Jaguar I-Pace Key Fob Not Working
The I-Pace fob talks to the car all the time, so its CR2032 cell runs down in a couple of years or less, and the first sign is keyless start failing while the buttons still work. Hold the fob against the recess under the steering column to start, then fit a fresh cell of a reputable make. If both fobs die at once, the car's side is the suspect.
How bad is it · Safe to drive
Safe to drive — but carry a spare cell
A weak fob gets worse quickly, especially in the cold. Once it's flat you're relying on the second fob or the app.
Which one applies to yours depends on your symptoms, your model year and what has already been done to it.
Likely causes, most common first
Read the check cost before the odds: a free check that rules a cause out beats a likely guess that costs money.
A weak fob battery
The fob transmits continuously, so its cell drains faster than in most keys; roughly 18 months to a couple of years. A weak cell still works the lock buttons but fails keyless detection.
Smart key not recognised, please reposition. Starting only with the fob held against the recess under the steering column. Worse after the key spends a cold night in the car; the car may even report itself as stolen.
Try the second fob: if it works, the car is fine. A multimeter on the cell: for example, 2.8 V against 3.2 V for a new one.
A new CR2032. The back cover comes off easily. Carry a spare cell.
The new cell doesn't suit the fob
Some makes of CR2032 don't work in this fob, and a stale cell or a poor contact can leave it dead even after a change.
The fob worked badly before the change and not at all after it, while the second fob is fine.
Make sure the old cell didn't go back in. Handle the new one with clean hands or gloves, clean the contacts and press the contact tab down slightly.
Swapping a Maxell cell for a Varta CR2032 made the fob work at once. Use a fresh cell from a reputable source.
The fobs need re-authorising
Fobs can drop their pairing with the car, and after the Activity Key has been used the regular fob may not wake up again by itself.
Both fobs stop at once, or the fob stops after using the Activity Key.
With your foot on the brake, hold the fob flat to the underside of the steering column and press Start.
Worth trying: with the fobs inside the car, lock and unlock with the Activity Key to re-authorise them.
Keyless entry fails on one fob or one door
Keyless entry uses a separate low-frequency coil in the fob, which can fail, for example after a drop. If one door alone won't respond to any fob, the door's own module is the other candidate.
One fob still locks, unlocks by button and starts the car, but won't open the door by the handle or the tailgate by the kick sensor.
Fresh cell, both fobs, nothing in the pocket shielding it, fob within about a metre of the door.
Worth knowing: if a fresh cell changes nothing, the fob itself needs replacing.
Both fobs dead, app still works: a car-side glitch
When neither fob works but the phone app locks and unlocks, the receiving side in the car may have hung.
No button on either fob does anything; the app works normally.
Rule out both cells first.
Not settled: removing the RF-related fuses under the rear seat brought the fobs back on one car. Have the car checked if it recurs.
The order to check them in
The point of the order is money: each step either rules a cause out or makes the next one worth doing. Green is free, amber costs a little, red is the one to arrive at last.
Try the second fob
If it works, the car is fine and the first fob needs a cell.
freeStart from the steering-column recess
Hold the fob against the recess under the steering column, press the brake and press Start.
freeFit a fresh CR2032
A reputable make, fresh, handled with clean hands. Check the contact tab touches firmly.
cheapDon't leave the key in the car
A key left in the car overnight keeps the car awake and drains both; a cold cell near the end of its life also fails.
freeRe-authorise
After using the Activity Key, lock and unlock with it while the fobs are inside.
freeDealer
If both fobs fail with good cells, or one fob's keyless entry stays dead, have the car's modules checked and updated.
dealer diagnosisWhat it usually isn't
Don't spend money here first:
On jagaux.com
- Jaguar I-Pace 12V Battery Drain, Car Won't WakeIf neither fob nor the app wakes the car, the 12 V is flat.
- Jaguar VIN decoderConfirm your exact model year, engine and factory options before ordering parts — free.
Ratings, fuse numbers and torque figures vary by model year and market. Read the legend on your own car before pulling anything, and use the figures in the manual for your car, not the ones in a video.
Check your VIN: exactly which car you have and which bulletins apply to it.