I recently became the owner of a low-mileage 2000 Subaru Outback, a fantastic vehicle passed down from my Dad with only 67,000 miles. It only came with one key fob, which was functioning correctly. Knowing that key fobs from similar and later Subaru models are often interchangeable, and after some online research suggesting compatibility, I decided to program a spare multi-colored button fob I had previously used with my 2003 Forester to work with the Outback.
I followed the programming procedure to the letter: driver’s door closed, ignition cycled on-off ten times until the single beep confirmed programming mode was active. I pressed the buttons on the new fob – though I can’t recall if I opened the door before this step – and then removed the key, hearing the confirmation of three beeps. I believed I had successfully programmed the new 2000 Subaru Outback Key Fob. Unfortunately, neither the new fob nor the original key fob would operate the car’s remote functions.
Attempting to reprogram the new fob again, I discovered the car would no longer enter programming mode. It seems the ECU’s fob programming system is now unresponsive, leaving both key fobs useless. Simply starting and stopping the engine hasn’t reset anything. Has anyone encountered this issue when programming a 2000 Subaru Outback key fob? Could the problem be related to the spare fob already being programmed to another vehicle, even though these older fobs are supposed to sync with the ECU of the car being programmed? What’s the best approach to reset the system and begin the key fob programming process anew?
