Lost your key fob or need to program a new one for your 1999 Subaru Legacy? You might be surprised to learn you can often program a new key fob yourself right at home, without a trip to the dealership. This guide will walk you through the steps to program your 1999 Subaru Legacy key fob, saving you time and money.
Programming Your 1999 Subaru Legacy Key Fob
Follow these steps carefully to program your key fob. It’s crucial to perform the steps accurately and within the specified timeframes for successful programming.
- Unlock all doors on your Subaru Legacy. Ensure all doors are properly closed before starting the process.
- Key Cycling: Quickly cycle your ignition key from the “off” to the “on” position approximately ten times. It’s important to do this rapidly but carefully, ensuring you reach the “on” position where the dashboard lights illuminate, but without starting the engine. Complete these ten cycles within 15 seconds.
- Listen for the Horn: After the key cycling, listen for a horn honk. This indicates that your Subaru has entered programming mode.
- Door Activation: Once the horn honks, immediately open and then close the driver’s side door. This action confirms you’re ready to program a key fob.
- Transmitter Programming: Press any button on the key fob you wish to program. If the programming is successful, you should hear two horn beeps confirming successful programming.
- Programming Additional Remotes (Optional): If you have another remote to program, quickly open and close the driver’s door again and press a button on the second remote. Repeat this for any additional remotes you need to program. Remember, to overwrite old codes and ensure only your new remotes work, you should ideally program up to four remotes. If you only have one new remote, you will need to repeat the programming procedure four times with the same remote to overwrite all old codes.
- Exit Programming Mode: After you have programmed all your key fobs, remove the key from the ignition. The horn should honk three times to signal that you have exited the programming mode and the process is complete.
Important Considerations
- Timing is Key: The 15-second window for key cycling and the 45-second window to open the driver’s door after cycling are critical. Ensure you are performing these steps within the given timeframes.
- Lock Position: When cycling the key, make sure you turn it to the LOCK position and leave it there momentarily before turning it back to the OFF position for each cycle.
- Horn Confirmation: Pay close attention to the horn beeps. One beep indicates programming mode entry, two beeps confirm successful transmitter programming, and three beeps signal programming mode exit.
- Overwriting Old Codes: To maximize security and deactivate old or lost key fobs, programming up to four new codes is recommended. This ensures that only the programmed remotes will operate your vehicle’s remote functions.
By following these steps, you can easily program your 1999 Subaru Legacy key fob and regain the convenience of remote locking and unlocking. If you encounter difficulties, double-check each step and ensure you are adhering to the time constraints.
