Weird keyfob/command start issues. Help!

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

Erix

Junior Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2018
Posts
29
Reaction score
5
Location
Alberta
Ram Year
2019
Engine
Hemi 5.7
Hello, I posted about weird issues I was having with my 19 ram 1500 about a month or two ago. FCA wanted me to take a video of the issues so I did and thought I'd post it here hoping someone else has experienced the same thing and knows the cause/fix.

Here is the video.. sorry it's a bit long as the issues are intermittent it took awhile to get it fully captured. I tried to edit it down to be as short as possible without removing anything important that might help troubleshoot the problem. At the end of the video is me trying to explain them... not sure if I explained it very well as I'm thoroughly confused by it.

 

Ram19 Owner

Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2018
Posts
89
Reaction score
36
Location
Burlington,Iowa
Ram Year
2019
Engine
HEMI 5.7
I’m not sure what you’re trying to do but if you’re trying to remote start.

1. You’re pressing too quickly and too many times.
2. It only takes 2 slow presses.



I think you’re overloading the key fob with all those multiple rapid presses.

Try just 2 presses with about 1/2 to 1 second between presses.

Just a thought. Never seen anyone press so quickly before.
 

Papi4baby

Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2018
Posts
32
Reaction score
14
Location
MD
Ram Year
2018
Engine
3.0
My 2018 has the same issue. Very rarely will 2 presses start the car, have to do 3 presses most of the time. I think the car is into some sort of deep sleep, the first presses wakes up the car and then is process after the 3rd press.

Just an assumption on my part.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
OP
OP
E

Erix

Junior Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2018
Posts
29
Reaction score
5
Location
Alberta
Ram Year
2019
Engine
Hemi 5.7
Since posting the video I've had a few people tell me I'm pressing the button too fast.

I have tried varying the timing of my button presses when it won't start and there doesn't seem to be anything I can do to get it to start. When it's in that "state" it doesn't start remotely at all even with the unconnect app. The only way to get it to work again seems to be getting in my truck and using the push button, shutting it back off and then the remote start MAY start working again.

However when it does start, I've never had to slow my presses to get it to start. I could see that being an issue if I had a sticky button or an older worn fob.

However, I'll update the video with slower button presses and make sure to show this as I don't want the FCA techs automatically thinking I've never tried slower button presses.

I do appreciate the comments though.
 
OP
OP
E

Erix

Junior Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2018
Posts
29
Reaction score
5
Location
Alberta
Ram Year
2019
Engine
Hemi 5.7
Here is video of me trying slower button presses.

 

hotrod45

Senior Member
Military
Joined
Oct 13, 2016
Posts
2,239
Reaction score
7,590
Location
Home
Here's the deal: the truck responds to the first press of the button with a flash of the lights. Push the button a second time after the flash. Truck starts. Now, if you press the remote start button, that cancels the remote start and the truck shuts off. Now mentally back up through that sequence. You push the button twice, but the lights flash after the second push. The truck is waiting for the second pulse, but you don't send it. I agree with the observation that the truck seems to be sleeping and the first push of the button wakes it up. I have had several trucks behave the same way. So get where you can see the truck and push the button. If the lights flash, push the button again and ***stop***. Truck will start. If you push it twice, you are cancelling the start. If the lights do not flash on the first push, call the next push the first, get the lights to respond, push the second time. Flakey, sure, but that's what works.
 
OP
OP
E

Erix

Junior Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2018
Posts
29
Reaction score
5
Location
Alberta
Ram Year
2019
Engine
Hemi 5.7
I tried that in the video.

However, I'll video me starting the truck with the trucks push button, then shutting it off and if the remote start is working it makes no difference how fast I click it.

I certainly appreciate the suggestions and I don't want to come across as ungrateful for them but I think we're getting too hung up on this button pressing. Later in the first video you can clearly see there are other issues at play here.
 

hotrod45

Senior Member
Military
Joined
Oct 13, 2016
Posts
2,239
Reaction score
7,590
Location
Home
If you mess with the system long enough, it stops working correctly. Turning the ignition on/off by other means will reset it. Keep in mind that you are mentally counting 1,2, but the truck doesn't "hear" the "1." It's counting your "2" as "1" and then your next set of two it is recognizing as "2" (start) and "3" (cancel).
 
OP
OP
E

Erix

Junior Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2018
Posts
29
Reaction score
5
Location
Alberta
Ram Year
2019
Engine
Hemi 5.7
Starting fine regardless of how fast I click.

 
OP
OP
E

Erix

Junior Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2018
Posts
29
Reaction score
5
Location
Alberta
Ram Year
2019
Engine
Hemi 5.7
Last click video. Hopefully.

 

hotrod45

Senior Member
Military
Joined
Oct 13, 2016
Posts
2,239
Reaction score
7,590
Location
Home
OK, in fairness to the OP, I did not remember the proper operation correctly. On the first push, there is nothing; and on the second push, the lights flash twice, and it starts. What stuck in my memory was what to do if I pushed twice and it didn't start. The answer is push one more time, in most cases. I have had numerous occasions in which I could not see the truck and that was the answer to it not starting with two pushes. I am starting to believe that there are more ways for the system not to work than just one.
 
