Remote start not working when cold

[Hrspwr88]

Hey,

As the title states, if I attempt to remote start when the truck is cold it will honk once and the do nothing. There are no error messages either...

It has ample amount of fuel, engine light isn't on, and doors are closed.

If I manually start the truck, let it run, shut it off, the remote start will work.

Thoughts?

2020 Limited EcoDiesel

 

[Draker]

Just had the same issue this morning. -7 degrees here today and the remote would have been handy.

 

[securityguy]

Thoughts?

2020 Limited EcoDiesel

Move to a warmer climate

 

[Moe1962]

How cold is cold? It was 24 degrees when I remote started mine this morning and it worked as expected.

 

[Jeffjad]

Below is a cut and paste from the manual. My guess would be that your battery may have low voltage when it's that cold due to a bad cell or something. When you start it normally on the cold mornings is it a bit sluggish to start? These trucks are fidgety when it comes to batteries.

All of the following conditions must be met
before the engine will remote start:
 Gear selector in PARK
 Doors closed
 Hood closed
 Hazard switch off
 Brake switch inactive (brake pedal not
pushed)
 Battery at an acceptable charge level
 PANIC button not pushed
 Fuel meets minimum requirement
 System not disabled from previous remote
start event
 Vehicle security alarm not active
 Malfunction Indicator Light is not illuminated

 

[Jako]

Below is a cut and paste from the manual. My guess would be that your battery may have low voltage when it's that cold due to a bad cell or something. When you start it normally on the cold mornings is it a bit sluggish to start? These trucks are fidgety when it comes to batteries.

All of the following conditions must be met
before the engine will remote start:
 Gear selector in PARK
 Doors closed
 Hood closed
 Hazard switch off
 Brake switch inactive (brake pedal not
pushed)
 Battery at an acceptable charge level
 PANIC button not pushed
 Fuel meets minimum requirement
 System not disabled from previous remote
start event
 Vehicle security alarm not active
 Malfunction Indicator Light is not illuminated

I am not a mechanic or qualified in electrical issues but agree with the statement on the battery. I was told while having my vehicle serviced (battery replaced) that there are 20+ modules in the Ram. Somewhere on the forum it was explained how the electrical system reads the voltage for the battery and the vehicle will not start if the electrical voltage is not adequate. Your explanation sounds very plausible based on the forum and my experience.

 

[Hrspwr88]

-7deg C. Really not that cold. Or not cold enough to be the reason...

I believe its a weak battery also.

 

[HydroRebel]

Gotta agree on the weak battery as well. I live in Northern Alberta and it gets pretty cold here. I don't have an issue remote starting in the cold whether I plug the truck in or not.

 

[UnloosedChewtoy]

As others suggested, I'd test the battery. Its free at most auto stores. If its weak at all, there's probably your culprit.

 

[LaxDfns15]

If it's not the battery, I saw on another forum where it could be a non-visible CEL stored in the system. User said he went to the dealer to force a software update, and it fixed the problem.

 

[Draker]

How cold is cold? It was 24 degrees when I remote started mine this morning and it worked as expected.

-7C is about 19 F. Not really that cold.

 

[Hrspwr88]

Ever since I disconnected the battery overnight to reset its been ok. Stay tuned...

 

[Draker]

Will get the battery checked. Thanks to everyone for the advice.

 

[Hrspwr88]

Will get the battery checked. Thanks to everyone for the advice.

FYI. My battery was confirmed to be weak when I tested it after it sat for a couple days. But when I drive around and then test it, it says its good. (If you need to drive to a shop to get it tested, in most cases the alt will charge it enough to say its fine.)

 

[FastBlackRam]

FYI in early 2020 I had a CEL that kept coming on that when it was active the remote start would start then immediately shut off. I never found out what was causing the CEL as it stopped coming on after a few battery negative terminal resets. Have not seen the CEL in around a year.

So for me a CEL was inhibiting remote start.

 

[HydroRebel]

Well it's not cold related but ironic after my above comment. I kind of go back and forth between the keyfob and the android app for remote starting. I 100% use the app when I'm at work due to how far I have to park and normally use the fob more at home but this morning I used the app at home to remote start my truck and it came back "failed" but it remote started no problem with the keyfob. I'm still scratching my head on this one.

 

[RamCares]

Hey,

As the title states, if I attempt to remote start when the truck is cold it will honk once and the do nothing. There are no error messages either...

It has ample amount of fuel, engine light isn't on, and doors are closed.

If I manually start the truck, let it run, shut it off, the remote start will work.

Thoughts?

2020 Limited EcoDiesel

Hello @Hrspwr88, we certainly understand how this would be an inconvenience! If you are not able to determine a solution based on suggestions from fellow forum members and you decide to address this with your Ram dealer, we recommend following up with our Canadian Customer Care team for further support. You may either call 1-800-361-3700 or submit your info at https://forms.chryslercanada.ca/contact/en/contactCCI.php?brand=dodge to receive an email follow up.

Just had the same issue this morning. -7 degrees here today and the remote would have been handy.

Hi @Draker, we are sorry for the trouble! Please know that our team is available to you via private messages if you decide to address this with your dealer. We would be happy to offer additional support throughout your service in order to ensure that your concerns are addressed and resolved!

Kathryn
Ram Cares

 

[Hrspwr88]

Update, it hasn't been cold these past days but the truck sat for a couple days and the remote start has been working fine. Perhaps just a reset from disconnecting worked... I'll keep checking in.

 

[Sherran]

I just hit 10k miles with no issues until a week ago where my truck will also not remote start when it's about 40F or lower. It will blink once and do nothing - also no messages. If I stand right in front of it when trying to start it, I can hear some type of "buzzing" under the hood like it's trying to do something but stops after a second or two. The remote start will work later in the day when it's warmer or after I've driven it so this leads me to believe it's a battery issue.

I took it to the CDJR dealership in my town on 1/12 and they reset something (sorry left paperwork at home) and they said if it continues then it's probably a fob issue? The next morning it was 29F out and the remote start worked the first time. However, 1/14 and 1/15 the remote start did not work, again - both mornings it was about 30-33F out. I am going back to the dealership today and I'm going to have them look at my battery under the hood and not my fob battery. I also took a snippet of the list Jeffjad pasted (thank you) from the owners manual and will have them check that out as well.

So far the dealership has treated me well and responded in a timely manner. Will post an update later tonight!

 

[Hrspwr88]

Mine stopped working again.