My husband and I bought a 2006 Jeep Commander last May that only came with 1 key fob. It starts the vehicle just fine but the keyless entry works intermittently, with it unlocking easier than locking. With my husband’s habit of losing keys and thinking the fob may just be wearing out, we bought several blanks on eBay and had them cut and programmed. They work but no more so than the original, meaning the unlock function is still less picky than the lock function. About a week ago, my husband’s replacement fob stopped working all together so we just used mine. A couple of days later mine has stopped functioning. After trying new batteries, I got the original fob that came with the Jeep and it still locks and unlocks but the same as before, intermittently. I took the fobs to the auto parts store and my husband’s fob didn’t show that the RF is working on it but my fob and the original fob did. I don’t know much about keyless entry but I would like to figure out why it only sometimes works. It has a re-manufactured 3.7 liter engine that we had a great mechanic put in back in August and after my husband bought a remote start to install we discovered it already has one but we have no fobs for it or even know if it’s getting power so I was wondering if that might be part of the issue. We have not installed the one he bought. Also, every several weeks it will have a time where it’ll take up to 5 or 6 tries to start and I was wondering if that could be related to the fobs too. Some days where it doesn’t want to kick over the first time is just one go round and it’s fine after and other times it doesn’t want to start well for most of the day, then the next day it starts fine for several weeks. Haven’t discussed that with the mechanic yet as I’m just now needing to go in for an oil change. Thanks for the help!
You have a tremendous amount of “stuff” going on here… so if I miss something dont be too surprised.
Lock and unlock…working the way it does suggests the vehicle itself is the issue…or something installed in the vehicle that can handle lock and unlock…like an alarm or remote start.
New FOB’s not working all of a sudden. Welcome to crappy parts made overseas…using a metal called “Chineseum”
Not starting sometimes? Can be many things…fuel pressure comes to mind at first blush. If and when it happens again… cycle the ignition key on and off but do not engage the starter…after 5 key cycles try to start the engine…if it starts…its a fuel issue specifically the fuel pump either not powering up on key on/engine off…or the pump getting tired and not making pressure…or the fuel pressure regulator.
That remote start unit could be the source of your lock unlock problem…especially since most of them handle lock and unlock functionality. That needs to be sorted out. Its either that or a physical difficulty in one of the doors lock mechanism. Try to lock all doors by hand…if you notice a sticky lock you found the problem…if you don’t find a difficult lock mechanism, then you get to dive into the lovely world of “whats wrong with my remote start that I have no fob or documentation on”
Remove the remote start and see if that solves you problems . If that does not work then it may be dealer shop time to sort this out.
The number of posts on sites like this about after market remote starters causing problems is in the thousands .
I have a Dodge, which is in the same “family” as Jeep.
I’ve had more trouble with the key fobs on this car than any other vehicle. They seem to mysteriously fail often, and it’s not cheap to get new ones cut and programmed, as you’ve found.
As a contrast, the Hondas we’ve had with key fobs rarely, if ever, give us any trouble.
I miss the days of good old metal keys. They always worked.
Low battery in the key?
The OP should consider this option.
The Jeep Commander has metal keys.