OP
OP
E

Erix

Junior Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2018
Posts
29
Reaction score
5
Location
Alberta
Ram Year
2019
Engine
Hemi 5.7
When the lights flash, that's the signal that it's going to start (if it was going to). If I press it 3 times slowly and then pause, it still flashes after the 2nd press and then does nothing.

Edit sorry I wrote this before seeing your reply. Yeah that's also what I found.
 

hotrod45

Senior Member
Military
Joined
Oct 13, 2016
Posts
2,239
Reaction score
7,590
Location
Home
I’m not sure what you’re trying to do but if you’re trying to remote start.

1. You’re pressing too quickly and too many times.
2. It only takes 2 slow presses.



I think you’re overloading the key fob with all those multiple rapid presses.

Try just 2 presses with about 1/2 to 1 second between presses.

Just a thought. Never seen anyone press so quickly before.

My experience has been that too fast doesn't work, too, but in the last video, it clearly works for the OP. It's a bit of a puzzle. I wonder if the truck in the vid is registering a "fault" after a certain number of tries and that it needs to be reset by starting the truck from inside the truck. I have had the truck reject efforts for remote start after just a couple goofy attempts.
 

dmalonecentral

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2017
Posts
290
Reaction score
224
Location
Tempe, AZ
Ram Year
2019
Engine
5.7L HEMI® V8
Usually when the truck doesn’t start for me if you look on the cluster it should give you a message. I can’t remember any off the top of my head but have you tried looking in the cluster to see if it says anything when it’s not working?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

Ram19 Owner

Member
Joined
Dec 29, 2018
Posts
89
Reaction score
36
Location
Burlington,Iowa
Ram Year
2019
Engine
HEMI 5.7
Here is info from the manual. I believe the red underlined part could be part of the issue as you’re normally pressing more than 2 times within a second. If you notice also you have up to 5 seconds to complete 2 presses for the remote start. Pressing as fast as you do could be sensed as 1 press thus causing it to not start and with 4 to 5 presses within 2 seconds you’re confusing the system. I’ve never had any issues with remote starts on any vehicle including my truck.


FEF22022-B864-44A4-9613-130E773C0791.jpeg 19672F39-F563-4DC5-AA43-F5B723149705.jpeg
 
OP
OP
E

Erix

Junior Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2018
Posts
29
Reaction score
5
Location
Alberta
Ram Year
2019
Engine
Hemi 5.7
Any other suggestions aside from button pushing? I can confidently say that isn't what's causing this issue.
 
OP
OP
E

Erix

Junior Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2018
Posts
29
Reaction score
5
Location
Alberta
Ram Year
2019
Engine
Hemi 5.7
Usually when the truck doesn’t start for me if you look on the cluster it should give you a message. I can’t remember any off the top of my head but have you tried looking in the cluster to see if it says anything when it’s not working?

It never shows me one. The only message I ever see is when it HAS worked and has timed out due to me taking too long.
 

dmalonecentral

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2017
Posts
290
Reaction score
224
Location
Tempe, AZ
Ram Year
2019
Engine
5.7L HEMI® V8
It never shows me one. The only message I ever see is when it HAS worked and has timed out due to me taking too long.

Gotcha. The messages I have seen are the ones in the pictures that Ram19 Owner posted. I would have thought it should say something in the cluster because it’s obviously communicating with the truck based on the Horn honk.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

hotrod45

Senior Member
Military
Joined
Oct 13, 2016
Posts
2,239
Reaction score
7,590
Location
Home
It never shows me one. The only message I ever see is when it HAS worked and has timed out due to me taking too long.
That supports my statement that the truck is not "hearing" the first press of the button. You say and push "1,2" but the truck just hears #2 and says "1." Then it times out because you don't push the button one more time. In some cases, you do, in fact, push the button again, but you push "1,2" again which the truck interprets as "2 (start), 3 (cancel)."
 

hotrod45

Senior Member
Military
Joined
Oct 13, 2016
Posts
2,239
Reaction score
7,590
Location
Home
I replicated what I have seen in your videos: push the button twice, get one flash of the lights, no start. Then I tried pushing twice, got one flash of the lights, pushed once more, no lights, no start. I went out, opened the door, and looked at the cluster: "Remote start disabled. Start vehicle to reset." Then the message disappeared. What I don't know is whether your '19 is the same as my '17 and the proper response from the vehicle is two flashes of the lights followed by start. On my vehicle, getting one flash only is an indicator that the remote start system is disabled.

On edit: I don't know why the message (disabled, etc.) disappears so quickly, but I recall previous years '13, '11, doing the same thing. I meant to add that after I just went out and started the truck, I shut it off and stood right in front of the truck and pressed twice, no response, pressed a third time and got two flashes of the lights and start.
 
Top