How to Program a Chevy Key Fob With Remote Start?

I just bought a 2016 Chevy Malibu with remote start and was wondering how to program the key fob myself. Found some steps online that seem pretty straightforward, but I’m curious if anyone else has tried doing this. Here’s what I’ve got:

  1. Unlock the car manually with the key.
  2. Make sure all the doors are closed, then put the key in the ignition (don’t start the engine).
  3. Hold down the unlock button on the driver’s side door while turning the key to ‘On,’ and then back to ‘Off’ (do this twice).
  4. Release the unlock button and the locks should engage and disengage, meaning it’s ready to program.
  5. Hold down both the ‘Lock’ and ‘Unlock’ buttons on the fob until the locks engage and disengage again, and that should do it.

Has anyone else tried this? I’m not sure if there’s anything I should check for if it doesn’t work. Any suggestions would help, thanks in advance!

Yeah, I’ve done this a couple of times for my 2018 Silverado. It works fine, but the timing can be tricky with the On-Off sequence. Just make sure you’re not too slow, and you should be good. If it doesn’t work the first time, try it again. It might take a few tries before it clicks.

@Shan
Thanks! I think I was being too slow with the key turns. Going to try again later and see if that helps.

If it’s still not working after a few tries, you might want to check the battery in your key fob. That happened to me once where the programming didn’t go through, but it turned out the battery was almost dead. After I swapped it out, everything worked perfectly.

@Sterling
Good tip, I’ll check the battery if I can’t get it going on the next try. Did you replace the battery yourself or get it done at a shop?

Niko said:
@Sterling
Good tip, I’ll check the battery if I can’t get it going on the next try. Did you replace the battery yourself or get it done at a shop?

I just bought a replacement battery myself at the hardware store, much cheaper than going to the dealer. It’s pretty easy to do.

One thing to keep in mind is the timing when you hold down the Lock and Unlock buttons on the fob. If you hold them too long, it might not register. Try holding them for around 10 seconds, that should be enough time for the locks to cycle.

I had a similar issue with my Chevy Tahoe, and after a couple of failed attempts, I just took it to the dealership. They got it programmed in like 10 minutes. Sometimes it’s just easier to let them do it, especially if you’re not having any luck on your own.

@Storm
Yeah, I might end up doing that if I can’t get it to work after a few more tries. Would definitely save some frustration.

Another thing to watch out for—make sure there aren’t any other key fobs or electronic devices nearby when you’re trying to program it. Sometimes other signals can interfere and mess up the process, which might be why it’s not working for you.