Experiencing car trouble is always frustrating, especially when it seems to come out of nowhere. Like many Dodge Challenger owners, I pride myself on keeping my ride in top shape. That’s why I was so annoyed when, after getting my passenger window repaired by Safelite following a break-in, my key fob suddenly started acting up, displaying a “damaged key” message on the dashboard. Before the window repair, my 2014 Dodge Challenger SXT key fob was working perfectly fine, aside from an occasional “key fob not detected” blip which was easily resolved.
Now, both of my key fobs, while still able to manually lock and unlock the doors and trunk, are giving me the same “damaged key” error, and the car simply won’t start. It’s incredibly inconvenient and I’m worried about being stranded. Could the window repair somehow be related to this new key fob issue? The Safelite technician started the car multiple times during the repair process without any problems, and it was only after they left that this issue arose.
I’m trying to avoid a costly trip to the Dodge dealership if possible. I’ve already attempted the push-to-start button trick, holding the key fob to it for a few seconds as some forums suggested, but no luck. Is there anything else I can try, or any ideas what might be causing this “damaged key” message out of the blue? Could it be something simple I’m overlooking before I consider more drastic (and expensive) measures? Any advice or insights from fellow car enthusiasts or experts would be greatly appreciated!
Could this be a simple battery issue even though the key fobs are relatively new? Or is it possible that something happened during the window repair that could have interfered with the car’s immobilizer system or key fob receiver? I’m grasping at straws here trying to figure out what’s going on. The timing is just too coincidental to ignore – everything was fine until after the window was fixed. It’s perplexing that both key fobs are showing the same error simultaneously.
If anyone has experienced a similar “damaged key” situation, especially after auto glass repair or with a Dodge Challenger, I’d be very grateful to hear about your experience and any solutions you might have found. Trying to troubleshoot this myself before resorting to professional help. Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!
