Honda Key Fob Battery: What To Know

in Service and Maintenance
Honda bumper

Source: Pixabay

It’s hard to imagine that the little device you use to open up and start your vehicle with could cause you a lot of inconveniences, but it’s true. These little devices have batteries that go bad like any other battery. If you don’t want to end up stranded somewhere, read this article on Honda key fob battery: what to know.

Doing Something Before It’s Too Late

Your key fob usually gives off some warning signs if the battery starts to go dead. You don’t want to miss these signs because usually, your key fob has to be reprogrammed or replaced if the battery goes completely dead. This can cost more money than just replacing a battery.

Signs of a Bad Honda Key Fob Battery: What To Know

Signal strength is reduced: Your key fob should be able to lock and unlock the doors and even start your vehicle from at least 100 yards+. Whenever your original distance of how far away your vehicle can be activated by the key fob starts to get less and less, your battery is probably starting to go.

You need to click harder or more times than usual: However, many taps or pushes of the button you had to use to function the key fob correctly should stay the way. Once you find yourself clicking more than the recommended times, that’s is a clear indication the battery is dying or something else with the key fob may be wrong. 

The key fob doesn’t work consistently: If your key fob wants to work some days and some days it doesn’t, it’s more than likely your key fob battery is starting to run down.


FEEL SECURE IN THE CAR YOU CHOOSE

You don’t want to buy a car - you want to get the best deal on the car you’re looking for. The CoPilot app will notify you if there’s a similar vehicle in your area at a better price, so you’re always certain you got the best deal available. 


Accessing Your Physical Key From Your Key Fob

Yes, it’s amazing; even if you never use it, your car has a physical key that will open up your vehicle’s door. If you look around your Honda’s key fob, there will be a little switch/slide release that will let you pull the key out. This goes in the provided keyhole, mostly next to the door handle or in close proximity.

Problems With Your Key Fob That Might Not Be The Battery

There is a possibility that your key fob works fine, and you have some other vehicle issues. If you’re not sure if this is what is going on, if you have a spare key fob, you could try to use it to see if that answers your problems. If not, check these possible issues for the problem Honda key fob battery: what to know. 

Car battery: If you have access to your physical key located inside your key fob, you should have no problem entering your vehicle. Upon entry, your vehicle should make the usual noises it always makes (door chime), if it doesn’t make any noise, you can check things like the dome light, door locks, etc.; if all these work, then it is your key fob battery - if none of them work, then it is your vehicle’s battery.

Check key fob physical condition: Since we treat these devices like we treat our cell phones, they often times get tossed around and beat up pretty well, not to mention used on a daily basis. You can check the key fob for cracks, worn-out buttons, or other types of damage that might affect the way it functions. You might be able to make a temporary fix if you get the key fob to work, but the keyword here is temporary. You don’t want to go too long with a halfway working key fob.

 Your car’s actuator dies: This problem is pretty rare, although it can happen. The actuator is a small part inside the door panel of each door that controls the motion of the power door locks. If this goes bad, your power locks won’t work at all, but you will be able to still manually lock and unlock your doors. The best way to fix this problem is to seek out your dealership when you get a chance. 


THE BEST USED SUVS UNDER $10,000

We looked into price, reliability, features, and more to create this list of the best used SUVs under $10k on the market today. Take a look - some of the best used SUVs have gone mostly overlooked or forgotten. 


Starting Your Vehicle Even if You Don’t Have an Ignition Keyhole

This technology could be a lifesaver if you did not let your battery in the key fob go completely dead. Starting up your vehicle with a dying Honda key fob battery: what to know.

  • First, you want to use your physical key to get into the vehicle.
  • Next, press in on the brake or clutch pedal just as you would if you were about to start your vehicle normally.
  • Then take your key fob (transmitter) and place it next to the start/stop ignition button for a few seconds. Keep it there while you push in the start/stop button, and this should start your vehicle.

Now this will only work so much, so make your next stop to the auto parts store, dealership, or somewhere you are hiding your spare key fob.


BE CERTAIN YOU’RE GETTING THE BEST DEAL

CoPilot searches your area and lets you know if there’s a better deal on a similar vehicle nearby, so you’re always certain you got the best deal possible. The CoPilot app is the smartest way to buy a car. 


Replacing Your Honda Key Fob Battery: What To Know

This is an auto parts replacement that anyone can do. If you’re not sure what battery you need to get, you can go to the parts store or a dealership and ask a customer service rep or look in your owner’s manual. The battery for your key fob is most likely a small 3-volt battery with a serial number on the positive side.

  • Take out the physical key (instructions above)
  • On the side of the key fob, usually, where the physical key has come out of, there will be just a tiny slot, just big enough to fit a flathead screwdriver in or an instrument like that.
  • Slip your instrument of choice into the slot and gently pry apart the key fob. As other areas free up, move your instrument closer to the closed area to ensure the key fob comes apart freely. The key fob will be made of plastic, so being gentle is the name of the game here.
  • Once the key fob is open, you should see the shiny circle piece that is the battery. These usually pop out pretty easily; just use the instrument that you used to separate the key fob with and pop out the battery.
  • Once out, make sure that both batteries are the same, and then snap the new replacement in the same way the old one was secured in (positive side up).
  • The next easy step is to make sure it works.

Taking Precautions, So You Don’t Get Stranded

The best precautions to take care to make sure you notice when your key fob is acting up, which means it’s time to put the key fob battery on your list of things to do. The next thing you can always do is have one or more spare key fobs or key fob batteries in locations you often visit like home, work, family, trusted friends, etc.

Honda key fob battery: what to know: Don’t be unprepared and don’t ignore signs your key fob battery is dying!



Get a Curated List of the Best Used Cars Near You

The CoPilot car shopping app is the easiest way to buy a car. Tell us what you’re looking for and we’ll search the inventories of every dealership in your area to make you a personalized list of the best car listings in your area.

Only looking for newer models? CoPilot Compare is the search engine for nearly-new cars. Only see cars five years or newer with low mileage — CoPilot Compare is the best way to find off-lease, early trade-in, and CPO cars.

The best part? CoPilot is built using the same technology that dealerships use to buy and sell their inventories, so we have more info on each vehicle than competitors. CoPilot doesn’t work with dealerships, so there are no sponsored posts or other shady practices — just the most info on the best cars. Check out our About Us page to see how CoPilot works.