Also referred to as key FOBs, electronic car keys make a lot of vehicle owner’s lives more convenient. You can use this nifty piece of device to control your car’s doors, alarm, and trunk. You can even use your key FOB to start your car remotely or from an acceptable distance.

That said, key FOBs can also fail. After some time, this electronic device will start to malfunction due to signal loss or other issues. Thankfully, you can always reprogram the remote yourself. That being said, a malfunctioning key FOB should not be a reason for you to avoid purchasing a vehicle from a used car auction. After all, we can teach you how to program a key FOB for Ford and other vehicle makes. To discover all the wonderful cars you can purchase at a more affordable price, click the button below:

How to Program a Car Key Yourself

Keep in mind that the key FOB programming process may vary depending on the car make. So, what may work for a Nissan intelligent key may not work for a Ford key FOB. However, we are going to teach you the general and simplest method for reprogramming a remote. Our guide will work with most vehicles on the market. However, our best bet still is to find the instructions for your exact car model. In most cases, you can get the details you need from the owner’s manual.

If you want to learn how to program a car key yourself, follow the steps below:

First Step

Get inside your vehicle and make sure that you have the remote and ignition key with you. Make sure you close all of the doors. Otherwise, they may disrupt the entire reprogramming process.

Second Step

Place the car to the ‘On’ position. Once you’ve done that, take your key FOB, then press the Lock button. Turn the key back to the ‘Off’ position after pressing the Lock button.

Third Step

You need to perform the second step three more times. At the end of the fourth cycle, put the key to the ‘On’ position. Doing so will send a signal to the car’s electronic control units, indicating that it’s the key in the ignition that is sending the signal.

Fourth Step

You need to watch out for the locking sound. Once you hear that, it means that you have entered programming mode. Now, take your remote and press the Lock button for about five seconds. Once you’ve done that, the locks will cycle again, indicating that you’ve reprogrammed the key successfully.

Fifth Step

If you have additional remotes, you need to press the Lock button on them within ten seconds of entering the programming mode. After every successfully reprogrammed remote, the locks will cycle again. It is worth noting that you can program up to three remotes. To end the programming sequence, you need to turn the ignition back to the Off position.

Sixth Step

The final step is to test the reprogrammed key FOBs. Take them with you, then get off your car. Do not forget to close all the doors before starting the testing phase. To verify the success of the reprogramming procedure, try unlocking the doors, using the key FOBs.

Hiring a Professional

It is worth noting that it can be challenging to reprogram certain types of key FOBs. In some cases, you might need specialist hardware. It can be expensive to get an authorized car dealer to handle the situation. However, you can have the remote key re-encoded by an auto locksmith company or a mechanic workshop. They will likely offer a comparatively lower price than an authorized car dealer.