Chevy Cruze Remote Start Not Working (How To Fix)

If your Chevy Cruze remote start suddenly stopped working, or if you just bought your car and the remote start won’t work, this guide is for you. The remote start in your Chevy failing to work is a common issue experienced by many other car owners. This guide will address this issue and how to fix it.

Chevy Cruze remote start not working can be caused by a variety of issues including dead key fob battery, incorrect starting procedure, check engine light, open hood or doors, malfunctioning hood sensor, programming issues, valet mode, active hazard lights, vehicle not in park, leaving your key fob inside the vehicle, too many start attempts, or too high coolant temperature.

In this article, we’ll get into deeper details about all the common causes for your remote start feature to malfunction. Moreover, we discuss the best possible fix for each of these causes to help you diagnose and fix your car remote start problems.

Chevy Cruze Remote Start Not Working Causes

Here are all the potential causes behind your Chevy Cruze remote start failing to work:

Dead key fob battery

A weak or dead remote battery is probably the most common cause of malfunctioning remote start in Chevrolet cars.

The battery powers the remote and enables it to communicate with your car when you press the remote start button.

If the battery is failing or completely dead, your remote will be unable to send a signal to your vehicle, causing it not to respond to the remote start command.

Solution: The best fix here is to replace the battery in your key fob to enable it to continue sending signals to your vehicle.

The remote usually uses a cr2032 battery that you can get from your local stores that sell any type of battery.

Make sure your new battery is correctly installed to enable the remote to function correctly.

Key fob malfunction

If your remote system doesn’t work after battery replacement, then the key fob itself may be faulty.

It could be damaged or its internal system may be damaged and thus unable to send out a signal to your vehicle to make the engine turn on.

Solution: Inspect your fob for visible signs of damage. Consider using your spare fob to start your car. If it works, then your key fob is problematic and needs a replacement.

Also, check if your battery contacts at the back of your remote are rusty or loose as this can also make it stop working.

You may also consider having your fob inspected by a Chevy technician or dealership and repaired/replaced as necessary.

Incorrect starting procedure

If your remote start feature won’t work and the fob is in good working condition, then you may be using the incorrect activation procedure. This could be the issue if you’re new to using this feature or you haven’t used it in a long time.

Solution: Check with your user manual on whether you’re using the correct activation sequence on your key fob to start your car. Basically, you’ll need to follow these steps to automatically start your Chevy Cruze:

Step 1. You’ll first need to press and release the lock button.

Step 2. Next, you should press and hold the remote start button for approx. 2 seconds or until the lights flash (this confirms the remote start request is successful). The car engine will then start right afterward.

Step 3. Once your engine starts running, your parking lights will come on and stay on for the entire length of time your engine will be running. The doors will stay locked and the climate control system may be activated.

Note that your engine will only run for 10 minutes and then automatically shut off. You can start it again for another 10 seconds run (but note that you can’t start it more than two times).

Malfunction indicator lamp is on

You may also notice that the malfunction indicator lamp, also known as the check engine light (CEL), is on your and at the same time your remote start won’t respond. If this is the case, the CEL is most likely the culprit here.

The warning light usually comes on if your engine or emissions control system has any issues. The remote start will then be disabled as a safety precaution to prevent your engine from suffering further damage.

Solution: Since the warning light doesn’t indicate the exact reason why it comes on, you’ll need to scan your car computer for stored codes that triggered the light to come on.

These will give you a clue about the underlying problem and make diagnosis easier. Once you fix this problem, your remote start will resume normal functioning.

Open hood/Malfunctioning hood switch

The hood is another reason your Chevy Cruze remote start system may stop working. This is usually a safety measure

It ensures your vehicle engine doesn’t start running when someone could be inspecting the engine bay and cause harm to the mechanic or your engine.

It also prevents a scenario where you drive with your engine open and it ends up covering your entire windscreen.

The remote start usually has a hood switch sensor that detects when the hood is open and alerts the remote system, prompting it not to disengage your vehicle.

If this sensor malfunctions, it may send the wrong info to your remote start even if you have properly closed your hood, and make it to start your engine.

Solution: Check whether your hood is properly closed and latched. Try opening and closing it again to see if it helps.

If you’re still getting the hood open error, consider inspecting your hood switch for signs of damage and replacing it as necessary.

If the switch is disconnected, simply plug it back on. And if it’s missing, install a new one in its place.

One of the doors is open

Just like in the case of the hood, leaving one of your vehicle doors open will also make your Chevy Cruze remote system malfunction.

