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Disabling key fob car alarm button

13K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  javiera781 
#1 ·
I had posted some time ago about our car alarm going off. Most people thought someone was accidentally pushing the button on the key fob. Although this doesn't explain all episodes, we've discovered that at one of our houses the living room is close enough to the garage that the button accidentally pushed can set off the alarm. So I went off to figure out whether I have to take his key away from him (LOL!) or if there is another solution, and I found one.


First, from what I read, Kia does not offer a solution for this problem. But at least one person has. This solution involves essentially jamming that button so it can't be pushed. No permanent damage to the key fob involved. We've not done it yet because we need to buy the "parts" but we will!



 
#2 ·
There is a thread on here (I think, sometimes I'm not sure if it is the Ioniq forum where I saw it) with perhaps five different methods of disabling the panic button.

The method described in the video is very similar to the method I used. You don't need "parts", I simply cut off about 2mm of a paper clip - I used a wire cutter but scissors will work fine - just be careful about the snipped piece shooting off. I spent a few minutes to attempt to align it, but it turned out not to necessary. It rolled under the cover and I discovered that blocking just one side (rather than two as the video shows and that I myself thought I would have to do) was enough. It won't trigger now, and the whole operation can be done in seconds - reversible should you sell the car.
 
#4 ·
For me, having the fob on a key ring in my pocket means that the other keys will press on the button when I sit down. Not every time of course, but I hate having the alarm go off (and usually at least 20 others will hate it too). Worth fixing for just one time a year.
 
#5 ·
My husband has decided he's going to keep his keys in a box now. So now we're looking for a small plastic box. (Metal won't work, we had an Altoid box). I don't know why he doesn't just put something in there to block it... I don't have the problem -- my key is in my purse or waist pack.
 
#6 ·
Pants with side cargo pockets are another option... less likely to accidentally press the button if the fob is in one of those kind of pockets.


But the solution that finally worked for me: take the button out and leave it out (the OP's video shows how to do this at about 1:50 seconds). Get a silicone key fob protector (I got mine at the dealer's parts counter). That's a good thing to do in any event: when you someday go to sell the car, throw the protector away: the key fob will hopefully still look like new and make a better impression on whoever you are selling it to. Put the protector over the key fob: it will cover the hole where the button used to be, and it will look like a normal key fob. The advantage compared to the solution described in the video is that you can still hit the panic button when you want to, but only if you press really hard; it's never going to go off accidentally in your pocket. The disadvantage: you will want to put the button somewhere that you can count on finding it when you someday go to sell the car.
 
#7 ·
I had posted some time ago about our car alarm going off. Most people thought someone was accidentally pushing the button on the key fob. Although this doesn't explain all episodes, we've discovered that at one of our houses the living room is close enough to the garage that the button accidentally pushed can set off the alarm. So I went off to figure out whether I have to take his key away from him (LOL!) or if there is another solution, and I found one.


First, from what I read, Kia does not offer a solution for this problem. But at least one person has. This solution involves essentially jamming that button so it can't be pushed. No permanent damage to the key fob involved. We've not done it yet because we need to buy the "parts" but we will!



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksp6agu93Zg
This works great!! I tried the silocon cover, etc,etc to no avail ...so now I do't have a "panic button" but as I think about it the only times I've ever used the "panic button" over the past decades on my cars -- was to annoy friends or my wife :p
 
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