2006 grand vitara, keyfob incompatibility

As per topic https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=72399&KW=grand+vitara&tpn=1 which is closed... The vehicle is a 2006 Suzuki Grand Vitara with the SmartPass keyless entry keyless start system. Three years later, here's an update. I pretty well put up with the deficiencies in the alarm system, but then I bought a third keyfob from an on-line source. This keyfob, although it looks the same as the original two, has resisted all attempts at programming. At one point, it appeared the alarm system was preventing reprogramming the keyfobs. The long-suffering Suzuki dealership staff have now done four separate sessions attempting to sort this out. Recently the company that installed the alarm system 3 years ago agreed to take another look at it. They found they had wired it incorrectly. Normally, an aftermarket alarm system treats the drivers door as a "master". When that door is unlocked, even with a keyfob, or in this case, the button on the door, the alarm system takes that signal as a trigger to disarm. But the Grand Vitara also has these buttons on the passenger front door, and the tailgate. If you unlock using those door buttons, whatever door you're using becomes the "master", but the alarm sees the drivers door being unlocked with no disarm signal. So the alarm goes off. The solution is to wire the alarm so it can get a disarm signal from any of the three doors with buttons. This was the first Grand Vitara they'd seen with keyless entry and the door buttons, so now they know how to handle this setup. Then someone from the alarm company went to the Suzuki dealership to work together with the Suzuki staff to reprogram the keyfobs. Still, they were unable to program the third keyfob, and the conclusion was that it is not compatible. While it looks the same as the original Suzuki keyfobs, there are differences in the various numbers on them: The original keyfobs read: FCC ID: KBRTS003 Model No: TS006 IC: 2111B-TS003 CMII ID: 2005DJ0233 Calsonic Kansei Corp The third party keyfob reads: FCC ID: KBRTS003 Model No: TS003 IC: 2111B-TS003 ETC094LP00190 Calsonic Kansei Corp As you can see, the model numbers of the original keyfobs and the third party keyfob are different, and the third party keyfob has an ETC number instead of the CMII number on the originals. The Suzuki dealership verified that the numbers on the original keyfobs match those on other GV's at their dealership. So finally my questions. This is a Canadian car. The aftermarket keyfob came from the US. Would US keyfobs be incompatible with Canadian ones, and does the difference in numbers prove an incompatibility? Is there a way to deal with this without replacing the aftermarket keyfob? I have also forwarded this information to the vendor I got the third keyfob from. Can anyone here shed some light on this keyfob problem?

Who is the vendor?Ideal - cmon dude, add to topics in a useful manner, not stuff that is obvious.

Story - Phzzzt! Hey, what happened?! ... Isn't it obvious?

Moral - Never dismiss the obvious.

I don't want to get into this topic but surely the US product would also conform to any Canadian product?  Why didn't you get the fob from the dealer?

loneranger wrote: Who is the vendor?

JEJ1998 Keyless Entry Remotes

howie ll wrote: I don't want to get into this topic but surely the US product would also conform to any Canadian product? Why didn't you get the fob from the dealer?

Just trying to be cheap. And it makes sense to recycle used keyfobs rather than manufacture/buy new ones.

In case anyone's doing research about keyfob vendors, I want to say that despite the amount of time that has elapsed since I bought the keyfob, JEJ1988 Keyless Entry Remotes has offered to refund my payment when I return the remote. Since no one has been able to suggest a remedy, I'll do that.

are you sure your getting into the remote programming   these trucks are kinda difficult to program if youve never done it    the sequence has to be done just right for it to work ive done dozens of them and it still takes me a few trysIf i Can't Install it    I Don't need it   Joe

