I am currently having intermittent issues with starting my e-pace. About 1 in 3 times, I can unlock the car, but when I push the start button I get a "Key not recognized" message, with an instruction to place the key under the steering wheel and try again. Having identified the correct location in the manual for the key and then placed it there. All seems to work for a while then the same issue.

If i hold the FOD in my hand i don't have this issue but that defeats the whole purpose. Of course i've replaced the FOD battery, one smart person at the dealer suggested over the counter batteries are not as effective, that's like telling me to believe in snake oil but i tried the dealer offered batteries anyway to no avail.

Its like the FOD goes into a sleep mode and has trouble waking up.

thanks in advance for your comments

 

Welcome to the forums tsells1,

As I'm not familiar with the E-Pace, I first checked to make sure the passive entry system is the same as my XK and it is.

The same issue has been reported by a small number of X150 owners. JLR has not come up with an explanation why it sometimes happens to a few owners or why it never happens to others. With the X150, members have found the following procedure gets round it. Instead of the normal start method of first pressing the brake pedal and then pushing the start button, do it the other way round. Press and hold the start button and then push the brake.

Works for XK owners reporting this issue. Let us know if it also works for the E-Pace.

Graham

 

Hi Graham,
I tried this method and it seems to be pretty effective although its adds another step, you have to release the start button once the brake pedal is pushed then press it again. This seems to work every time, locking and unlocking of the door still a challenge.

I've tried to speak with someone in the Jaguar service department to discuss if they have known reported issues and or known solutions only to be blown off, can't get to an advisor nor receive a callback.

I will probably end forcing their hand by contacting Jaguar USA to get me a response. I'm a bit disappointed i've only had the car a few months and can't get through. Of course i could just drive over but the dealership is pretty far away from me and i paid good money for car that I also expect to have a good service experience.

thanks for your help,
tony

 

I agree it's not satisfactory on a new vehicle but good to hear that workaround also applies with E-Pace.

If you do take it up with Jaguar USA you could quote my example of the X150 with the same issue. The X150 went out of production in 2014 so out of warranty but Jaguar cannot claim to be unaware this is not something new on the E-Pace.

Let me know how you get on.

Graham

 

Hey Graham,

Finally got the problem resolved with a bit of persistence with the dealership. After the whole battery fiasco they agreed to investigate, turns out the key FOD had not become orphaned from the car, there's an antenna in the car that it interfaces to. It needed to be replaced, they told me it was located in the rear of the headliner. Seems there is a documented issue and 2 out of 10 times its the problem. The service agent didn't tell me this, only when i asked him to explain the note in the service techs report. Which stated when checking TOPIX (data base???) he found Service Bulletin JLRTB02018NAS2 on the relevant issue and replacement of the communication antenna resolves the known problem. Even a DTC scan does not uncover this random problem.

The takeaway is not all known issues make the recall board or present itself in a system scan.

Hopefully this helps anyone out there who may be having this problem.

tony