The immobilizer is one of the first and most important anti-theft systems implemented on motor vehicles. The idea is to verify that the key used to turn the engine is the one that should be used. If the key cannot be verified, the car would block other functions of the vehicle, which would immobilize the car.
Hyundai Santa Fe Immobilizer Problems
Occasionally, the anti-theft system on your car might backfire and this could leave you stranded with a vehicle that does not want to start or perform any functions. There are a couple of problems that could lead to this happening and we aim to explore a few of them.
1. The Car Computer Does Not Recognize the Key
One of the first issues could be related to either the key or the computer in your car. If the computer or key is defective, you could be left with a car that does not detect that signal from the key. This could prevent the immobilizer from deactivating. Here are a few reasons why this could happen:
- Low Battery: If the remote control of your vehicle or the key is running low on batteries, it would significantly impede the signal, which would make it much harder to send the signal and turn off the immobilizer.
- Damaged Chip: The other issue could be due to a damaged chip inside the key. This can happen when the key accidentally gets wet or damaged. It would prevent the immobilizer from sending a signal.
- Bad Electrical Wiring: Whether it is the computer or the key, you might be dealing with faulty wiring, which could prevent the key from sending signals and deactivating the immobilizer.
As you can see, many of these issues are related to the key and you should always try to keep the key safe and make sure that it does not sustain any damage. It is also important to regularly check the batteries.
2. Damaged Antenna
Inside your vehicle, you also have an antenna. The antenna is responsible for picking up the signal coming from the key. You want to make sure that your antenna is not damaged and this should often be checked if you deal with immobilizer issues.
3. Immobilizer Does No Synchronize
Another less frequent issue would be if the immobilizer does not synchronize with the rest of your vehicle. There could be a few reasons for this, which often stems from the computer of the vehicle and a few possible issues.
4. Full Electronic Failure
Many vehicles are heavily dependent on electronics in the modern era. However, you can often deal with an electronic failure from time to time and this could hamper the ability of the immobilizer to pick up the signal and deactivate. Fortunately, this does not happen that much with Santa Fe.
How Do I Know If The Hyundai Santa Fe Is Having A Problem?
- You would notice that no matter how much you try to start the engine, the vehicle simply does not start and this will make it much harder to get going.
- You will notice a symbol on the dashboard, which indicates that the immobilizer is still active.
You should consider resetting the immobilizer, which should help you when it comes to sorting the problem and getting the vehicle to operate as it should. In many cases, you might need some assistance from your mechanic to fix the issue.
Does Resetting The Immobilizer Fix The Issue?
In many vehicles, you will have some form of an override, which would work to reset the immobilizer in times of need. This would often help when you have a bad car battery. Most cars don’t explicitly give you any way to reset the immobilizer, but rather a few workarounds to make it a bit easier for you to fix the problem.
If you use the override feature, you would be able to get the car to have the right signal, which would enable the vehicle to proceed in starting. For many vehicles, this could be a key located in the remote control or even a different hidden button located near the ignition of the vehicle to help you override the immobilizer.
How To Reset An Hyundai Santa Fe Immobilizer On Different Models?
As mentioned in the previous section, it is impossible to reset the immobilizer and the point of the immobilizer would be nullified if you can reset the unit. Your best bet would be to bypass the immobilizer for a short while, which should help you to reach the mechanic and allow them to fix the issue. Here are a few ways to bypass the immobilizer on the Hyundai Santa Fe.
1. Enter A Code, Which Turns The Immobilizer Off
If the spare key does not work you should have a code card, which contains the start code of your vehicle and would allow you to override it manually. In general, your car would send the code to the computer by entering it to disable the immobilizer.
You can use the centralized button of the vehicle to manually insert the code. Quick presses would indicate the numbers. If you quickly press the button 2 times and leave it for a few seconds, it would register a 2. Once entered, you should be able to start the Hyundai Santa Fe.
2. Repairing The Key
The next important thing you should consider is repairing the key. Once you repair the key, your immobilizer should pick up the code coming from the key once again. You can take your key to any certified dealership and they should be able to check for any defects. If the key cannot be repaired, you would have to replace the key.
3. Removing The Immobilizer
The final option is also the one you should carefully think through before doing. You can spend some time and use your mechanical skills to remove the immobilizer if you feel the need to do so. However, there are numerous issues, which could arise by doing so. One of the first would be that your vehicle is more vulnerable to theft.
The second is that in the case of theft, you could be left without any insurance backing. The insurance might not want to cover the vehicle if you have the immobilizer removed and the vehicle is stolen. You must check with your insurance before taking such a drastic step.
What Happens After Bypassing The Immobilizer On The Hyundai Santa Fe?
Once you have bypassed the immobilizer using these methods, you should find that the car is working. If you turn the key, the ignition would crank and the vehicle should be functional once again. However, when using the coded method, you would need to reinsert the code each time that you have gone to bypass the unit.
By using any of the other methods, your immobilizer will be permanently deactivated. This means that each time you get into your vehicle, you can simply start the ignition and the vehicle should crank or work just fine.
The downside to this is that you will eventually need to make the arduous trip to your dealership and you will have some explaining to do. For the sake of anti-theft, we would recommend fixing and reinstating the immobilizer to make sure that everything is safe and secure with your vehicle.
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