Is There a Manual Key Slot in a Honda CR-V? How to Start Your Honda?

You may know that different vehicles have different locations of their key backup slots. It's important to know where one is located in your vehicle because if the key fob is dead, you will not be able to start the car without this. Slots are used in Ford cars and they are located in all different kinds of places. But does your Honda CR-V have this slot?

In short, your Honda CR-V doesn't have any key rest, key bed, or key backup slot. It uses its push-button start system to identify the key even if its battery is completely dead. It means you will need to touch your key fob directly to the start button to register the key and start the vehicle.

This pattern will work with the majority of Japanese vehicles, so, Honda is not an exception. It's easy, understandable, doesn't require you to remember any additional spots where you need to put your key fob and it also reduces the chance that you will forget the key in the car and it will block the doors thinking that the key is out because it's dead.

Let's see how this system works in your Honda CR-V!

Why do you need a key slot in a keyless car?

You may think that it's not even correct to call this thing a key. In modern cars, it's not a key, it's just a fob because there is no actual key in it, at least it seems to not have a metal key. But if you look carefully, you will notice that there is a metal key - you just need to press a small button to release the metal key.

Also, your CR-V door has a keyhole. In older cars, it's located a little lower than the door handle. In the new generation, the keyhole is under the plastic cover near the door handle. In the bottom part, this plastic cover also has a hole to use the metal key and safely unlock it.

So, if your fob is dead, you will not be able to get into the car without using the metal key that appeared to be hiding in the fob all this time without you knowing this. Whatever else you do you will not be able to get into the vehicle and move on to do some more magic and start it. That's why you actually need that key slot and keyhole in the door.

Where is the key slot in the Honda CR-V?

So, now you know how to find the keyhole in the door of your Honda SUV, but where is the key slot? Where should you put the key if you want to start your engine with the dead key fob?

Just take it to your hand and touch the start button with the back of the fob (not with the buttons, with the opposite side). You don't need to place your key in a certain place in your car or find a special slot like in F-150, for example. You just need to touch the key to the button and the system will catch the signal even if the battery is dead or missing.

This is how the system works in the CR-V. The button has a chip verification module that sends some waves and can interact with the fob. If the fob has the battery inside, it will also send some waves and the system will work well with the fob lying in the pocket.

If the key fob battery is dead, you will need to hold the fob as close to the key as possible to let the car "see" the chip that's hidden inside the fob. And this will do the magic. After you touch the button with the fob, the last step is to start the car as you usually do.

The process of opening and starting the CR-V with the dead fob battery

To make things even more understandable, I want to tell you how exactly you should act to open and start your Honda CR-V if something is wrong with the fob. Unfortunately, this can happen to all of us. These keyless fobs don't live long, or I should say the batteries in the don't live long. And that's why it's not that uncommon for these fobs to go completely dead.

And here's what you can do if you have the CR-V with keyless entry and button start:

• Take the metal key out of the fob. It's easy and you can find some instructions on Youtube.
• Use the metal key to open the door of your CR-V. Just insert the key into the keyhole and turn it, and the door will unblock.
• Get into the car and hold the key fob in your hand. You may insert the metal key now back into the fob, you don't need it at this step.
• Touch the start button with the back part of the fob and hold for several seconds.
• You will see the "No Key" message going off the screen and the lights going on in the interior of your CR-V.
• Now, you can start the car by pressing the brake pedal and pressing the engine start button.
• If something goes wrong, hold the key on the fob - you can even try pressing the key with the fob and simultaneously pressing the brake pedal.

This is quite a simple process. After you do everything right, your car will be working. Now you can put the fob into your pocket and drive away. Be careful - you shouldn't leave the fob in the car because the door may be blocked and you will have to go home and get the second key or even call a locksmith.

Ignoring this problem is not a good thing to do. While you still can open and start the vehicle with a dead battery in the key fob, I highly recommend replacing the battery. This will cost you a couple of dollars - just buy the needed battery and watch a tutorial video on how to replace it in your fob.

Why do key fob batteries in Honda CR-V die so quickly?

Unfortunately, modern keyless system key fobs don't tend to live long. Actually, they live long, but the batteries in them are not that durable. It's not about the quality of the battery. This fob has a special chip that always sends some signals. For this, the chip uses a small battery. In your old fob that didn't have the keyless system, the battery could live up to 10 years, but in the keyless fob, it will only live up to one and a half years.

What's more, the spare fob that is probably lying somewhere in your house will also lose the battery charge really fast. Even though you don't use it, the fob always sends some signals and that's why the chip drains the battery almost as fast as with the main fob.

If you found out that the battery in your Honda CR-V key fob is dying, replace it as soon as possible. Also, replace the battery in the spare fob to avoid problems in the future. Of course, you may always use the emergency engine start procedure described above in this article, but you better keep an eye on key fob batteries.

What can cause a fob battery in the CR-V to die completely?

Usually, when the battery starts dying, you will see a certain message on the dash of your car each time you get into the SUV. It will tell you that the fob battery is low and you need to replace it soon. Don't ignore the message and replace the battery as soon as possible.

But the fob battery can die completely under the following circumstances:

• the battery or the contacts are corroded because of the water damage;
• the battery just isn't there, it's missing;
• the car was sitting for a long time, and the battery in the fob has been drained;
• the battery was of poor quality and it quickly died completely;
• something was wrong with the fob and it drained the battery too fast.

These are the most obvious reasons why the fob battery is completely dead and the keyless entry system is not functioning in your CR-V. Fortunately, even if the battery is missing, you can still start your CR-V or get into the car just by knowing the magic that was described above in this article.

What if the tricks with manual unlocking and starting don't work?

I can't imagine that the manual unlocking didn't work in the CR-V because it's completed with the metal key. One of the possible problems is that the key is not the one that came with your car initially. Maybe, you bought another key and reprogrammed it but didn't cut the metal part. So, this key may just not match the keyhole in your vehicle.

There are more possible reasons why the car doesn't start with the dead fob:

• the chip is damaged inside the key fob;
• there are problems with the key identification system in the vehicle;
• you don't touch the button with the fob for long enough;
• the fob is in a case that makes the signal weak.

If the emergency start system doesn't work in your Honda CR-V, there is no other way you can start the vehicle. In this case, you may need to call for help. Maybe, a good mechanic can also tell you some other things you can try in your car.

The best thing is to call the dealership and ask what they can do for you. For new cars, they have assistance services and may even send a service car to you to help you out.