Experiencing issues with your 2020 Honda Pilot key fob? It can be frustrating when your key fob becomes unresponsive, leaving you struggling to lock, unlock, or start your vehicle remotely. While a dead battery is often the culprit, it’s not always the only reason. Before you rush to replace the battery in your 2020 Honda Pilot key fob, let’s explore some troubleshooting steps and solutions to get you back on the road quickly.
One common misconception is that a new battery is always the immediate fix. However, sometimes your key fob might just need a simple reset or reprogramming, especially if you’ve recently replaced the battery or experienced electronic glitches. Before assuming you need a new battery for your 2020 Honda Pilot key fob, consider trying to reprogram it. This process can often resolve temporary communication issues between your key fob and your vehicle.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to reprogramming your Honda Pilot key fobs. Remember, you’ll need all your key fobs for the vehicle present during this process, and ensure all doors and the rear hatch are securely closed.
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Get inside your 2020 Honda Pilot, ensuring all doors and the trunk are tightly shut.
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Insert your key into the ignition and turn it to the “ON” position (position “II” on the ignition bezel) so that the dashboard lights illuminate. Within 5 seconds of turning it to “ON”, press the “Lock” button on one of your key fobs for about a second, then release.
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Turn the key back to the “OFF” position (position “I” on the ignition bezel) – the dashboard lights should go off.
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Repeat steps 2 and 3 three more times. This means you will turn the key to “ON” and press the lock button, then to “OFF”, a total of four times. Each step must be completed within 5 seconds of the last.
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On the fourth turn of the key to the “ON” position, press the lock button on any of your key fobs. You should hear the door locks cycle, making a “clunk” sound. The locks won’t actually lock or unlock at this stage, but this sound indicates that your system has entered programming mode. Do not turn the key off after this step.
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Within 5 seconds of entering programming mode, and then within 5 seconds of each other, press the lock button on each key fob you wish to program for about one second and release. Each time you press a key fob button, the locks should cycle again. You can program up to three key fobs in one session. This entire step needs to be completed within 10 seconds.
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Finally, turn the ignition completely off and remove the key. Exit your Honda Pilot and close the door. Now, test each of your key fobs to see if they are working correctly. If your Honda Pilot has a trunk/hatch release button on the fob, you may need to hold it down for a couple of seconds to activate the trunk/hatch.
If reprogramming doesn’t solve the issue, then it’s highly likely that the battery for your 2020 Honda Pilot key fob is indeed the problem. The battery type you’ll typically need is a CR2032 button cell battery. These batteries are widely available and relatively inexpensive. Replacing the battery is a straightforward process that you can usually do yourself with a small flathead screwdriver.
In conclusion, when facing issues with your 2020 Honda Pilot key fob, start with reprogramming it using the steps above. If the problem persists, then replacing the battery for your 2020 Honda Pilot key fob is the next logical step. This two-pronged approach can resolve most common key fob problems and keep you conveniently accessing your vehicle.
