driving with no key on me?

Once started the car will run without the fob until it burns all the gas or is powered down.

 

But he didn't say he started the car. Just that he unlocked it and put the fob in the garage. So the question is, did zeroeffect4 start the car before he put the key in the garage. Or did you just unlock it, set the key aside, and THEN get in and start the car?

 

I think there's a missing step in the above description. I don't think you can drive the car around without first pushing the power button to get it started.

The real question is, did the OP push the power button while the key was OUTSIDE the car? If he did that and the car started, where exactly was the fob in relation to the car?

 

I do not believe he could have started the car with the fob in the garage. My car won't start with the fob on the deck. The start receiver is directional so the signal needs to be detected from within the car.

Tonight's test: Open the driver's door. Put fob on ground just outside the door. This results in dome lights and 1 beep. Same results with fob on ground just beyond the front bumper.

 

The issue is that it can lose the signal due to the fob battery going dead, or just being temporarily losing the signal due to where it's positioned. You don't want the car abruptly shutting off while you're driving if this happens.

 

While I have not tried it myself, my understanding of the vehicle is that once it is started you can put the key back in the house and drive off. Just don't shut the car off before you get back home cause without the key there will be NO RESTARTING.

 

This is the reason that when using a remote starter, the vehicle is sometimes wired to shut down when you open the door. Then you have to restart it to drive away. (unless they installed an idatalink transponder bypass, Then you have 45 seconds after unlocking to drive away)

 

When the car is in Ready mode and a door is closed with no fob in the car, there are three beeps that can be heard outside the car. If you were to leave the driver's door open while you set the key down in the garage there will be no beep until you get back in the car and close the door, at which time you may not hear it while inside the car. You should still see a flashing icon on the instrument panel indicating that the car doesn't sense a key.

 

A more realistic scenario (that used to happen a lot to me) is that you switch drivers (i.e. when carpooling or getting dropped off) and forget to give the other driver the fob. When we first got the car, my wife and I ran into this pretty often. At first I didn't realize why the three beeps, and she didn't understand the yellow key icon on the dash.

Nowadays we each carry our own fob all the time. She puts her in her purse, mine in my pocket. No more trouble...