[agent329]

Hello everyone,

This happened just now.

I did the start procedure by the stepping brake and pressing the ignition button. I just heard a click and the car didn't start. So I tried the start procedure a couple of times more then suddenly, the dashboard went haywire. The warning and interior lights lit up. The windshield wipers also moved on their own. There were also ticking sounds inside the fuse box upon inspecting the hood.

I'm posting this here because I don't have anyone to ask. My older brother will not be around until this weekend. I figured out you guys might help and give me an idea on what's happening in the car. The last time we drove the car was when it was picked up from the dealership last two weeks. It had 45 miles on it brand new.

Update: The car can't detect the key fob. It won't also lock. The only interior light remaining is the ignition button light. It's flashing red.

Thank you very much!

 

[anchorman]

Welcome to the forum.

I suspect that the system has latched out and has gone into a "safe mode". It might clear if you disconnect the battery earth lead and reconnect it after a couple of minutes. If you are not sure about doing that, just call the dealer and they will sort it out.

Don't worry, it will get fixed.

 

[agent329]

Thank you very much anchorman.

I've seen your posts from different CX-3 forums. I'm a fan!

 

[anchorman]

Thank you very much anchorman.

I've seen your posts from different CX-3 forums. I'm a fan!

I sound like a CX-3 forum floosy . Only the UK forum is my other hiding place and I do still visit my old mates at the RAV4 forums where I've been known to add the odd tutorial and "how to" video.

BTW, I will eventually be covering service items on the CX-3 in a YouTube video.

 

[Snoogie]

have you tried using ur key fob to press the start button? press the flying M to the start button while pressing the brake pedal and see if that starts it. Sometimes i have new 3s that do that due to batteries going really low due to dead or bad cell.

 

[Gerri&Mick]

It sounds like the car has been sitting idle for a little while. I was thinking battery low also.

 

[Snoogie]

tell us everything that led up to said problem...def looking at a dying or faulty battery. It does happen more than u think even on a new car. those batteries do sit and may develop a bad cell.

 

[anchorman]

have you tried using ur key fob to press the start button? press the flying M to the start button while pressing the brake pedal and see if that starts it. Sometimes i have new 3s that do that due to batteries going really low due to dead or bad cell.

You mean the remote battery or the car battery?

 

[agent329]

The key fob is working. It is flashing red whenever I press a button. I tried pressing the key fob against the ignition button and it didn't work. I also tried the spare key fob but no luck.

I did the normal start procedure by pressing the brake and ignition button. I did that for a number of times before random lights lit up. Some of I can remember are the lights for the heated seat switches, shift knob lights, steering wheel lights, window and door lock lights.

The wipers moved on its own. It did a slow, full swing across the windshield before stopping.

There was also ticking sounds under the hood, inside the fusebox. I inspected every fuse and learned that it came from the ignition fuse and the wiper fuse. The ticking sounds went off after a couple of minutes. The randomly flashing interior lights also went off.

The car is now sitting dead. No lights, no nothing. It can't even detect the key fob.

I hope it's the battery and also hoping it didn't damage the electronics. It's scary seeing interior lights going haywire on a new car. It's also sad because the car is also promising. I really like it. My brother and I will be jumping the battery this weekend and will bring it back to the dealership.

 

[anchorman]

From what you said it sounds like the car battery. It's not common on a new car but it isn't unknown. Like many components, they either fail when they are worn out or when brand new due to a manufacturing fault.

I don't understand the logic of asking you to hold the key by the start button. That is for a flat fob battery.

 

[Snoogie]

pressing the flying M to the start button is how you would start the car if the immobilizer or other modules fail to start the car normally and sometimes will reboot the system. Its how i start cars right off the delivery truck with two of its function fuses not installed. the M to start button while pressing the brake is the only way to start the vehicle in that state. wouldnt hurt to try. the clicking noise is usually the system trying to reset relays to ensure they work and rarely are a cause for concern. at worst a fuse blue or a CEL is triggered which can be cleared later. again i would like to know if you had the car sit for awhile w/o it ever starting like for storage or the like. and assuming you bought the car off the lot and not ordered the car could of been sitting as well and sometimes may cause a dead or bad cell. Happens a fair bit at my dealership if they fail to run cars for "x" days especially if the vehicle has an i-Eloop system. Those batteries are expensive at $400+ and we tell them those should never go flat...we manage to rescue one since it came off the truck near dead for some reason.

 

[AdamK]

As it was explained to me by the dealer there's an RFID chip in the fob that when held next to the start button will activate the starter circuitry when the fob battery is dead and not transmitting. It has to be really close to the button to work.

I'd put a volt meter on the battery and see if you have any bad cells. You should see around 12.4 volts. Check the battery connections at the terminals too.

 

[anchorman]

pressing the flying M to the start button is how you would start the car if the immobilizer or other modules fail to start the car normally and sometimes will reboot the system. Its how i start cars right off the delivery truck with two of its function fuses not installed. the M to start button while pressing the brake is the only way to start the vehicle in that state. wouldnt hurt to try. the clicking noise is usually the system trying to reset relays to ensure they work and rarely are a cause for concern. at worst a fuse blue or a CEL is triggered which can be cleared later. again i would like to know if you had the car sit for awhile w/o it ever starting like for storage or the like. and assuming you bought the car off the lot and not ordered the car could of been sitting as well and sometimes may cause a dead or bad cell. Happens a fair bit at my dealership if they fail to run cars for "x" days especially if the vehicle has an i-Eloop system. Those batteries are expensive at $400+ and we tell them those should never go flat...we manage to rescue one since it came off the truck near dead for some reason.

Fair enough.

 

[anchorman]

As it was explained to me by the dealer there's an RFID chip in the fob that when held next to the start button will activate the starter circuitry when the fob battery is dead and not transmitting. It has to be really close to the button to work.

I'd put a volt meter on the battery and see if you have any bad cells. You should see around 12.4 volts. Check the battery connections at the terminals too.

I knew about this one but couldn't see how it would help a flat battery.

Measuring voltage across the terminals doesn't always detect a none starter. It's sometimes necessary to use a drop or high voltage discharge tester to detect a duff cell.

 

[agent329]

Hello everyone,

The car is working perfectly already!

Apparently, the battery was discharged due to it sitting in the garage almost 3 wks. What we did was to jump the battery and let the engine run for a couple of minutes.

The 'perform maintenance' warning light came on so we still brought it to the dealership. What they just did was to reset the odometer counter for maintenance through the infotainment system.

Thank you everyone!