Disarming Immobilizer On Suzuki Swift 2007 / 2008

VTEC · February 25, 2011

Hi,

Something weird has happened to our Swift 2007. One of my cousins was trying to take something out of the car and was fudging around with the remote key to get it unlocked. She managed to unlock after several mins. A few hours later when I tried to go somewhere the car would nt start. It would crank up but the engine wouldnt start up. I could see an orange "padlock on a car" indicator flashing on the dashboard suggesting that the engine was locked! I figured the Immobilizer would have kicked in for some reason due to my cousin messing around with the remote key. Now Im stuck while this Engine / Car lock (Padlock) indicator flashing when I try to crank up and the engine just wont start.

Here s the weird part. I have a plain spare key which does not have the remote keyless entry buttons. And when I use this key the car starts with no issues. Initial assumption is that the remote key has some sort of sensor RFID which is not allowing the engine to start and the Padlock / Car Lock indicator keeps flashing! While it starts with the normal key since it has no sensor or RFID.

Any suggestions as to how I can disarm the immobilizer and get the car started with the original remote key?

P.S - This key only has the lock and unlock buttons and no immobilizer or any other button for that matter.

Thanks,

V.

The Stig · February 25, 2011

On 2/25/2011 at 6:20 PM, VTEC said:

Hi,

Something weird has happened to our Swift 2007. One of my cousins was trying to take something out of the car and was fudging around with the remote key to get it unlocked. She managed to unlock after several mins. A few hours later when I tried to go somewhere the car would nt start. It would crank up but the engine wouldnt start up. I could see an orange "padlock on a car" indicator flashing on the dashboard suggesting that the engine was locked! I figured the Immobilizer would have kicked in for some reason due to my cousin messing around with the remote key. Now Im stuck while this Engine / Car lock (Padlock) indicator flashing when I try to crank up and the engine just wont start.

Here s the weird part. I have a plain spare key which does not have the remote keyless entry buttons. And when I use this key the car starts with no issues. Initial assumption is that the remote key has some sort of sensor RFID which is not allowing the engine to start and the Padlock / Car Lock indicator keeps flashing! While it starts with the normal key since it has no sensor or RFID.

Any suggestions as to how I can disarm the immobilizer and get the car started with the original remote key?

P.S - This key only has the lock and unlock buttons and no immobilizer or any other button for that matter.

Thanks,

V.

Is your unit factory fitted or an aftermarket one ?

If there is no immobilizer in the alarm there is no way it can stop the engine, im guessing the problem isn't with your alarm.see theses new keys come with embedded Ic's for identification, maybe your cousin dropped the key or damaged the chip in someway.

BTW does our key with the remote have some sort of identification ship embedded ?

Sometimes a simple thing like removing the battery for about 15 minutes might reset the alarm but not sure if it will work in your case. Just give it a try and see.

VTEC · February 25, 2011

On 2/25/2011 at 6:47 PM, The Stig said:

Is your unit factory fitted or an aftermarket one ?

If there is no immobilizer in the alarm there is no way it can stop the engine, im guessing the problem isn't with your alarm.see theses new keys come with embedded Ic's for identification, maybe your cousin dropped the key or damaged the chip in someway.

BTW does our key with the remote have some sort of identification ship embedded ?

Sometimes a simple thing like removing the battery for about 15 minutes might reset the alarm but not sure if it will work in your case. Just give it a try and see.

Its factory fitted. There is no immobilizer button on the key, but the Engine Car PadLock indicator does blink on the dashboard (Im assuming this is the immobilizer indication).

Yes she did drop the key while trying to catch it form the first floor!! So yes there is a possibility of the chip / IC getting damaged like you say if there is one, but there is no physical damage as such. I guess I will have to open it and see if there is a chip in it.

How do I get this fixed if this is the case? I will give removing the battery a try.

Edited February 25, 2011 by VTEC

kelum_wj · February 26, 2011

On 2/25/2011 at 6:20 PM, VTEC said:

Hi,

Something weird has happened to our Swift 2007. One of my cousins was trying to take something out of the car and was fudging around with the remote key to get it unlocked. She managed to unlock after several mins. A few hours later when I tried to go somewhere the car would nt start. It would crank up but the engine wouldnt start up. I could see an orange "padlock on a car" indicator flashing on the dashboard suggesting that the engine was locked! I figured the Immobilizer would have kicked in for some reason due to my cousin messing around with the remote key. Now Im stuck while this Engine / Car lock (Padlock) indicator flashing when I try to crank up and the engine just wont start.

Here s the weird part. I have a plain spare key which does not have the remote keyless entry buttons. And when I use this key the car starts with no issues. Initial assumption is that the remote key has some sort of sensor RFID which is not allowing the engine to start and the Padlock / Car Lock indicator keeps flashing! While it starts with the normal key since it has no sensor or RFID.

Any suggestions as to how I can disarm the immobilizer and get the car started with the original remote key?

