Key fob battery keeps dying

[Mikle]

My key Fob battery keeps dying. I received the Model S in October 2021, I have had to replace the fob battery 4 times already. Anyone else?

 

[roblab]

My guess is that the fob has a short in it. You need to get Tesla to replace it and see if that does any better. My fob batteries last over 5 years.

 

[Ostrichsak]

Where are you getting your replacement batteries? There's a massive problem with fake name brand button cell batteries & if you're buying some Chinese branded crap you're asking for trouble. There's other possibilities but they're far less common.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Where are you getting your replacement batteries? There's a massive problem with fake name brand button cell batteries & if you're buying some Chinese branded crap you're asking for trouble. There's other possibilities but they're far less common.

Shouldn't have had to replace the battery even once.

 

[Porsh-uh]

Do you leave the key fob in the car overnight? If you do all the time...that will drain it in a hurry.

 

[WiLz]

My key Fob battery keeps dying. I received the Model S in October 2021, I have had to replace the fob battery 4 times already. Anyone else?

Is it just one out of the two fobs? Something similar happened with one of my Model X fobs, it would drain the battery in a day. I scheduled a mobile service and they swapped it out for a new fob, and it has worked fine since then.

 

[phaphaphooey]

Same here, never had the problem with my P90D, one of my Plaid fobs eats batteries even though it is rarely used and is stored away from the car.

 

[dannycamps]

If you have two key fobs, be sure to change the batteries in both of them. I was getting the "Key fob battery needs replacing" message for a while and it did not go away even after several battery swaps (including one at a service center). Eventually found out that my wife's key fob that she keeps in her purse was low as well and because she walks past my car to get to hers, it was her key fob that was causing the alert in my car.

Once I replaced the battery in her key fob, the on-screen alert went away.

Until the car is able to detect good battery power in both key fobs, the message on screen will persist.

 

[T3SLA90D]

if you leave the key fob within range of the car when parked its battery will drain faster (for example if the keys are left in the foyer by the garage door when the car is parked is the garage).

 

[Wol747]

if you leave the key fob within range of the car when parked its battery will drain faster (for example if the keys are left in the foyer by the garage door when the car is parked is the garage).

Yet another unintended consequence of tech for the sake of tech. It's like "why do dogs lick their balls?" - because they can. Just because the tech can do something doesn't mean it should be done.

 

[Kandiru]

Yet another unintended consequence of tech for the sake of tech. It's like "why do dogs lick their balls?" - because they can. Just because the tech can do something doesn't mean it should be done.

Two Appalachians are sitting on the porch sipping beers watching the dog licking himself.
"Oh boy I wish I could do that" says one of them.
"Be careful, he might bite you!" replied the other one looking worried.

BTW I am also going through batteries weekly, will swap keyfobs to see what happens next.

 

[touchton]

I'm having the same issue. I have two fobs but only use one of them. It's not stored near the car. The spare fob is in my office desk and I may try to use it, but I just replaced the battery in my 'main' fob and I want to see how many days is lasts.

 

[dbldwn02]

I replaced batteries in both fobs. Stupid low battery message won't go away. Tried a full reboot as well. MCU1/FSD

 

[vcor]

I'm getting about 2-3 weeks per cell with 2022 S. Our prior 2016 S fob batteries lasted 3-4 years. Location of the fob when not in use is the same between cars.

My thoughts - We are using Panasonic cells, but these could be fakes. Bought 10 of them, so running through them quickly. I'll get an Energizer or other "expensive" version and try that next.

The new fobs are different than the prior fobs, even though they look identical. New fobs are dual band - 2.4 GHz and 6-8 GHz. I suspect this is the newer anti-hack design. Interestingly, the 3 and Y use the older single frequency design.

 

[Kandiru]

Internal short likely draining battery.

I am a push-to-lock guy, I can bet you most of us with issue do the same, took mine multiple daily pushes for 7 years.

Key fob programming for MS/X occurs exclusively at service center.

 

[Gumball]

Mobile service programmed the fob for our S?

When you changes the battery, make sure to wear a glove or something, you do not want to touch the + and - on the new battery, because you will cause a short and drain the battery even before it is in the fob.

also, lots of cheap batteries simply are crap.

 

[markfreed]

Mobile service programmed the fob for our S?

When you changes the battery, make sure to wear a glove or something, you do not want to touch the + and - on the new battery, because you will cause a short and drain the battery even before it is in the fob.

also, lots of cheap batteries simply are

Mobile service programmed the fob for our S?

When you changes the battery, make sure to wear a glove or something, you do not want to touch the + and - on the new battery, because you will cause a short and drain the battery even before it is in the fob.

also, lots of cheap batteries simply are crap.

I'm also going through batteries every few weeks. I'm using a CR2330 3V battery from Uogtnon. According to Amazon reviews, they're rated very high, so I'm curious if others think these are cheap and I should use something else. If so, what brand should I use?

 

[markfreed]

My key Fob battery keeps dying. I received the Model S in October 2021, I have had to replace the fob battery 4 times already. Anyone else?

I have the same problem. I'm using a UOGTNON CR2330 battery. Amazon gave it excellent reviews. What manufacturers are other people using who don't have this problem?

 

[touchton]

I'm having the same issue. I have two fobs but only use one of them. It's not stored near the car. The spare fob is in my office desk and I may try to use it, but I just replaced the battery in my 'main' fob and I want to see how many days is lasts.

Just noticed the fob battery warning this morning. The new battery has been in 65 days. I'm going to see how long it lasts before it's no longer operational.

 

[ayavner]

i wonder, for those of us who keep the fobs in our pockets, if the buttons remain pushed when we are sitting down, particularly if the fabric is tight? That might cause unintended accelerated consumption. Too bad they aren't rechargeable - could just plug them* into the USB port while driving or whatever.

*the key fob, not the pants