Key FOB Battery Life

[DennisY]

Does anyone know the expected key FOB battery life on the 5th Gens or when RAM recommends replacing the battery? I don't see anything about this in the manual.

 

[Richard320]

Mine seemed to be acting weird (short range), so I just replaced the battery a couple days ago. It made no difference, so I figure I replaced it for nothing.

My truck was bought June 2019, so figure the battery was close to four years old. Hope this helps.

 

[DennisY]

Thanks, mine is still working fine but... Purchased mine May, 2019.

 

[Dewey]

My 4th Gen fobs which were pretty much the same as these were still working fine after 5 years. I replaced the batteries after that just because. Always had spares in my glove box just in case.

Hopefully the 5th Gens fobs don’t have the same supplier as the under hood batteries.

 

[6of36]

I have been leasing up until now since 2000, except a purchase in 2009, which I drove 4 years. I have only had to replace a fob battery once, and it wasn't the one I had 4 years. I would expect 3 to 4 years, unless you are locking unlocking more than 8 or 10 times a day.

 

[SD Rebel]

My truck was built in Jan of 2019, just over 4 years and it's still working fine.

But, I don't want to be caught out with a key fob that won't work soon, so will be doing this soon....

 

[PurpleRT]

Just toss a spare battery/small screwdriver/flathead if your glovebox for when the time comes


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Jako]

I have been leasing up until now since 2000, except a purchase in 2009, which I drove 4 years. I have only had to replace a fob battery once, and it wasn't the one I had 4 years. I would expect 3 to 4 years, unless you are locking unlocking more than 8 or 10 times a day.

In line with:

How Long Does A Key Fob Battery Last After Warning? - BatteryStory

It contains an electronic transmitter chip that transmits the signal when you press the button to open the door. A small battery is used to power the key fob.

batterystory.com

 

[Malodave]

I just replaced mine in my Primary Key Fob. Got the Truck in December 2020.
The LED was dim compared to the Spare Fob and I was getting a few non Starts
in the Morning. FYI it uses a 2450 Coin Cell.

Malodave

 

[6of36]

I just replaced mine in my Primary Key Fob. Got the Truck in December 2020.
The LED was dim compared to the Spare Fob and I was getting a few non Starts
in the Morning. FYI it uses a 2450 Coin Cell.

Malodave

That is the good thing with the newer fobs, they have the LED. At least until 2021. Question, when you remote start, does it show when the truck starts? Ford remotes do. If the attempt works, it flashes green, if it doesn't, it flashes red. My brother replaced his F150 with a Ram in 21, and that's one thing he misses.

 

[Malodave]

That is the good thing with the newer fobs, they have the LED. At least until 2021. Question, when you remote start, does it show when the truck starts? Ford remotes do. If the attempt works, it flashes green, if it doesn't, it flashes red. My brother replaced his F150 with a Ram in 21, and that's one thing he misses.

Not that I have noticed. But I have a Silicone cover over my Fobs.


Malodave

 

[DennisY]

I asked the question about the battery because I hadn't really thought about it before. I saw an article in a magazine and it prompted me to worry, though I've never had a key FOB go dead on me. I learned that our 5th Gen RAMs have a built in key and that even with a dead battery in the FOB, we can get in with the key and still start the truck too (not with the key obviously). For good measure, I replaced the battery in my now nearly five year old FOB and also in my wife's 8 year old Ford Escape. So we should be good for a while now. It would have been nice to have info about battery replacement in the factory manual but I sure didn't see it.

 

[Rick J]

Not really relevant to Ram but my wife's 2014 Honda Odyssey just gave a low fob battery warning so I replaced the battery in both fobs for the first time. Does anyone know if the Ram will give a low fob battery warning? Can't find anything on it in the owners manual.

 

[6of36]

I asked the question about the battery because I hadn't really thought about it before. I saw an article in a magazine and it prompted me to worry, though I've never had a key FOB go dead on me. I learned that our 5th Gen RAMs have a built in key and that even with a dead battery in the FOB, we can get in with the key and still start the truck too (not with the key obviously). For good measure, I replaced the battery in my now nearly five year old FOB and also in my wife's 8 year old Ford Escape. So we should be good for a while now. It would have been nice to have info about battery replacement in the factory manual but I sure didn't see it.

It is in every manual i have had of varying years. On a 23 Ram, it's page 18.

 

[6of36]

Not really relevant to Ram but my wife's 2014 Honda Odyssey just gave a low fob battery warning so I replaced the battery in both fobs for the first time. Does anyone know if the Ram will give a low fob battery warning? Can't find anything on it in the owners manual.

Page 16 of 23 manual. 23s have LED on fob, that will dim with low battery, but your 19 should be the same, at least with 7" dash display, and will say low fob battery in dash.

 

[23RAM]

Does anyone know the expected key FOB battery life on the 5th Gens or when RAM recommends replacing the battery? I don't see anything about this in the manual.

As mentioned it will vary depending on use. I've had keyless vehicles for over 15 years so one of the first things I did was change the behaviour of the fob - one click to unlock all doors, one click to lock and set alarm, and only use the fob for remote actions since the keyless entry means you don't need to push any buttons. Doing this, I get at least 5 years out of a battery from a heavily used vehicle, and since the more you click the more battery you're using, cut down on the clicks and you'll get more battery life.

I was going through the settings today and found I could disable the horn for remote starts and locking - this is great for me as it means the truck isn't honking late at night or early in the morning as I come and go. Nice feature.

 

[Rick J]

Page 16 of 23 manual. 23s have LED on fob, that will dim with low battery, but your 19 should be the same, at least with 7" dash display, and will say low fob battery in dash.

Thanks. I guess I have a reading comprehension deficit. I found it. Missed it when looking before. For the 2019 it is Page 11 of the user guide and page 19 of the owners manual.

 

[6of36]

Thanks. I guess I have a reading comprehension deficit. I found it. Missed it when looking before. For the 2019 it is Page 11 of the user guide and page 19 of the owners manual.

Things aren't always easy to find in the manuals. They put things in odd orders, and sometimes the reference pictures are on a different page than the written part.

 

[Jako]

Thanks. I guess I have a reading comprehension deficit. I found it. Missed it when looking before. For the 2019 it is Page 11 of the user guide and page 19 of the owners manual.

I wouldn't feel bad as the 2019 Owner's Manual is what, like 600 pages plus.

 

[2019REBEL]

I bought mine Dec 2018 and its still working like it should after 4+ years.