P.S - This key only has the lock and unlock buttons and no immobilizer or any other button for that matter.

Thanks,

V.

Buddy theres a transponder in the Key. It might have got damaged as u r cousin has dropped it therefore it must be not sending a signal back to the car's ecu to validate it's code. In that case the immobilizer kicks in and hence it prevents you from starting it.

Sometimes the keys with transponders look like ordinary keys (*no buttons)

If removing the battery doesnt work take it to the Agents A*W (*Kitulwatta)they may be able to reprogram a new key

Edited February 26, 2011 by kelum_wj

The Stig · February 26, 2011

On 2/25/2011 at 7:50 PM, VTEC said:

Its factory fitted. There is no immobilizer button on the key, but the Engine Car PadLock indicator does blink on the dashboard (Im assuming this is the immobilizer indication).

Yes she did drop the key while trying to catch it form the first floor!! So yes there is a possibility of the chip / IC getting damaged like you say if there is one, but there is no physical damage as such. I guess I will have to open it and see if there is a chip in it.

How do I get this fixed if this is the case? I will give removing the battery a try.

Yes just like Kelum said i think you should consult A*W regarding this issue

BTW did you try the battery removing thing ?

BLu3HaZe · February 26, 2011

Yes as kelum_wj mentioned, if your car has an immobilizer, all the keys will have a transponder and that disarms the immobilizer when in ignition. So looks like a damaged transponder in the original remote key, though it'd let you turn the key as grooves are the same, the car won't start. You can get it fixed at the agents, maybe the IC could be replaced or a new remote key ordered

VTEC · February 26, 2011

Ok, just like Kelum said ordinary key without the buttons also seems to have the transponder in it. Its sealed inside the plastic and cannot be removed. This is true since I tried with a normal manual cut key and it would nt start either. SO there s definitely a transponder in all the keys with buttons or no buttons.

Now for the key with the buttons which is not working, I removed the screw from the housing to expose the battery and the chip, but inside was another sealed transmitter housing with the buttons built into this. There is no visible physical damage. Snapped opened it and the battery and the chip are inside, again no damage or physical signs of abuse. Removed the battery and waiting for about 15 mins now.

Ill post what happens next.

kelum_wj · February 26, 2011

On 2/26/2011 at 5:08 AM, BLu3HaZe said:

Yes as kelum_wj mentioned, if your car has an immobilizer, all the keys will have a transponder and that disarms the immobilizer when in ignition. So looks like a damaged transponder in the original remote key, though it'd let you turn the key as grooves are the same, the car won't start. You can get it fixed at the agents, maybe the IC could be replaced or a new remote key ordered

+1

BLu3HaZe · February 26, 2011

So what happened VTEC? Hope your problem was solved by the battery removal, as A*W isn't always the nicest agent with the general public, especially when it comes to things which we don't buy from them, such as taking a generic key from outside to be programmed

PS - Shock and vibration may damage electronic items even if there is no physical signs of damage, even for solid state components like the IC in the key

Edited February 26, 2011 by BLu3HaZe

VTEC · February 26, 2011

Right, so I tried the battery trick and that didnt work. Kept the battery out for quite a long time.

So I went to the agents A*W at Narehnepitiya. At first it seemed like a holiday there because of the match fanfare even though it was supposed to be open. Luckily I found the service manager who was a nice chap. He just asked straight away if we had dropped it! And said the exact same thing what Bluehaze mentioned, the transponder gets damaged if there is a vibration or some sort of shock to the key. He was doubtful it would be fixed by reprogramming the key but he tried nevertheless with no luck The second key also stopped working since he tried to reset the 1st one and thus had to reprogram the second key again! He was nice enough to not charge anything for this.

The only option as to buy a new key and get it programmed. So I went to the stores to get the price and guess what, the key will cost around 15,000/= minimum and there is NO stock. Earliest date to get it down is a month! I asked them if they could disable the immobilizer but that is not possible according to them. So im stuck with just one key at the moment. Its pretty ridiculous if you ask me if keys can damaged by just dropping them! The agents did mention they would reprogram a new key if I could get one myself, but has to be of the exact type!

Anyone could suggest any alternatives? Anywhere else we can buy these chipped keys and get them reprogrammed? How about ebay or anywhere else online? I will do a search in a while but if anyone else has any ideas would highly appreciate.

I have only 1 key for my Vitz 2007, and I definitely need to get another one made for that as well. Dont want to get stuck with a non functional key and keep the car in my garage until I am able to get new keys from the agents! And if they are out of stock, thats the end of it!

Have to start treating all the car keys like babies form now!

BLu3HaZe · February 26, 2011

So the worst has happened as we all feared. Yes you could probably get the exact key online too, but you'd have better luck in finding that from a Japanese site like Y*h** auctions IMO, that's where I check usually for any Jap car parts. And Vitz is JDM so the transponder maybe different from the Yaris Hatch offered elsewhere so better check it thoroughly first or you'll end up with useless blank keys.

Good luck!