The fobik: a key that looks like a remote
From about 2008 on, many models in this family start with a fobik, a word made from fob and key. Picture a remote with a stubby blade on one end: it slides into a slot in the dash, and you turn it the way you would turn a key. Owners often call it a remote, so on the phone we ask how the vehicle starts: a fobik key, a regular key or a button.
A fobik rearranges the three parts of a key. Its stubby blade has no cuts to match a lock; it seats the fob in the slot, where the vehicle reads the chip inside. The chip is a transponder, and the immobilizer (the circuit that gives the engine permission to run) checks it first. The buttons are the remote, and many fobiks keep a small metal key inside, behind a release, for the door lock.
Jeep key replacement on 2018-and-newer models
On many models from 2018 on, a security gateway sits in front of the vehicle's computer network. It puts an extra step in front of key programming, which is why we ask for the exact year and model on the phone: the answer shows what your vehicle needs before the service vehicle leaves.
Other models in the family use a chip key, a flip key or a push-button smart key. A smart key is a proximity key, meaning the vehicle senses it nearby and a button starts the engine with the fob still in a jacket. The push-to-start key page covers how those are replaced, and chip and flip keys explains the rest.
Ram, Jeep and Dodge models
Examples include the Ram 1500 and 2500, the Jeep Wrangler, Grand Cherokee, Cherokee and Gladiator, and the Dodge Charger, Durango and Grand Caravan. A Jeep Wrangler key lost after a day outdoors, a Ram key fob whose buttons quit and a Dodge key fob for a Durango all begin with one question: what year is it? We also work on many Chrysler models; call with the year and model.
What to try before you call
- Seat the fobik again. Pull it out and push it fully into the slot before you try to turn it.
- Try the spare fob. If it starts the vehicle, the trouble is in the first fob, not the dash.
- Replace the battery when the buttons fade. In a fobik the chip is read in the slot, so a weak battery may silence the buttons while the engine still starts.
When you call, give the year and model, the number of fobs that still work, and where the vehicle is: a ranch yard outside Kuna, an apartment lot in Meridian or a pickup at a Caldwell job site. You hear the price on the call, before anyone heads your way. Keep a photo ID nearby, along with the registration or title, because we check ownership before a door is opened or a key is made.
Honest limits
Some late-model Dodge, Ram and Jeep vehicles can be keyed only with the dealer's own security access. When yours is one of those, you find out on the phone and can go straight to the dealer. A fob bought online gets checked first; many cannot be paired with the vehicle, so no promise is made for it. For the buttons alone, see remote and fob programming.
If every fob is gone, our page on a key with nothing left to copy walks through that job. On many vehicles, fobs that went missing can be cleared from the vehicle's memory, so a finder could not use them to start it.