GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Hello everyone! It's my first post, but I'll try to be thorough. I purchased a used 2009 Vibe from a dealership almost two years ago and I got suckered into keeping the alarm they had installed already. Problem is that the battery in my key fob died less than 6 months after purchasing (maybe even less than 3 months!) and after replacing the battery it no longer worked. I guess I took too long switching out the battery? I went to the dealership when it first happened and the alarm guy wasn't there at that moment so they gave me his schedule, but my life got busy and I never found the time to go back. In any case I was able to google and disarm the KARR alarm with the button under the driver's side dash and I've been manually locking and unlocking my doors ever since! It's terrible. I attempted to follow some instructions I found on here back when it first happened, but could never get it to work. I don't know if this is because of the KARR alarm or what. The remote is the factory Pontiac one attached to the key. Help?

This is what I've tried:
Published on Nov 7, 2012
1. Start with the key out of the ignition, drivers door is open all others closed and locked, drivers door is unlocked.

2. Perform these steps within 5 seconds. A. Insert the key into the ignition(Do NOT Turn) Pull key out. B. Insert the key into the ignition(Do NOT Turn) Pull key out.

3. Perform these steps within 40 seconds. A. Close then open the drivers door. B. Close then open the drivers door. C. Insert the key into the ignition(Do NOT Turn) Pull key out.

4. Perform these steps within 40 seconds. A. Close then open the drivers door. B. Close then open the drivers door. C. Insert the key into ignition and leave it in ignition. D. Close the drivers door. E. Turn the ignition to ON (Do NOT Start) then back to OFF. F. Remove the key from the ignition.

5. Within 3 seconds, the power door locks should lock then unlock automatically indicating successful entry into programming mode. Return to step 1 if the locks do not cycle at this point.

6. Perform these steps within 40 seconds. A. Press the lock and unlock buttons on the remote simultaneously for 1.5 seconds. B. Immediately after letting go of the lock and unlock buttons, Press the lock button by itself and hold for 2 seconds. Within 3 seconds, the door locks should lock and then unlock once indicating successful programming. If the door locks cycle twice, repeat steps A and B in step 6 as the remote was not accepted. C. Repeat steps A and B in step 6 for each new remote.

7. Open drivers door.

It seemed to sort of work the first few times I did it, but not completely. After performing the sequence the locks would lock and unlock, but after pressing the buttons on the key it still didn't work. Now when I perform the steps above the locks don't lock/unlock at all...nothing happens. Did I get stuck in some weird mode? I'm not sure if I had disabled the KARR alarm yet or not, but it seems likely that I would have prior to doing this or the alarm would probably be going off. I am under the impression I have an engine immobilizer, but that might not be the case...not sure if it matters.

I followed the same steps, and programmed a second remote on my 10GT no problem. I think there are a few different "modes" on the lock setup, but I believe that relates to when the automatic locks will or will not lock and unlock. And I think there is a mode to just add a remote, and a mode to erase all old ones and only add the ones you operate during the programming. I don't have my car at the moment to check the owners manual, but some of the info is covered in it.

If your car is Canadian, then it does have the immobilizer key. If not, look at the surround of the ignition switch. If it is metal, no immobilizer. If it is plastic, you have it. Plus the immobilizer has the Security notice on the air bag light cluster on the dash. But I doubt the immobilizer would interfere with the lock system.

Are you sure the new battery or even that the key fob is working? It could have died or something. If you don't have the immobilizer, you can try to buy a new one like on ebay, just make sure it has the same FCC ID, and try it. That is where I got my second one, like this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-REPLACEMENT ... 39&vxp=mtr" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

or:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TOYOTA-MATRIX-C ... 47&vxp=mtr" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If you have the immobilizer, I'm not sure on getting a replacement key, but it would have to be a compatable key and be programmed otherwise it will not start the car.

Thanks for the reply. I'll check out my manual. It's not Canadian, and I'm 99% sure it is metal not plastic. I've been able to use simple spare keys and they start the car just fine. I think maybe the immobilizer function is specific to the KARR system. The new battery does work, I mean the red light comes on when I push the buttons on the key fob. I just can't seem to get the car to go into any sort of programming mode. I've done the steps at least five times today (is it possible to do them too fast?!), and I think I should theoretically be able to get into programming mode even if my fob is dead.

Any other ideas? Why can't I get into programming mode? Could it be because the KARR alarm is in override mode?