Key not detected question.

Regulo · Oct 24, 2014

Hi, all,

Anyone had this - stop to let a passenger out, get "Key not detected" on the info display? Can't recall it happening before, but it definitely does now. Is this one for the dealer's snagging list?

maby · Oct 24, 2014

Is the passenger carrying the other key? I have seen similar once or twice when taking my wife to the station if she has her key in her handbag - the car could latch onto either key - if it latches onto hers, then when she gets out, it thinks the key has left the vehicle!

Regulo · Oct 24, 2014

No, the only key was sitting in the key slot. And the spare was 20 miles away! But thanks for the suggestion, all are welcome.

MadFrankie · Oct 24, 2014

Regulo said:
No, the only key was sitting in the key slot. And the spare was 20 miles away! But thanks for the suggestion, all are welcome.

This doesn't help you I'm afraid but...there's a key slot?!?!?

Regulo · Oct 24, 2014

Yes, but not in the conventional sense - just a convenient place to put it!!!! But the car knows when it's in there, because it tells you to take it out if you forget.

MadFrankie · Oct 24, 2014

Regulo said:
Yes, but not in the conventional sense - just a convenient place to put it!!!! But the car knows when it's in there, because it tells you to take it out if you forget.

greendwarf · Oct 24, 2014

Regulo said:
Yes, but not in the conventional sense - just a convenient place to put it!!!! But the car knows when it's in there, because it tells you to take it out if you forget.

I seem to remember reading in the manual somewhere (and I'm not going out in the cold & dark just to look it up

) that it is also where the car "talks" to the key if something has gone wrong

MadFrankie · Oct 24, 2014

Right, took the opportunity to have a check around the car while waiting for fish and chips and I found it. It's a small key size, (believe it or not), hole next to the cig lighter.

gwatpe · Oct 24, 2014

My PHEV had the same problem for the first 3 months I had access to it. A Mitsubishi rep drove the car for a day and it has not done it since. I have not driven the car since then either, but that is a longer story. Others with a PHEV have just kept the key in a pocket or bag. Others thought I was nuts. The key slot was shown in one of the many Mitsubishi promo videos.

Now that someone else has had the same problem it is likely that the problem may come back in my PHEV.

Do not power down the car with the key not found message. My PHEV had the immobilizer activate and it was not a good look stuck in traffic with essentially a dead PHEV, while waiting for the timeout.

Regulo · Oct 24, 2014

gwatpe, that's worrying! So, how do you power down? There's no way (I've found) of clearing the "Key not detected" message WITHOUT powering off, then on again. You can clear it to the triangular warning symbol, but it's still there. It seems to have no effect on the performance or operation of the car, but it shouldn't occur.

Cuzza · Oct 25, 2014

I go tthe 'key not detected' message about 3 miles from hoome on a 10 mile round trip to a nearby village. I realised that after powering up the car I'd gone back into the house and dropped the keys on my desk.

I simply continued the journey, didn't power the car down when I got to the shops, then came home without issue! I imagine if I'd powered the car down I'd have been stuck with a dead car and a long walk home for the key!

greendwarf · Oct 25, 2014

Cuzza said:
I go tthe 'key not detected' message about 3 miles from hoome on a 10 mile round trip to a nearby village. I realised that after powering up the car I'd gone back into the house and dropped the keys on my desk.

I simply continued the journey, didn't power the car down when I got to the shops, then came home without issue! I imagine if I'd powered the car down I'd have been stuck with a dead car and a long walk home for the key!

Which raises the question, what is the purpose of "keyless" ignition. I assume someone could have jumped in the car whilst you were in the house and driven off with it

user 422 · Oct 25, 2014

Are people really that forgetful - why leave the car powered up if you are not in it - if it gets nicked off your drive its your own fault...you insurance will certainly not payout...
nothing wrong with keyless systems - brainless users however are a different story.... :roll:

smashy · Oct 26, 2014

Regulo said:
No, the only key was sitting in the key slot. And the spare was 20 miles away! But thanks for the suggestion, all are welcome.

Hi there.... by key slot I'm assuming you mean where you put the key if the battery is dead in it next to the button that switches off the electric tailgate opening? My dealer told me not to keep it there if the battery is ok as it gets confused, he said its an induction unit that will power the key if it's dead so maybe he's right?

gwatpe · Oct 26, 2014

Mitsubishi have shown the driver placing the key in the slot in a promotional video prior to pressing the power button. They might want to be put to task if this is not actually the way the key is supposed to be used.

I don't have any other keys with the car fob key, so placing the fob key in the slot is very convenient. When the car lost the plot and came up with the KEY NOT FOUND message, when the key was in the slot, as when the passenger door was opened, and sometimes with just driving, all I had to do was fumble to pull the key out of the slot, wait a bit and then put the key back. The message went away until a door was opened again, and the process had to be repeated.

My main concern is that if the fob battery is flat and you have to use the mechanical key to enter the car and then the fob is placed in the slot to start the car and then nothing happens. The KEY slot is not going to be of any use. The KEY NOT FOUND message would be some way the PHEV has of showing the driver there is a problem with the Key and starting systems.

Cuzza · Oct 26, 2014

dgmulti said:
Are people really that forgetful .................

.....................brainless users however are a different story.... :roll:

Clearly, yes I am...........................but none taken

I had simply got out of the car on the driveway to return the garage remote and keys for my other car to the house. Emptied my pocket of all keys, including the fob for the Outlander, onto my desk.

gwatpe · Oct 26, 2014

Hi cuzza,

I have no problem with the message KEY NOT FOUND if the key is NOT in the vehicle, however that may be, even the OH tossing the key out the window or whatever while driving. When the Key is in the slot and the message appears, then "Houston we have a problem".

My own experience will hopefully be solved with a new car, for other reasons.

greendwarf · Oct 26, 2014

Cuzza said:
dgmulti said:

Are people really that forgetful .................

.....................brainless users however are a different story.... :roll:

Click to expand...

Clearly, yes I am...........................but none taken

I had simply got out of the car on the driveway to return the garage remote and keys for my other car to the house. Emptied my pocket of all keys, including the fob for the Outlander, onto my desk.

But it does seem somewhat risky to continue with your journey to the shops and THEN leave it unlocked & powered up

sawman82 · Oct 26, 2014

I find that the key gets interference from my phone. I generally carry the key and my mobile phone in the same pocket. When i do this it generally takes a fair while to get the car unlocked and I have to put my pocket really close to the door handle. Then sometimes when i hop into the car it says "No key detected" for a while, but then it will eventually power up.

When I carry the key separately I do not have any of these issues. Anyone know what frequency the fob runs at? Might be interfered with by WiFi, blutooth or 3G/4G?

gwatpe · Oct 26, 2014

I have to apologize.

The message KEY NOT DETECTED is what I have called the KEY NOT FOUND message I saw on my PHEV. All my comments relate to KEY NOT DETECTED.

In my PHEV, moving the key out of the key slot allowed my PHEV to find the key again. The slot seemed to prevent the car from finding the key. The dealer has no explanation of why the car now finds the key in the slot every time now. BTW both keys were affected, so it was a slot problem and not an individual key. Problem will probably return.

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Key not detected question.

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