Woman Buys New Mazda. Then It Says 'Key Not Detected': 'Doors Won't Even Unlock'

"Does anyone else's Mazda do this?"

Photo by: livinlavish.liyah

By: Stacy Fernandez

Aug 10, at 8:00am ET

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You would never expect a brand-new car to leave you stranded. But for this one Mazda owner, that’s exactly what happened — and not for the reason you may think.

Content creator Liyah (@livinlavish.liyah) recently shared that her Mazda has been throwing the same error since she bought it two months ago, despite having only 6,000 miles on it.

"Does anyone else's Mazda do this?" the text overlay on the video reads.

"Mazda, why do you do this? Why? Bruh, brand new car, I literally only have 6,000 miles on it. I literally got it maybe like two months ago. Cool: key not detected,” she said.

Liyah showed the “key not detected’ error on the dashboard despite having the car's fob on her. She said this isn’t the first time it happened, either. Liyah says she’s already tried to fix the issue multiple times.

"I've changed this at least three times,” she says, showing the key fob, adding that whether the key works is hit or miss.

"God forbid they were shooting, like, I'm cooked, 'cause my car won't start. Or sometimes the doors won't even unlock,” she said.

In the caption, she asked Mazda to “please help.”

Mazda itself responded directly in the comments from its verified account, writing, "We DM'd you!"

Her video has more than 128,000 views as of this writing.

What Should You Do If Your Key Fob Stops Working?

The most common culprit behind a malfunctioning key fob is a weak or dying battery, according to AutoZone.

The car parts dealer noted that it's an easy, inexpensive fix, and worth checking first before assuming something more serious is wrong. It's also worth ruling out the vehicle itself, as a dead or weak car battery can cause similar symptoms. Testing with a spare key fob can help determine whether the fob or the car is actually at fault.

On push-to-start vehicles specifically, AutoZone notes that a fob with a low but not fully dead battery may only be recognized at close range, so holding it directly against the start button is a quick workaround worth trying in the moment.

If a new battery doesn't fix it, the next step is usually having the fob professionally inspected, since buttons can stick or become misaligned with heavy use. In some cases, the fob may simply need to be reprogrammed.

A key fob works by sending a coded radio-frequency signal to a receiver inside the car, and when that communication breaks down, the car can throw a "key not detected" error even with a perfectly good fob in hand, according to KwikPick Lock and Safe.