PSA: Fun with Key Fob Batteries

[HuntingPudel]

I normally keep my keys in a safe with the batteries removed. Each battery is in a plastic bag. Each key is bagged with its battery. I generally use PaaK. The last time I took a key out to use was in June. It was my F150 Lightning key and it worked fine. I just took out the key I used to use as my primary key (I have a Grabber Blue Metallic stripe on it under the vestigal key blank for identification) and found that the key did not work. I checked all of the other batteries and found that both of my original keys' batteries were at <2.8V. My car was built the week of October 9, 2021. So, in less than 3 years, the batteries in the original keys have died. Neither of those batteries got much use, as I removed the batteries and bagged them as soon as I got comfortable with PaaK, about a week after I picked up the car in November of '21. My F150 Lightning key's battery is functioning just fine in my old primary key. ??

So, this is just kind of a PSA to replace your key batteries, since they seem to have about the same 3 year lifetime as the 12V. ??

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[leehinde]

So, this is just kind of a PSA to replace your key batteries, since they seem to have about the same 3 year lifetime as the 12V. ??

I recently got a warning from the car that my 18 month old fob battery was low. (and I just replaced it.)

Edit: I use my fob a lot, so it hasn't been tucked away somewhere.

 

[ChasingCoral]

Fortunately you can start and operate your Mach E (or Lightning) with the key fob even with a dead (or absent) battery. The fob just can't be used to open doors, etc.

 

[AtomicInternet]

I store my Focus RS fobs in the same manner since it sits in my garage waiting for me to drive it around the block once every 6 months. The last time I started it up I got the alert in the center cluster about a low fob battery and replaced it. The battery was also less than 3 years old and removed from the fob.

This is odd since everything I read says button batteries have a low self-discharge rate.

 

[TRP]

Probably a silly question.......but................replacing the battery does not require any reprogramming does it? Just a simple pop out the old and in with the new?

 

[HuntingPudel]

Probably a silly question.......but................replacing the battery does not require any reprogramming does it? Just a simple pop out the old and in with the new?

No reprogramming. Just a simple R&R. ??

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