How to Prevent Accidental Pressing of Key Fob? All Methods

Well, I had this problem for several months when I bought my first keyless-entry car. I used to bend over to reach the bags in the supermarket and I accidentally pressed the fob in my pocket. Some random button was pressed and the car was open without me even knowing this. Or the alarm in my car started going off.

The problem of accidental key fob pressing is all about the fob - it's too sensitive and easy to press. So, the solutions are the cover, another fob type, spare fob, or fob modifications. Later in this article, I will tell you more about each of the methods and will also outline their pros and cons.

Here's what exactly I will tell you today:

• Why and how does the key fob work accidentally in your pocket?
• Simple and cheaper methods to cope with this.
• More expensive methods that require some purchase.
• DIY methods that require some work from you.
• Can you make the dealership do something about it?

Let's get started!

Accidentally pressing the fob in my pocket - why?

Not all key fobs are really convenient. Especially the ones with the keyless entry system. You barely need to touch that fob in your life - you just put it into your bag or pocket and forget about it. So, why it should be so big and so highly inconvenient to use? I don't get it with Kia, Hyundai, Honda, Volkswagen, and also a good bunch of European car manufacturers whose models (fortunately) don't sell in the US.

Why don't you make a tiny little key fob with two buttons on it? We can get all the needed functions without using that fob at all! But no, they give us the fob that is huge as hell and, to make things worse, it can be pressed accidentally in your pocket or bag.

Here's what happens:

• your fob has pretty sensitive buttons;
• whenever something is pressed to the fob, the buttons may easily be activated;
• this random press may activate any button including the unlock one;
• your car may be unlocked without you noticing this;
• if a bad guy is around your car at this moment, they will not waste time and get something out of your car;
• also, you may launch an alarm by pressing the panic button on the fob and your car will be going off without you knowing that.

Well, nothing good so far. I had this problem with the Hyundai Tucson 2020 and in 2021 Hyundai changed the shape of the fob taking all the buttons to the side of the fob instead of placing those huge and sensitive buttons right on the front panel.

So, it's not about you being clumsy and awkward. It's all about the key fob being made without properly testing it. I thought it was purely Hyundai and Kia until I researched the question on forums and saw that hundreds of people struggle with this issue in different car brands.

The easiest and free methods to cope with this

Here are the free methods to try and cope with the problem. And they also won't require a lot of effort on your side.

1) Find a hard case to keep your fob in

If you carry the fob in the bag and it's the keyless-entry fob, you can use some hard case - just any that you can find at home. Put it in this case and forget about accidentally pressing any buttons on the key fob.

2) Wear the key in some other place

You can put your key in the pocket of your hoody or find a place for it on your belt maybe. Find the place where nothing will touch the key with enough power to press the button.

3) Try using the spare fob

In many cars, the spare fob is smaller and cheaper. But sometimes it may be the advantage - its buttons may not be so sensitive and its shape may allow you to place it more comfortably in the pocket.

DIY methods that require some purchase

OK, the above-mentioned efforts are pretty questionable, so you may need something more fundamental to cope with this problem. Here are some more ideas:

1) Buy a good case for the fob

For some fobs, a good case can be the best idea. First of all, it will protect the fob and make it much easier to use. Secondly, it will make it harder to press the buttons which will obviously make your life easier.

2) Buy another fob type with no chip inside

You may go to all those online platforms selling Chinese cheap goods and find the fob for your vehicle or another type. For example, if you are having the Hyundai Tucson 2020, you may buy the key fob for the Tucson 2021 which is much better. Then, you will just need to reinstall the chip into your new fob and you will get rid of the problem.

3) Buy any fob from another car

Technically, you can insert the chip into almost any fob of more or less the same size. But to connect the buttons, in this case, you will need some help.

Some methods that require your efforts

Also, if you have less money than enthusiasm, you can use your free time and solve the problem with little to no investments. Here are the ideas:

1) Turn off the buttons in your fob

If you literally never use the buttons, you may take the fob apart and turn the buttons off. I don't recommend this because you will lose the functionality of the fob and may not get into the car when the keyless entry system fails. But still, this is one of the options.

2) Use rubber handmade rubber cushions under the buttons

You may make rubber cushions and place them under the buttons in your fob. For this, you can just use any rubber mat or something. Of course, the key fob will need to be taken apart. Also, this method keeps all the buttons functional, they will just have more resistance to any touch.

These are probably all methods that I'm aware of. You may add yours in the comments to share it with other drivers who have also been in this situation.

Can you make the dealership do something?

You may be tempted to go to the dealer and ask them to do something with the fob because it's almost impossible to use this thing. And they will not say "no". But when the problem is solved, you'll be surprised by the amount of money you will have to pay for this.

Dealers won't do anything under warranty because the fob is functioning just like it was intended to. Also, they may figure out some ways to solve the problem. For example, they can take an older or newer type of fob for your car and reprogram it to work well with your vehicle. But the price of the OEM fob in the dealership and the cost of reprogramming is insanely high.

I can't tell you for sure because each dealer will have different prices. But I'm pretty sure, you will have to pay at least $400 or something like that if you aren't driving a luxury car. Any luxury brand will ask at least twice more for this job.

So, I insist you read the article once more carefully and choose the $20 solution for your problem (or even the free one).

Final thoughts

I'm sure a lot of people struggle every day because their fobs are pressed unintentionally in bags and pockets. Fortunately, it's not that complicated and you can solve this problem just by applying one of the above-mentioned methods. You should choose the method according to the kind of problem you are having. Also, make sure the method is OK for the type of key fob you have.

Please be careful if you decide to take your key fob apart. It's very easy to brake plastic locks and latches and you may also kill the chip itself if you don't know what you are doing. Watch some tutorial videos before you take the fob apart!