How to start your car when your smart key battery is dead.
With cars equipped with smart keys, you simply press a button to start the engine; however, many people are unable to start their car when the key fob battery dies.
Smart Key is a fairly common feature on many cars today (and even many new motorcycles now have this feature). With this feature, you don't need to insert the key into the ignition; you can start the vehicle normally with a simple Engine Start/Stop button.
Specifically, for vehicles equipped with a smart key, the driver simply needs to have the key in hand, approach the vehicle, press a button or touch the door handle, and all the doors will open. Then, press the brake (or clutch for manual transmission vehicles) and press the Engine Start Stop button to start the engine. However, before starting the engine, make sure the gear lever is in the "P" position.
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| Smart keys are now quite common and almost standard in modern cars. |
Conversely, when you want to stop the car, simply shift to "P" gear and press the Engine Start Stop button again to turn off the engine. And after getting out of the car, just press the button on the door handle again to lock the car.
However, that's assuming your car key is working properly and has battery power. But if your car key runs out of battery, you'll have to perform more steps to start the car. Notably, many drivers are unaware of this and are confused or unable to start their car when the key unfortunately runs out of battery.
Therefore, if your car key battery is dead, follow these steps to start your car normally:
First, remove the mechanical key from the Smart Key by pressing the latch on the key and then pulling it out. Use the mechanical key to pry open the lock cover on the door handle. Many cars don't have this cover and the lock is exposed, so you don't need to do this step.
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| For vehicles equipped with a smart key, the driver simply needs to press the brake pedal and then press the Engine Start Stop button to start the engine. |
Then, you use the key to unlock the door (you do the same as using a traditional key) and get into the car.
Next, you can start the car. The starting process is similar to a normal start (press the brake and then press the Engine Start Stop button), but note that instead of pressing it manually as usual, you use the smart key. That's how you start the car.For some car models equipped with a smart key charging port directly in the vehicle, after opening the door, insert the key into the charging port, then press the brake and press the Engine Start Stop button as usual.
The Smart Key System was first developed by Europe's largest electrical company, Siemens AG, in 1995 and first introduced by Mercedes-Benz in 1998 on the luxurious S-Class W220. At that time, Mercedes didn't call it Smart Key but rather "Key-less Go," a name that is still used today.
