Lost key fob.. Now dealer running into issues..

Hey guys,

So I responded to a fatal dwelling fire in my local area and unfortunately I lost my key fob (2017 Tacoma - Smart Key) somewhere within the fireground or somewhere along the 2000 foot driveway..

I had my truck towed to the dealership and I purchased a key, they said they would have to reprogram the entire truck to the key fob since I don't have a spare.

I waited an hour and a half and they came back and told me that the key fob wouldn't take to the vehicle, they said they got all the way through the process but for some reason the key fob wouldn't sync.

Luckily, they gave me a loaner (surprised me..) and said they would try to figure it out the next day since it was already 8pm and they closed at 7pm.

I received a phone call the next day and he stated my battery may not be up to par, so they threw a battery tender on it and they'll see the next day if it worked.

The battery had tested to be good (surprisingly after three years) and they said it still wouldn't take.

They are doing something with the data of my vehicle and have to pass it along to a technician etc and whatever else..

I do have an N2 Designs remote start and I talked to Jimmy from N2 and he said it shouldn't have any affect on the programming, but we've disconnected it anyway. Still no luck.

Battery tested good
Remote start module removed

I'm at a loss here, my truck was perfect until I lost the key fob - now I'm not sure what the next step would be, but I'm $800 out of pocket already and still no luck.

Does anyone else have any ideas or has anyone else had any issues??

 

Honestly it sounds like they don’t have a clue what they are doing and I wouldn’t pay them anything until they get it right. It can’t be that difficult to pair a new fob to the vehicle. Might require some button punching in Tech Stream, but it’s not like you lose a fob and need to junk the vehicle.

 

The dealer sent me this:
"Its an issue with the key ecu opening to register key at this point"

 

I’m not into messing with ECUs but plenty on here do things such as tunes. This should not be difficult for them. I’d talk to the service manager and find out why they can’t address a simple issue.

 

That was the service manager.

 

Don't pay em I'd say until they do the work I'd say. Too bad people aren't honest enough to not have to have chipped keys.

 

Yeah they need the fcc id number from the original to program another key....think there are few different ones per ecu model year probably using the wrong remote for your ecu so its never gonna work until they get the correct fob is my guess.

 

They don't know what they're doing. You have to wipe all the keys from the truck and reseed the immobilizer through TIS, then they can program the new key.

 

I was given a silver plate with a 5 digit code to keep safe. They said the would help get future keys. Do you have that?

 

Love the arm chair quarterbacks. I did this crap for a living and sometimes things just go wrong. Seems pretty easy to just delete keys and program a new one to a truck right? I’ve literally had to replace ECU’s while doing a simple task like this. And just because a key won’t program you can’t just grab parts from the parts department (they usually don’t have ECU’s laying around anyway) and start slinging them into the vehicle. Lots of back and forth with engineers all while trying to complete other work you have. It’s a pain in the ass. And you lose time and money while doing it. A half second internet drop can wreck havoc when doing an update or some corrupt data being downloaded. Bad connection at the OBD-2 port or bad UBS connection or cable on the beat up work laptop. Any loss of connection causing bad data transfer can cause an issue. I’ve bricked an ECU before because of a bad USB connection on a Ford, while doing a ECU reflash. There are suppose to be safeguards but bottom line is shit can and will go wrong.


they’ll get it figured out and taken care of one way or another. And shouldn’t cost you a dime. Hopefully they’ve been on the phone with support more than they have with you. Not that keeping a customer updated is a bad thing, but it’s not going to get solved talking to you about it. Also be thankful they gave you a loaner. This doesn’t always happen.

 

Can confirm. You would be amazed how someones bill for a new key goes from $300 to $1300 in a matter of minutes because something in the truck is broken. (the keys ecm can still function just fine, but the programming part fails, kinda like how a computer can work just fine, but the wifi doesnt work, but you never noticed because your always plugged into a eithernet cable)

We had this issue pretty often at VW, and it was the hardest thing to explain to a customer who is now facing a $1300 bill because they lost their keys at the bar.

 

I know this doesn’t help your current situation, but it may help you or someone else in the future.

purchase one of these tile things

https://www.thetileapp.com/?ref=tiledotcom

this thing has saved my ass countless hours of looking for keys, wallet, phone and remote.

Good luck!

 

Sorry to say this again, but when I read stuff like this, I am so glad I have a lowly base reg cab with no immobilizer and no smart key. Less to go wrong, and definitely less expensive for a key replacement.

Simplicity is best!

 

@omg_miiiike I wasn't quite in the boat you were, but like you, I have a smart key truck as well. I love it. But I bought my truck from a used independent dealer. I ended up having to buy a new metal key and tail gate key from a dealer because

1) The one included when I bought the truck did not work.
2) There was never a tail gate key included w/ my keyfob.

The metal key alone was ~ $40. The tailgate key was a simple key and was $11 (and some change).

Sadly, I don't feel like forking over $300 for another remote and then whatever to have it programmed.

@tomwil I completely agree with you about the smart key. Don't get me wrong. I love having my smart key. But call me old fashioned, but I prefer having an ACTUAL key to turn in the ignition. I just feel like this is one more electronic thing to blow up in my face. And just that much more to cost when it comes time to replace it.

I had 2014 Tacoma with the physical key, and ended up having a simple, metal key cut to put in my wallet (w/o the fat black head on it). I had locked my keys in my truck at Walmart once, and luckily, the home town police still unlocked vehicles. My spare was back at my apartment an hour away. So lesson learned that day. The cheap spare didn't start the truck, but it at least unlocked it.

 

Paying 800+ for a key is criminal in my mind.

Here's what I was referring to earlier. I took a picture of mine.

 

On a slightly different topic, I would be pissed if I bought a truck and they only handed me one key. They always come with two. Shit has happened to me in the past, there have been a few occasions where keys got lost or damaged. And as inconvenient as it was, it winds up being so much cheaper in the long run to taxi home, grab the spare, and then have a new copy made within the week.

I know my klutzy self too much to ever accept delivery on a vehicle with only one key.

 

since this turned out to be such a mess, have you considered grabbing some buddies and trying to find that lost fob? Many eyes are way better than just two.

 

@Rock Lobster, I agree with you in theory.

Saying that, like I said previous reply in this, I bought my truck from a used, independent dealer. After I bought the truck, I did some research via the VIN and found my truck was originally sold at a dealership in Florida (Clearwater to be exact). VIN also IDed as being sold at auto auction, thus how it ended up at independent dealer. So more than likely, keys got screwed up somewhere between the here and there.

I did ask the dealer if they ever found a second set of keys, and they said they could not. I know I could probably find another fob on Ebay or through here for half the price my local dealer would ever charge, but just a secondary priority right now.

 

I have to admit, the last time I lost a car key it was a simple chipped key, no buttons or batteries. Still relatively cheap to replace compared to the fobs. I treat those fobs like gold, even keep them in a small waterproof box when I'm camping (picked it up as a door prize at some scuba event years ago), because I don't want to lose a car payment to replacing the dang thing, lol.

 

Key word looks like AND there. I've only reprogrammed a key with TS but I had one key as back up.