This is also a safety precaution that assumes your car doors are initially locked when you remote start it.

It, therefore, disengages to ensure the safety of occupants inside your vehicle and prevent unauthorized access to your car and deter theft.

Besides doors, open windows may also cause the automatic start to fail.

Solution: Check if you have any of your doors not properly closed and close them. Try to open and close the doors properly.

Also, ensure that all your windows are rolled all the way up before you attempt to use the remote start feature again.

Programming issues

Your Chevrolet remote start system may also experience programming issues such as software glitches or complete loss of programming.

The latter is especially possible after replacing the remote battery. In some cases, the system may be incorrectly programmed during the installation, causing it to malfunction as well.

Solution: You may need to reprogram your system to resolve any underlying programming issues it may be experiencing.

Be sure to consult your user manual or the nearest Chevy dealer for assistance on the correct procedure for reprogramming your remote system.

Valet mode is active

If your Chevy Cruze valet mode is on, then your remote start feature will automatically be disabled.

The valet mode is usually a security feature that restricts certain features in your vehicle including remote start—preventing unauthorized access to your car.

This helps add an extra layer of security to your car when you hand it to a valet or to a mechanic.

Solution: You’ll need to check whether your car is in valet mode and simply turn it off to restore the remote start function.

You can disable the remote start by pressing a combination of buttons or using your vehicle settings. Consult your user manual for more info on how to exit the valet mode.

Hazard lights are flashing

One of the conditions listed in the Chevy Cruze remote start user manual that will make your remote start fail to work is the hazard lights coming on.

The automatic start assumes that the hazard lights usually come on when there’s a hazard or emergency situation. Therefore, you must need to be there to be aware of the situation and handle it.

Solution: Turn off your hazard warning lights before you test the remote start feature again.

Vehicle is not in P (park)

Your Cruze remote start will also not work if your car is in park mode. This is for the obvious safety reasons that leaving your car in any other gear such as forward or reverse may make it accidentally start moving when your engine turns on.

To prevent this, your remote start automatically disabled if it detects your car is in any other gear apart from Park.

Solution: Check the position of your shift lever and take it to P. If your car is already in Park, try disengaging and re-engaging the Park gear in your before you attempt the remote start procedure again.

You left your key fob inside the vehicle

Generally, all Chevrolet vehicles’ remote start won’t work with the key fob inside the car.

In this case, the system will assume that you’re present and then disable the remote start as a way of ensuring your vehicle’s security.

Solution: Simply take out the key fob inside your car and try starting your car again.

Too many start attempts

If you have recently tried using your remote start two times unsuccessfully, and in quick succession, then it may fail to work.

This safety measure is standard in most vehicle remote start systems and helps prevent unauthorized access to your vehicle.

Solution: You’ll need to manually start your car to reset your remote start and enable it to continue functioning as before.

Simply insert the key in the ignition and turn it to ON and then back to OFF position.

Exit your car with the key fob. Now try starting your vehicle with the remote start to see if it works this time.

Too high coolant temperature

If your engine temperature gets too high, the coolant temperature will also rise. And the remote start will fail to work.

This is important as starting the engine with such a high coolant temperature could only lead to overheating.

This issue has the potential to cause costly damage to your engine parts. An overheating engine may also lead to decreased oil pressure.

Solution: If your engine coolant temperature is too high, leave your car for up to 30 minutes to give it enough time to cool down.

Be sure to check your coolant and oil levels and top them up if necessary before you attempt to remote start your vehicle again.

Owners of the Chevy Cruze are occasionally met with remote start hiccups, but it’s noteworthy to mention that such quirks are not confined to just this compact sedan. For those who might be considering a larger, more rugged vehicle, our detailed guide on Chevy Silverado remote start issues provides insights into challenges and remedies specific to this legendary pickup. Meanwhile, for a touch of midsize sedan sophistication, our comprehensive article on Chevy Malibu remote start problems explores the intricacies and solutions associated with this family-favorite model.

Conclusion

This article has just highlighted all the potential causes for your Chevy Cruze remote start to malfunction and the solutions to consider for each of them. These causes include dead key fob battery, faulty remote, incorrect start sequence, valet mode, check engine light on, car not being in park mode, leaving the key fob inside the vehicle, open hood or door, and programming issues.

We advise you to troubleshoot each of these issues in your car until you find the underlying culprit. Be sure to start with the most common cause, the dead key fob battery, before you proceed to check other potential causes. If you cannot fix the issue by yourself, get a qualified Chevy technician or dealership to diagnose and fix the remote start for you.