Like many 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix owners, I recently encountered an issue with my key fob. It started intermittently, sometimes responding to button presses and sometimes not. My first thought, like many, was a dying key fob battery. Without testing the voltage, I preemptively replaced it with a new Duracell 2032 battery. Following the instructions molded into the fob casing, I held down the unlock and lock buttons near the car for 7 seconds post-battery replacement. However, the door locks continued to respond sporadically.
Then, the key fob stopped working altogether. I had to resort to using the physical key to open the door. Coincidentally, or so I thought, my car battery, an Everlast Maxx, gave out just shy of its 7-year mark – mirroring the lifespan of the original factory battery. I initially wondered if a failing car battery was somehow linked to the key fob malfunction. After installing a new Everlast Maxx car battery, I tested the fob again. Unfortunately, the issue persisted: intermittent response, and virtually no response from about 20 feet away. The trunk lock exhibited the same inconsistent behavior.
Interestingly, the inside door lock switch functions perfectly, locking and unlocking the doors as expected. To rule out a faulty fob, I retrieved my second, unused key fob, still in its original packaging from when the car was new. I tried it with three different batteries, including a brand new one. Disappointingly, it performed identically to my primary fob, even with the original battery that had been sitting dormant for years.
Since both fobs behave the same way, despite new batteries and one being virtually unused, I’m led to believe the problem isn’t with the fobs themselves. It seems the issue lies on the receiving end – within the car’s system.
This leads me to ask: what is the most probable cause of this problem? If it is indeed a receiver issue, is the receiver integrated with the door lock actuator or is it a separate component? And crucially, where is this receiver located in a 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix? Any insights or guidance on diagnosing and resolving this “2005 Pontiac Grand Prix Key Fob Not Working” issue would be greatly appreciated.
