Again, that module is on cars that start by turning the key as well. OP is looking for a modern car, not a '47 Borgward. OP will have the exact same starting system no matter which switch is used to activate it.
Maybe from 2010 onward. This type of electronic control is certainly not present in a 20-year old car, and probably not even in a 15-year old model. I don’t know exactly when the change was made from a real ignition switch which controls the starter relay directly to the current system where pushing the button/turning the key tells the computer to initiate the starting sequence. I assume this change was made when the industry eliminated the cable-actuated throttle body and went to electronic control (another feature I DON’T want).
There is a big difference between the transponder key and the proximity key system.
In 2008 Chrysler started using the “FOBIK” key in the Grand Caravan. The transmitter/key has no metal blade, it is inserted into a socket in the dash and rotated in an ignition switch to start the engine. The security in this system is the transponder, the key blade and tumblers would be redundant and unnecessary in this system.
The proximity key system requires antennas inside the vehicle and in the door handles to detect the presence of the key. Remove the battery from the key and the system does not work however there is a dedicated location to place the key to act as a transponder key to start the engine.
If it were only that simple.
For Toyota and Lexus vehicles the Power Source ECU controls the ignition position and starter operation.
The ID Code Box validates the the smart key (much like a transponder key module).
The Certification ECU monitors the proximity key antennas.
Without a mechanical key operation there needs to be a Steering Lock ECU, not a simple lock solenoid, this ECU is designed not to be defeated by shorting wires under the dash like in the movies.
And the reasons to avoid late model automobiles just keep growing exponentially.
@Rod_Knox. I had a 1950 Chevrolet pickup and a 1947 Pontiac with the floor pedal starter. I had no problem with that. I remember when Chrysler products decided that the starter switch should be combined with the ignition switch for its 1949 models. Chrysler started the trend to the key turn start. My 1948 Dodge had a push button on the dashboard–turn the ignition on and press the button. My 1954:Buick had the starter switch combined with the accelerator. You turned the ignition to on and stepped on the accelerator. When the engine started the starter motor turned off. I remember the Nash and Studebakers with manual transmissions had the starter switch under the clutch pedal. You pushed the clutch down and then gave it an extra push to engage the starter. The Nash cars with the automatic transmission was really wild. You put the transmission selector in neutral and lifted it. There was no Park position.
One thing that did in the floor pedal starter was the automatic transmission. When Pontiac made the Hydramatic automatic transmission available in 1948, there was a lever that ran from the starter pedal to the transmission linkage that pushed the selector into neutral.
That’s what I might choose to do in certain instances. Sometimes, the car disables itself depending on the system and failure mode. If it’s stuck in limp mode, I guess you can’t just ignore it…
Thank you for the reminder I had forgot about the Studebaker with the starter under the clutch.
On my 1947 Pontiac and 1950 Chevrolet pickup with the foot pedal starter, the starter could be operated whether or not the ignition switch was on or off.
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Yes. And when parallel parked and someone crowded you making it difficult to get out you could use the starter to move their car.
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Funny as this sounds… this might be a business opportunity hidden here.
Then again it may be the same as all the other “ideas” ive had and shrugged off as not clever enuf or whatever… only to watch the same exact ideas become reality and successful over the years…
“There is no mercy for those who have ability… and waste it.” My new bumper sticker or mantra or phrase that will drive me insane…
Mite be an idea…Installing a good ole fashioned yet hidden master key somewhere in or on the veehickle
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My wife’s 07 Lexus is keyless. Only issue we’ve had was we had to replace the battery in the Fob twice since 07. I can live with that. Electronics are several magnitudes more reliable then mechanical devices. The mechanical devices may be simpler and easier to repair if they break, but the electronics are far more reliable and probably will never break. The one feature I like is my 60+ yo wife and getting in her car at the Mall at 8pm in the middle of winter. She doesn’t have to dive into her purse looking for her keys. Just walks up to car and it unlocks the drivers door (and only the drivers door) when she touches the handle. Get’s in and starts the car.
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True @MikeInNH its novel and convenient, the thing i dont like is that i could technically do the same thing at a different time, say round 10-10:30? …after pulling your RF code out of thin air… using various devices… and enjoy all the convenience you and yours enjoy.
I dont like that so much… My guess is that you wouldnt either but hey who knows…
The auto manufacturers did not do a good job in making this very secure. It’s NOT difficult to put in place a rotating bit encryption. Our access cards to our secure work facilities is NOT easily hacked. Some of our clients have extreme DOD level security access - all through a card with chip or fob. It can be done.
Very True @MikeInNH… in another life I had one of those fobs that changed its code every few minutes for logon or access purposes
That “tech” has been out n about for a long while at this point in time too…
In my current life incarnation i have no more of such FOB’s
I realized why I like my old mechanical key so much - the physical size. I went running today, and since I left from my house I could have carried just my house keys. But it would be awful to have driven somewhere, gone running from the parking lot, and need to carry a quarter pound mass of key bulging and bouncing around in my pocket. Same thing happens if I travel - the rental car mess of all three keys ever made for the car fused together needing to go into some pocket because I’m not Jerry Seinfeld with a European carry-all satchel bag thingie (purse).
Apparently there are few men like me with this problem, though. You guys like having these huge keys in your pocket?
A proximity key is about the size of a Tic-Tac container, they could make them smaller, there isn’t much inside but they don’t want them to be easy to lose.
Why would a rental car require 3 keys? A proximity key does everything.
It doesn’t. All the rental companies take all the keys issued with the new car (usually three sets, sometimes two) and bundle them together with a cable that doesn’t come apart. Presumably it’s so all the keys stay with the car all the time until it’s sold off to the next owner. But is also means all the keys are lost if one is lost. And it makes me look like I’m trying to smuggle a bundle of grapes into the job interview :-/
I rent cars at least 10 times a year and I’ve NEVER seen that. I get ONE and only one key or fob or both.
Maybe it depends on the rental car company. I’m used to having two car keys (or fobs) on the same key ring.
Back when I travelled for work and ran, I’d either run from the hotel or if I drove To a running site, used a fanny pack. The fanny pack had a water bottle in it and room for the car keys and my wallet. I never kept anything in my pockets.
My company has contracts with Avis and Hertz.