Ever seen the "Use key fob to push EV start button" alert?

Has anyone else ever seen this alert?

I was out running some errands, and after sitting in my car for about 10 minutes on a call, I tried to start it and nothing happened. Then this alert popped up, showing a picture of the key fob pushing the start button. I’ve never seen this before, so I’m wondering what’s going on?

I’ve had this happen before. It’s usually because the key fob battery is low or it wasn’t close enough to the sensor. I notice it a lot when my key is in my pocket behind my RFID blocking wallet.

Yeah, I’ve seen that, but only when my 12V battery was dying. It can also happen if the key fob battery is getting low too.

This might be it — the key fob has a built-in accelerometer (motion sensor). If it stays still for a few minutes, it turns itself off and won’t respond to the start button.

This is to prevent thieves from boosting the signal while your key fob is sitting somewhere safe, like hanging in your house. You don’t need a Faraday cage for it.

If your key was sitting still on the seat while you were on your call, it might have turned off after a few minutes.

@emma
Wait, the EV6 key fob has an accelerometer? Are you serious?

Amelia said:
@emma
Wait, the EV6 key fob has an accelerometer? Are you serious?

Yep, it’s true.

Try placing your key fob on the roof near the driver’s door. Then press the door handle to lock/unlock the car. Wait a few minutes, maybe 5 or 10, and try again. It won’t work anymore once the fob has gone to sleep.

I’ve had this happen a couple of times as well, but no issues with my 12V battery, and my key fob was working fine. For me, it always seems to happen when the fob is sitting in the door cubby, and the car door is open while I try to start the car. I think the car just can’t detect the fob properly.

When I close the door, it usually fixes the problem, probably because it brings the key closer to the sensor.

Got this alert when my key fob battery was dying. I replaced the battery, and it hasn’t happened since.

This happens if the car can’t detect the key fob inside the car. Just try moving the fob to another spot, and it should work.

Your 12V battery might be dead.