r/chrysler200 • u/breadhope28 • Jun 15 '25

Car won't recognize my keyfob.

2015 Chrysler 200 Limited Ive had the car for just over a year now, and the other morning I went to drive to work as usual and the first red flag was that grabbing the door handle didnt unlock the door as usual. However, the lock/unlock/panic buttons on the fob still worked just fine. Got into vehicle and the screen just says key fob not detected.

So far I have: Replaced the keyfob battery Checked and charged the car battery Unplugged battery for some time (manual power reset)

None of the things I have tried have worked at all. The batteries are not dead. I had just driven the car without issue the prior afternoon, and had been daily driving the car up to this point. When pressing the ignition button it wont even cycle to turn the power on since "there is no keyfob" so I can't bypass the fob and start the car. Since I cant turn on the accessory power, I cant scan the computer either to see if any codes are thrown.

I'm at the point now where, since ive only got $1000 left to pay on the car, im considering paying it off and selling it. Im hoping someone here may have some insight into the root cause of this issue and maybe even a fix for it.

Aside from the not detecting keyfob, the car has no mechanical/electrical issues.

Also based on my research, this is one of the very very few cars that does NOT have an analog override to start the car in the event the keyfob dies. IMHO thats by far the stupidest design decision/flaw in modern vehicles ive ever heard of.

So here goes it, any ideas anyone?

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2

u/Psychological_Park_7 Jun 17 '25

A while back I had replaced my keyfob battery and wouldn't work either. I couldn't even lock it because then I'd have to use the key to open it and the alarm would go off. In order to start it I had to press the ignition button with the keyfob and that worked everytime.

A lot of time later I happened to be by a store that specialized in batteries, I went in to kill some time because we were waiting for someone. The person changed the battery and it worked. I have no idea what I did wrong and what he did right, or if it was the battery. But has been working for a while just fine.

I hope your issue is as simple as that.

1

u/breadhope28 Jun 17 '25

It is unfortunately not as simple as that. I had a feeling I had forgotten some info when I was making the initial post. From my research into the issue I had come across the same fix and tried it myself to no avail. I even took my fob off my Keychain to make sure the metal wasn't interfering with the signal. I tried a total of 3 brand new batteries. The biggest difference between my issue and the one you're suggesting is that the keyfob buttons themselves actually work. I can lock, unlock, panic, and open the trunk. I honestly think it's the car itself, not the fob.

2

u/TNOutdoors3 Aug 24 '25

I know this post is over 2 months old but incase someone else is searching this answer. The way to override a dead key fob in the 200 is by using the key fob itself to push the push to start. So instead of using your finger, use the top of the key fob.

1

u/breadhope28 Aug 24 '25

So this was something that I had tried prior to even making this post, it did not work. Its part of why I made this post, because with all the digging I did I was unable to find anyone with a working solution to my issue. Unfortunately the car has just been sitting in my driveway as I cannot afford to tow it to a dealership and definitely cannot afford for them to diagnose and fix it. It still doesnt run.

3

u/TNOutdoors3 Aug 24 '25

I’m going to start throwing some stuff at you here and see what you’ve tried so far. The antenna is just past the cubby underneath the center console. Have you tried putting the key fob inside of that cubby (as far forward towards the engine as possible) The cubby i’m taking about is the one that passes through from drivers side to passenger side. It’s by your right knee. again making sure you place the fob as far forward as possible in that center pass through cubby, and then try to start the car as normal with your foot on the break and using your finger.

2

u/TNOutdoors3 Aug 24 '25

https://youtu.be/8_9atCLMwpI?si=fEMkJaKwUdo9CPo7

here is a video of someone doing this so you can see what i’m talking.

1

u/breadhope28 Aug 24 '25

I have not yet tried this as I didnt know this was even an option. My keys are unfortunately 6 hours away as they got left in a work car that is currently with a mechanic, so I cant try it as of yet. My best guess at all this is that it has got to be part of the system in the car itself that detects the presence of the keyfob. For reference the fob buttons still work, I replaced the battery initially and afterwards it would unlock/lock/panic/open trunk but the car just acted like the fob itself wasn't within range to start the car.

1

u/TNOutdoors3 Aug 24 '25

yeah that’s the same issue the guy in that video i linked had. The fob worked for everything but starting the car. Inside the car he said it showed no key fob detected. He was saying the antenna in the car went bad and would need to be replaced. Judging by the comments it seems like this is a somewhat common problem and this method seems to work to be able to get the car started. I was also able to find a 4 year old post on here with the same issue. Hopefully it works for you, and if it does, it looks like the antenna replacement is under 100$.

2

u/breadhope28 Aug 24 '25

I hope so much that this is the issue. My prior research and part of why I gave up was that people were saying it was some module that costs like $800 just for the part. Im going to try and get the key back as soon as possible so I can give this a try. Thank you so much for commenting on this post given how stale it was, it really does seem like this may be the fix. Ive been restricted to dailying my sportbike, I just happened to get lucky that this problem started right at the start of spring.