I've had my 2012 Camry and three fobs to it for about 3.5 years now, and have never had any issue with the fobs working until this fall. The last few months the fobs have become intermittent at best, and at times won't work at all for up to a couple of days at a time, no matter how many button presses or how close I get to the car. If one fob isn't working at any given time, the others don't work either, but if one works they all do, which leads me to believe that it is an issue with the car itself. I've also noticed that it seems to be worse the colder it gets, with the function dropping off completely once the temperature drops into the 20s. However, if I drive the car for a long time (usually 30 min or longer, enough to thoroughly heat the internal mechanisms) the fob works fine when I go to lock the car back up at the end of the drive. Has anyone had a similar issue, and does anyone know what a repair might cost? It's not an essential issue, but it's frustrating and if it's a cheap fix I might go for it.
Key fob not working in cold (2026 Update)
Jan 03, 2019
Last reply: 4 months ago
3 Replies
It might not hurt to try changing the battery in at least one of the fobs. I admit that it sounds like the problem is caused by the car itself, as you described.
In my 2007, I have had success with spraying WD40 or silicon into the lock, since I always use the key itself.
That’s an odd one, but since all the fobs act the same it does sound like something on the car side. Could be the receiver or antenna getting a bit weak, especially if it’s worse in the cold. Might be worth checking the car battery too, sometimes a weak battery can cause weird keyless entry issues.
That’s an odd one, but since all the fobs act the same it does sound like something on the car side. Could be the receiver or antenna getting a bit weak, especially if it’s worse in the cold. Might be worth checking the car battery too, sometimes a weak battery can cause weird keyless entry issues.
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