Losing or damaging your car’s key fob can be a major inconvenience. Fortunately, programming a new key fob for your Honda vehicle can often be done yourself, saving you time and money compared to dealership programming. This guide provides a straightforward, step-by-step process to program your Honda key fob at home.
Step-by-Step Programming Instructions
Before you begin, ensure you have all the key fobs you intend to program for your vehicle readily available. It’s crucial to program all remotes in a single session. Also, make sure all doors and the trunk or hatch of your Honda are completely closed. You will need to perform each step within 5 seconds of the previous one to successfully enter programming mode.
Step 1: Prepare Your Honda
Sit inside your Honda with all doors and the trunk tightly shut. This ensures no interference during the programming process.
Step 2: Initiate Programming Mode
Insert your key into the ignition. Turn the ignition key to the “ON” position (position “II” on the ignition bezel) – this is the position where your dashboard lights illuminate. Within 5 seconds of turning the key to “ON”, press the “Lock” button on one of your key fobs for approximately 1 second, then release it.
Step 3: Cycle Ignition and Repeat
Turn the ignition key to the “OFF” position (position “I” on the ignition bezel) – the dashboard lights will turn off. Repeat Step 2 and Step 3 three more times. This means you will turn the key to “ON” and press the lock button, then turn it “OFF”, a total of four times. Remember, each step must be completed within 5 seconds of the last.
Step 4: Enter Programming State
On the fourth turn of the key to the “ON” position, press the “Lock” button on one of your remotes. If you’ve successfully entered programming mode, you will hear the door locks cycle, making a distinct “clunk” sound. The locks will cycle, but they will not lock or unlock at this stage; this sound simply indicates that your Honda is now in key fob programming mode. Do not turn the key off at this point.
Step 5: Program Each Key Fob
Within 5 seconds of entering programming mode, and then within 5 seconds of programming each subsequent remote, press the “Lock” button on each key fob you wish to program. Press and hold the “Lock” button for about a second and then release. Each time you press a remote button, you should hear the door locks cycle again, confirming that the remote’s signal has been recognized and programmed. You can program up to three key fobs in this session. Ensure this step is completed within 10 seconds.
Step 6: Exit Programming and Test
Once you have programmed all desired key fobs, turn the ignition key completely to the “OFF” position and remove the key from the ignition. Open the car door and step out, then close the door. Now, test each of your programmed key fobs to ensure they are working correctly. Press the “Lock” and “Unlock” buttons to verify functionality. If your key fob has a trunk/hatch release button, you may need to press and hold it for a few seconds to activate the trunk or hatch release.
Congratulations! You have successfully programmed your Honda key fob. If you encounter any issues, carefully re-read each step and try again, ensuring you are within the 5-second time limit for each action.
