This is a guide to programming key fobs to the car, and troubleshooting problems when you try to do it. Assuming you have the correct Security PIN saved (there will be a separate FAQ about that). If you are looking for guidance on what key fobs to use, can you program used key fobs etc. read this guide.
Programming key fobs to the car is a simple matter. However there are a number of reasons the process can fail. Many of them are known issues that I have found, have been reported by others, or documented by Volvo. This guide should help you through programming key fobs, and if it is not successful, figuring out an issue and resolving it.
First the basics. OrBit guides you through programming keys with some instructions in the dialog so some of this is redundant:
The key fob programming process is:
Place the key fob in the programming location. - For all cars, the location is near the "backup" key location where you can place the fob to start the car with a key fob when it's battery is dead. The location is near the interior key antenna. To pair the key, the fob needs to be as close as possible to this antenna. On the SPA cars, this location is the front console cupholder location. For programming, the Volvo guidance is to place the key fob "standing up" against the left side of the cupholder (right side for RHD car), held by the "fingers" of the cupholder. For CMA cars (X/C40, Polestar 2) this location is toward the back of the console. A couple pics for guidance here are below. You should not have ANY other keys within range of the car when programming a key fob. Some cars are more sensitive than others, my own experience is that sometimes I needed to remove all other key fobs from anywhere inside my garage to successfully program a key fob to the car.
For SPA, key fob in proper location on my LHD S60:
For CMA, diagram of the backup key spot (if someone has a better picture if the best placement, please send to me to post!):
Click "Add a key" in the dialog in OrBit. - The car will try to pair the key and return the result. A successful programming will return "Key program successful" status in the dialog. You may see an indication of the "slot" as well if the car returns the information. For example "Key program successful, slot 2" indicates the key fob is paired and is currently the 2nd key fob programmed to the car. If you have problems, keep reading for common problems below, how to troubleshoot and solve them.
Example Key Programming dialog with return status:
NOTE: A special tip from me to you on Erasing All Keys - It's always a little scary to "Erase all keys" before you know key programming is going to work! Here is what I recommend, to put yourself at ease BEFORE you erase all keys from the car: Try to add a key fob first, if you have a new one, see that it works, successfully. Then you know you have done everything right, the fob is good, it should work fine after erasing all keys. If you DON'T have a new fob to program, no problem! Try to program one of the existing keys you have for the car. If you get the error return "Key Already Programmed" you know key programming worked! The key fob was just already programmed to the car. If you get ANY other error, troubleshoot that FIRST before erasing all the keys, so you can solve the problems while still being able to operate the car with an existing key fob.)
FAQs
What if you get an error programming a key? - First, know that most errors come from the car! OrBit is not involved in the process of pairing the key fob, it simply requests to the car to detect and pair the key fob that is placed in the proper location in the car, and then OrBit waits for the result from the car to be returned, and decodes the success or the error reason. Any issues with the process, are between the key fob and the car. This will help you to look for problems in the right place when trying to solve key programming issues. Any status other than "Error", is a return status from the car trying to program the key fob. If you do get an "Error" status when programming a key fob, in most cases, reach out to support for these. For all other error messages, read below and see what you can do for each specific error.
"Key not detected" - This is far and away the most common error. The car was unable to pair the key. It seems specific but it really is a general error with the radio exchange between the car antenna and the key fob that is necessary to pair it successfully. There are many possible causes for the issue, we may not know them all even. But I will list the common and known things to check and possibly resolve. You may try the easy things first and work your way down to the more difficult things until you solve the problem:
"Program Error" - This error is more general than the key detection error. It can be problems not related to wireless communications, it could be inside the CEM, hardware issues etc. It is very generic. In this case I would try again to program the key, and then follow steps for the key detection error, at least as far as confirming that you can try to program a "known good" or existing key, to rule out that the program error is because you are trying to pair a bad key fob.
"Key Already Programmed" - This error is already discussed, and self explanatory. If the key fob you are trying to pair is already programmed to the car, BUT the process was otherwise succesful, you will get this error return. Again it is useful as you know the programming process "worked" when you get this error, so it can be useful for troubleshooting.
