Hi All,

This is my step sons 2009 CTS. It has a rather strange remote start quirk that I can't seem to research anywhere. The vehicle will only remote start AFTER you have manually started, meaning, you have to walk out to the car, start it manually, turn it off, and then the remote start will function. Otherwise, if you perform the RS procedure, all that happens is the lights flash after 3 sec or so, but the car does not start.

Has anyone ever seen this before? I can't figure out why on Earth this is doing this, or what the cause could be.

Suggestions appreciated!

 

Did you/he review remote procedure in owners manual? Parking brake set, Press power lock on remote. then Start button you have 10 sec to do both. Many times dealer personnel will explain how features work if not busy, you could also have car checked for recalls or special policies at may apply to car.

 

I own a '10 CTS which I store in the winter. I start and run it once each month during this period. Last winter, I noticed that it would not start using the remote on the first attempt. After it had been manually started once, the remote feature would work fine. When I took it to the dealer for spring weather service, I asked the service manager what might cause the problem. He said perhaps the battery (still the factory original) may have a cell that is beginning to fail. My remotes both have fresh batteries and have been programmed to the car. The RS feature seems to work fine for me during regular use, it's only when it sits idle for extended periods that I have the issue you describe. I might begin by having your battery tested.

 

Keep us posted with any updates!