ddruker

About two weeks ago, our truck started to not recognize that the key had been inserted in the ignition. After inserting either of our keys, we get no power at all on the dashboard displays and nothing happens when you turn the keys. It's as if the key hasn't been inserted at all.

The truck eventually wakes up after a while - as long as a minute or two - and then everything is ok and as normal. And of course it doesn't happen every time. It's pretty clear that the electronic handshake that is supposed to be happening between the smart key (or are mine dumb keys) and the electronic ignition system isn't happening properly.

Because I expect this is could be one of those classic “could not reproduce” problems at the dealer, I took a video of it happening yesterday. See link below.

Any ideas? I'm under warranty, but it would be great to know if anyone already has seen this and has a fix to help avoid spending a ton of time at the dealer.

http://youtu.be/lk1kKMbKEPU

aeggroup

Can it be ignition lock ? Anyway - got to your dealer and they will fix it.

JimBarnhart

Very weird, looks like a trip to the dealer.

Does it happen if you use the key to unlock the doors first?

ddruker

It seems to be unrelated to door locking / unlocking.

I think there must be a proximity sensor in the electronic ignition system that is supposed to be communicating with the key, and in my case whatever handshake is supposed to be occurring is not happening correctly. Thank goodness I'm still under warranty - if it is the electronic ignition system that's like a $1,500 part.

iankayem

Copped a similar but more serious problem with my wife's Landrover Discovery.

It only happened at certain carparks and we were told by the dealer "Simply push the car one vehicle length and it will be fine". My wife (55kg) did not attempt to push the 2 tonne vehicle.

Apparently it was due to interference from mobile phone towers.

This has never happened in other vehicles including MB, so may be totally unrelated to your problem.

JimBarnhart

Uttering that sentence to my wife on a $80,000 vehicle would be the end - of the car, our marriage, and probably a few of my limbs.

iankayem

What kind of fool do you think I am?

It was the dealer who told her that.

I was the nice guy who said "Let's get you a new car".

ddruker

Just back from the dealer - they think it is the electronic ignition system. Service guy says they go out pretty frequently - bad news for a $1,500 part.

They gave me a 2012 GLK as a rental, and I should have the GL back in a couple of days.

JimBarnhart

Well played.

rudywaller

Sorry, I know this thread is very old but having the exact same issue with our 2011 GL 550. Was the 'electric ignition system' the end-all to the problem or did it ever re-occur? In some of my research I have found mention to the PCM module. Not sure if it's 'ignition' or another part. Like you I'd like to know before some mechanic randomly starts replacing $1,500 parts