"Too Many Keys" - This is also self explanatory. You can have up to 12 key fobs programmed to the car, that is a lot! It's possible if keys have never been erased from the car, but new keys added many times to replace old lost key fobs, you could hit the limit of programmed keys while not actually having 12 key fobs. If you do get this error, you will probably need to erase all keys to clear out the old fobs, and then start fresh and add each key fob you have, back to the car.
"Timeout checking result" - The CEM did not respond in a reasonable time to the request to pair the key fob. Try again. If you see a consistent issue, contact support and we will look at the issue together.
"Unknown Error" - The CEM did not respond with a known error code. Try again. If you see a consistent issue, contact support and we will look at the issue together.
"Error" - This is the ONLY error that is an application error from OrBit. In this case, it could be an OrBit issue, currently you will see this if the Security PIN is incorrect (this will be split out as a specific error in the future). Most cases, you may want to try again, to be sure you have a consistent error, then contact support to look at the specific situation for your case, it is not likely this is the same problem someone else has had.
Programming key fobs to the car is a simple matter. However there are a number of reasons the process can fail. Many of them are known issues that I have found, have been reported by others, or documented by Volvo. This guide should help you through programming key fobs, and if it is not successful, figuring out an issue and resolving it.
First the basics. OrBit guides you through programming keys with some instructions in the dialog so some of this is redundant:
- To program key fobs, click the button "Program Keys" in the Service tab in OrBit. If you have a "Security PIN" saved in the profile for the car, the Key program dialog opens. (If you don't have the needed PIN saved, OrBit will prompt you with the specific options you have for your car, but that's a subject for a different FAQ)
- You have two options when programming key fobs: Erase all keys or Add a key. There are no other options. You must achieve your goals with those two options. For example to "remove a key" fob from the car, you need to Erase all keys, then use Add a key to program each remaining key fob to the car.
The key fob programming process is:
Place the key fob in the programming location. - For all cars, the location is near the "backup" key location where you can place the fob to start the car with a key fob when it's battery is dead. The location is near the interior key antenna. To pair the key, the fob needs to be as close as possible to this antenna. On the SPA cars, this location is the front console cupholder location. For programming, the Volvo guidance is to place the key fob "standing up" against the left side of the cupholder (right side for RHD car), held by the "fingers" of the cupholder. For CMA cars (X/C40, Polestar 2) this location is toward the back of the console. A couple pics for guidance here are below. You should not have ANY other keys within range of the car when programming a key fob. Some cars are more sensitive than others, my own experience is that sometimes I needed to remove all other key fobs from anywhere inside my garage to successfully program a key fob to the car.
For SPA, key fob in proper location on my LHD S60:
For CMA, diagram of the backup key spot (if someone has a better picture if the best placement, please send to me to post!):
Click "Add a key" in the dialog in OrBit. - The car will try to pair the key and return the result. A successful programming will return "Key program successful" status in the dialog. You may see an indication of the "slot" as well if the car returns the information. For example "Key program successful, slot 2" indicates the key fob is paired and is currently the 2nd key fob programmed to the car. If you have problems, keep reading for common problems below, how to troubleshoot and solve them.
Example Key Programming dialog with return status:
NOTE: A special tip from me to you on Erasing All Keys - It's always a little scary to "Erase all keys" before you know key programming is going to work! Here is what I recommend, to put yourself at ease BEFORE you erase all keys from the car: Try to add a key fob first, if you have a new one, see that it works, successfully. Then you know you have done everything right, the fob is good, it should work fine after erasing all keys. If you DON'T have a new fob to program, no problem! Try to program one of the existing keys you have for the car. If you get the error return "Key Already Programmed" you know key programming worked! The key fob was just already programmed to the car. If you get ANY other error, troubleshoot that FIRST before erasing all the keys, so you can solve the problems while still being able to operate the car with an existing key fob.)
FAQs
What if you get an error programming a key? - First, know that most errors come from the car! OrBit is not involved in the process of pairing the key fob, it simply requests to the car to detect and pair the key fob that is placed in the proper location in the car, and then OrBit waits for the result from the car to be returned, and decodes the success or the error reason. Any issues with the process, are between the key fob and the car. This will help you to look for problems in the right place when trying to solve key programming issues. Any status other than "Error", is a return status from the car trying to program the key fob. If you do get an "Error" status when programming a key fob, in most cases, reach out to support for these. For all other error messages, read below and see what you can do for each specific error.
