Dumb Key Situation

Pitter

Pitter
Contributor
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2020 CX-5 Signature Azul Metalico
Yesterday I came to a line of stopped cars on the dirt road up to where I live. I got out and walked up the road to see what was wrong (fallen tree on power line). I walked back to my car and had the key in my hand to open it. I must have kept the key in my hand instead of putting it in my paocket as I usually do and evidently set it down somewhere in the car without thinking. When I got I realized it wasn't in my pocket and searched high and low for it. It is definately in the car somewhere because the walkaway locking doesn't happen when I move away and I can get back in the car and start it. I've repeatedly gone over the interior searching every nook, crevice and cranny, moved both front seats all the way forward and back, checked the well of the heads up display projector and well every where I can think of and I can't find the darned thing! I even searched around the outside of the car in case it fell out when I got out. Nothing. Now when I turn the car off a "low key battery" warning appears on the dash. I wish there was some kind of "find my key" device. Anybody have any idea how I can find it? Of course I have the spare and when I lock the car with that there's about five seconds of repeated beeps which again indicates the other key is still inside. I guess if the key battery goes dead altogether and I never find it I can order another key as I have the key code but no doubt for a small to medium sized fortune. Feel like an idiot!
 
I know you said the walkaway locking doesn’t happen, but Just to make sure the key is not on you somewhere, you could change clothes and see if the car still starts without carrying the other key, or have someone else get in the car and try to start it while you are far away from it.

edit: I just noticed you said it happened yesterday, so I guess you already are wearing different clothes. Unless you have on a jacket that you wore both days. But you also get the beeps when you lock with the other key so you’re probably right that it is still in the car.
 
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Have you used a small bright LED flashlight when looking inside the CX? I ask because it is easy to overlook a small dark object in a dark vehicle with black interior. Over the years I have occasionally dropped small objects in various vehicles and looked without the light....often I saw nothing. Looked again with the flashlight and there it is. Hope you can find it, the fobs aren cheap.
 
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Remove the drivers seat. You will probably find it down in the crevise. It's like a black hole. I lost a CD case for a year down there before I got lucky and found it.

The flashlight suggestion is good, especially as you get older it's harder to see in low light situations.
 
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I agree completely yes I went tothe house and got a flash lite. No luck. Removing the seat is probably the next step. Very much appreciate your replies to this dumb situation.
 
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I know you said you checked every nook and cranny of the interior, but just to be sure.. remove the floormats, check behind the accelerator pedal, check the space between the armrest and the right side of your seat (where the seat buckle is), and check the seam between the seat bottom and the seat back. Also check the vents in the floor under the seats (if you have vents there).
 
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It's no help right now, but once you find it, I'd get a set of these:

I lost my backup key for about a week. Was in my wife's coat or something, she didn't remember using it. During that week I wound up buying another spare key, because I don't like the idea of having only one, especially with modern immobilizers and programming and such.

They also help in locating my cell phone from time to time.
 
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Where was it? One time in my old car I lost my sunglasses, and I swore they dropped outside from the passenger side. I did search the car. Many months later I found them in the kuby holder in the passenger door.
 
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Don't feel bad. I once fed my key fob through my 2 stage snow blower when it fell out of my pocket. It was sorta funny since I found a piece of a key fob on the ground and thought someone was gonna be bummed and it turned out to be me. I actually retrieved all the pieces as the mountain of snow melted over a few weeks and put it back together but it was dead as could be.

After that I always keep my fobs in a bright red silicon cover, less slippery and easier to see...
 
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First of all you guys are great! So many helpful suggestions and anecdecdotes despite the picayune nature of my issue. That's what makes this forum such a pleasure to use.

Well despite having searched every nook and cranny...I thought, it turned out I missed one cranny somewhere under the drivers seat.When I went to visit a friend in another village. He met me as I parked and while I got out I told him my sad sack story and siad I need to pay some girl here, the kind that can find lipstick on her boyfriend's collar, to search the car. We stood next to the open door and he said how much will you pay the girl? Then he reached down Into the well under the seat next to the door sill and lifted out my key. He has a good eye (he spots the tinyest orquids when we go out to photograph them). During the trip it must have gotten jostled loose from the cranny I missed. Phew!
 
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First of all you guys are great! So many helpful suggestions and anecdecdotes despite the picayune nature of my issue. That's what makes this forum such a pleasure to use.

Well despite having searched every nook and cranny...I thought, it turned out I missed one cranny somewhere under the drivers seat.When I went to visit a friend in another village. He met me as I parked and while I got out I told him my sad sack story and siad I need to pay some girl here, the kind that can find lipstick on her boyfriend's collar, to search the car. We stood next to the open door and he said how much will you pay the girl? Then he reached down Into the well under the seat next to the door sill and lifted out my key. He has a good eye (he spots the tinyest orquids when we go out to photograph them). During the trip it must have gotten jostled loose from the cranny I missed. Phew!
It’s true people with better eyes will find something easier than others, especially in the dark environment like CX-5’s cabin with totally black interior. I always ask my wife to look for something I can’t find because she has much better eyesight. Also different person usually has different thinking, and will look for different areas we usually overlooked. It’s time to buy your friend a beer as getting a key fob with programming by the Mazda dealer can be expensive, especially in Colombia.
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It’s true people with better eyes will find something easier than others, especially in the dark environment like CX-5’s cabin with totally black interior. I always ask my wife to look for something I can’t find because she has much better eyesight. Also different person usually has different thinking, and will look for different areas we usually overlooked. It’s time to buy your friend a beer as getting a key fob with programming by the Mazda dealer can be expensive, especially in Colombia.
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So, you're saying that people who can see better can see better? :ROFLMAO:


Glad to hear that the OP got his fob back.
 
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