Your help would be appreciated.

Sakia

I own a 2014 Impala 2LTZ, purchased new, with the proximity key fobs.

My bet is that you should replace the batteries in the fobs with a high quality, name-brand battery (CR-2032).

I have had the fobs get “weak” and not start the car or open it, but later function. The owner’s manual states there will be a DIC message to replace the fob battery, when weak. That has never been displayed on my car, even when the push-button start will not function with the fob nearby.

A new fresh battery always cures the issues. The fobs do not have to be matched to the car again. Once the fobs are matched to your car (or another car), they can not be matched to a different car.

 

[Sakia]

Thank you for your reply. If the problem was a weak battery, then both key fobs that I tried would not have worked. Secondly, I did test my key fob with a multimeter as I mentioned. The battery tested good, not weak. Therefore testing the battery and finding it good and using two key fobs to try and open the car leads me to believe that it is the car that is the problem, not the key fobs.

 

[hatzie]

I own a 2014 Impala 2LTZ, purchased new, with the proximity key fobs.

My bet is that you should replace the batteries in the fobs with a high quality, name-brand battery (CR-2032).

I have had the fobs get “weak” and not start the car or open it, but later function. The owner’s manual states there will be a DIC message to replace the fob battery, when weak. That has never been displayed on my car, even when the push-button start will not function with the fob nearby.

A new fresh battery always cures the issues. The fobs do not have to be matched to the car again. Once the fobs are matched to your car (or another car), they can not be matched to a different car.

I hope you mean the RFID immobilizer pellet in the Flip key fob can't be matched to a new vehicle tho precluding using the remote unlock FOB on a different car would be inline with the move of most manufacturers toward minimizing folks ability to inexpensively repair their vehicles and devices.
The remote and the RFID Immobilizer pellet are two different animals. There's no reason for the door unlock portion to be locked to the vehicle after one programming event.
That's the way the key in my former Audi and my 2005 A5 Jetta worked. The FOB can be used on another vehicle but not the immobilizer portion. You could purchase virgin immobilizer pellets and uncut key blades for the A5 & B5 VAG Gruppe flip keys a few years ago. I assume you can still do so.

 

[1970cs]

You can still get in the car without the fob. Driver side handle, pop the cover off the smaller portion of the door handle, pop your key blade and insert in the slot at the bottom. This is in your owners manual.

 

[Sakia]

To further clarify my question. Where is the problem between the original key fobs not working and the car? As someone suggested you can manually open the car following the manual. Yes I am aware of that. The only question I am asking the Forum is where the problem exists between the car and the two key fobs if the battery in one of the key fobs tested good. Is anyone able to nail down that specific problem?

 

[reubenswinks]

Do the lights flash when trying to unlock the door when it doesn't work? Or it just does not respond at all to the fob. It is possible the door lock actuator is going bad on the drivers door, but you would still see the lights flash as if it was trying to unlock. If it has no response at all, then it seems whatever is supposed to receive the signal inside the car is not functioning correctly. Whether thats the BCM or some other module, I am not too sure for your car.

 

[1954 Chevy]

My 2015 LTZ new body style started doing the same thing when it was about the same age as yours. Both keys started acting up. I couldn't start the car unless I put the fob in the console in a slot that is there just for that problem. Unlocking the door wasn't usually a problem, but starting the car was. My Chevy dealership replaced the batteries in both fobs for free, and no more problems