"Key not detected" - This is far and away the most common error. The car was unable to pair the key. It seems specific but it really is a general error with the radio exchange between the car antenna and the key fob that is necessary to pair it successfully. There are many possible causes for the issue, we may not know them all even. But I will list the common and known things to check and possibly resolve. You may try the easy things first and work your way down to the more difficult things until you solve the problem:
- Mystery interference: This may be obvious...just try again if you get this error. You may find the key will program on a subsequent try.
- Key fob battery: A weak battery may cause the programming to fail. Always put a fresh high quality battery in use key fobs. (I use Toshiba brand). For sport key/key tag type fob: unless the key fob is purchased new from Volvo, you will always have to suspect the battery is weak, as it is is not replaceable officially (but some have done it successfully)
- Other keys too close: Remove ALL other key fobs in the area. Take them far away, far enough there can be NO doubt another key fob is in contact with the car.
- Correct the fob placement: Be sure the key fob is as close to the antenna as possible. Follow the guidance on programming placement. The position matters. Maybe sometimes you can program a key tossed in the cupholder. You will find other times, the fob MUST be in the specific programming position! One user has even reported to me, he needed to remove the external shell from the fob to eliminate this error and pair the fob successfully. It's worth a try, anything you can do to make the "connection" between the antenna and the fob better can only help.
- Verify the key is not bad: Try another key fob. Another "trick" to check that programming works with a "known good" key fob to diagnose a "bad" one, is to try to program one of your existing key fobs. If the key is detected successfully, you will get the "Key already programmed" return error. I've never used the aftermarket new key fobs, but I have heard it's frequent to get a bad one. You'll need to be able to verify the fob is good, if you want to use aftermarket fobs and find you have a problem. Personally I only use new or used OEM key fobs. Even then, you can get a "bad" one, and there are certain older OEM fobs that are known to be defective (See HERE for Volvo TJ about it, to ID the defective fob).
- Interference from the SRS module (T8 only): There is a known issue programming key fobs on the T8 models, due to interference from the SRS module that is under the console. (See HERE for Volvo TJ about it and the solutions depending on the model/year)
- Antenna under the console has shifted out of place: The interior key antenna may have shifted out of place or the mount may have broken. If the antenna is not in the expected location, key programming may not work as the correct fob placement is no longer close enough to the antenna, while normal functions that don't depend on exact location of the interior key antenna, like starting and operating the car, continue to work normally. You will need to physcially inspect this if you have come this far and still cannot program key fobs.
- Other issues: If nothing solves errors detecting the key when programming, there could be hardware or software issues in the car. This is out of the scope of this guide. You probably have other issues with the keyless system at this point, that should be addressed and resolved, before trying to program keys while other malfunctions exist.
"Program Error" - This error is more general than the key detection error. It can be problems not related to wireless communications, it could be inside the CEM, hardware issues etc. It is very generic. In this case I would try again to program the key, and then follow steps for the key detection error, at least as far as confirming that you can try to program a "known good" or existing key, to rule out that the program error is because you are trying to pair a bad key fob.
"Key Already Programmed" - This error is already discussed, and self explanatory. If the key fob you are trying to pair is already programmed to the car, BUT the process was otherwise succesful, you will get this error return. Again it is useful as you know the programming process "worked" when you get this error, so it can be useful for troubleshooting.
"Too Many Keys" - This is also self explanatory. You can have up to 12 key fobs programmed to the car, that is a lot! It's possible if keys have never been erased from the car, but new keys added many times to replace old lost key fobs, you could hit the limit of programmed keys while not actually having 12 key fobs. If you do get this error, you will probably need to erase all keys to clear out the old fobs, and then start fresh and add each key fob you have, back to the car.
"Timeout checking result" - The CEM did not respond in a reasonable time to the request to pair the key fob. Try again. If you see a consistent issue, contact support and we will look at the issue together.
"Unknown Error" - The CEM did not respond with a known error code. Try again. If you see a consistent issue, contact support and we will look at the issue together.
"Error" - This is the ONLY error that is an application error from OrBit. In this case, it could be an OrBit issue, currently you will see this if the Security PIN is incorrect (this will be split out as a specific error in the future). Most cases, you may want to try again, to be sure you have a consistent error, then contact support to look at the specific situation for your case, it is not likely this is the same problem someone else has had.