I think I have an idea of what it is, maybe. I think for the 2008 model year, ALL Canadian cars are required to have an anti-theft transponder immobilizer system, installed from the factory. While I can't say about your Canadian Grand Vitara, I'm pretty sure that even before the 2008 law, many, many Canadian cars already had anti-theft systems. So, I'm going to take an educated guess that your Canadian car has an immobilizer. I'm SURE that the US model (at least for 2006) does not. I've installed remote starters on US-model, smart-key-equipped Grand Vitaras. No special parts are required to install the remote starter. At least on the U.S. car, the hand-held remote, when in proximity of the car, allows you to unlock the door by pressing the button on the outside. It also releases the mechanical lock on the steering column, allowing the driver to turn the ignition switch and start the engine. However, the US model has no electronic anti theft system. If a thief were to break the mechanical lock on the ignition switch, he would be able to start the engine with a screwdriver and drive the car away. Furthermore, if the US smart key is lost, the regular metal key can be used to open the door and start the engine. There is nothing special about this key, and it has no anti-theft transponder in it. It would be interesting to read your Canadian owner's manual............what is the procedure if your smart key should become defective, or the battery inside it goes bad? There will be some procedure to still be able to start the car........that might give you a hint as to whether the car has an anti-theft system. In summary: The US model does have that cool smart key feature, but NO electronic anti-theft system. If the Canadian version does, there lies your incompatibility.

chev104275: Technicians at a Suzuki dealership have tried repeatedly to program the third remote. They have also worked with a staff person at their side from probably the top mobile audio/security firm in town, and the one that installed the 3-rd party alarm system. They've also communicated with Suzuki Canada about this. You'd think there'd be a cheap gizmo that senses the fob's frequencies, and so detect compatibility or functionality issues. Chris Luongo: I'm under the strong impression that you're right in saying the Canadian '06 Grand Vitaras had an immobilizer. I'm not 100% sure, because the vehicle can be entered and started either with the presence of the fob, or by using the detachable key with the fob nowhere around**. When I bought the car, the dealer did the insurance paperwork claimed it had an immobilizer (we get an insurance discount for it). The '06 Grand Vitara sold outside North America had an oem alarm system, but not here. The Canadian '06 Grand Vitaras has a fake alarm led on the center stack, which leads to even more confusion. **using only the key causes the aftermarket alarm to go off, but there is a procedure to shut it off when this happens. (Maybe part of the punishment for people who break into cars or steal them would be to help pay for all this nonsense we all endure on their behalf, even if our cars aren't broken into or stolen.) I have a copy of the big thick factory service manual, so perhaps it can shed some light on this. See below. Later... I have a copy of the '06 Grand Vitara factory service manual. All 5"thick of it. There is nothing on it to say whether it is for US or Canadian spec GV's, but it came from a US source. There are many pages about the immobilizer/keyless start systems, much of which looks fantastically complicated to me. But here's what I gleaned. There are two systems, separate but connected through the CAN (computer area network). The systems are the immobilizer system, and the keyless start system. The immobilizer system utilizes a transponder in the key. The manual has a picture of three different keys, all of which contain transponders. There are cautions about things such as not covering the head of the key with tinfoil. This would mean that all models of the '06 GV had immobilizer capability built into the keys. There is an ICM (immobilizer control module) that communicates with the ECM, and they shut off the fuel injection system unless a registered key is used. There is a registration system in case of adding new keys, or replacing either of the modules. The keyless start system uses a different transponder in the keyfob, which communicates with the keyless start control module and the ECM. There is a description of how the keyless start control module determines if the keyfob's code is registered, and then unlocks the steering lock unit to allow the ignition knob switch to be turned. It goes on..."In the case of vehicle with immobilizer control system, when the ignition knob switch is turned to ON in this state, ID codes of ECM* and keyless start control module are compared through CAN communication. When they match, turning the ignition knob switch to start position will start the engine.." *presumably the code from the immobilizer system. The keyless start system operates the door lock functions in conjuction with the keyfob, while the key itself obviously does this manually. Registering new keys, and registering new keyfobs, are separate procedures. So, it's possible that either the key or the keyfob is not compatible with either of these systems. It seems to me this keyfob is used for one other Suzuki vehicle, perhaps the top end SX4. Maybe that's what the problem is here.