Well the only reason there is not goin to be a recall is that they can only recall if there have been complaints made, and that is what the website is for. I was told that when I called them. So if nobody calls then, nothing will get done, and as for this not being a saftey issue, it is, passlock does infact link itself to other things that can go wrong with the electrical units in your car. Is has been linked to malfunctions in the air bag systems and also the horn systems as well. Just an FYI to anyone else thats having this problem.

 

There have been tens of thousands of complaints about Passlock over the past 10 years. There will not be a recall, sorry, I wish they would, but it isn't going to happen.

Passlock does not link to airbags and other safety related equipment. It is only an antitheft system. Sometimes ignition switch problems are misdiagnosed as a Passlock problem, and the ignition switch does link to just about every other system in the car, including airbags. A bad ignition switch can be very hard to figure out due to the large variety of electrical gremlins it can cause.

 

This not starting thing is confusing, I read in this forum that if the Passkey fails you will still have the motor turning over, however no fuel is getting to the engine. So what is the cause of no engine turning over. I can hear some relays (assuming the fuel pump clicking). I measured the voltage during starting and found no voltage drop (weak battery). My starting relay is getting 12 Vdc. (removed the relay and measured the relay post to ground). But no starter solonoid clicking. I read somewhere that all you have to do is remove the battery and the system will be allowed to be reset, however I am not sure if the problem lies with me waiting 10 minutes or disconnecting the battery. As for the + terminal post being corroded I checked and it is ok. I read that there is a little control circuit that will bypass the system, however I am not convinced that this would be the way to go. I can however believe that the contact in the key-hole is worn out.
Today I gave my son the spare keys (never used) and hope that the problem goes away. By reading all the Blogs with regards to this Passkey problem it has been going on for quite some time, but today is 2011 and I would expected more positive feedback from all GM manufactured vehicles on this WEB site. As for safety concerns i would be more worried about my 19 year old trying to go through an intersection and having the car stall. Again shame on the manufacturer. Someone must have been injured or worse killed already due to the system shutting off the fuel.

Enough said

Anyone that cares to answer me I would appreciate you contact me direct in or on this site. ron.resistor@sympatico.ca PS I am an Electronic Engineer so technical doesn't bother me.

 

First, the 2001 Impala has Passlock, not Passkey. The two systems are different and fail in different ways.
Second, Passlock was installed and works differently in the Alero than in the Impala. Aleros will crank with a Passlock failure, but the fuel injectors are disabled. Impalas will not crank or have fuel. You should have a flashing "Security" in the message center of your Impala if Passlock is preventing a start in the Impala.

Passlock will not cause a stall after the car has started. If the system detects a Passlock failure while the car is running, it goes into "fail-enable" mode, triggers the "Security" light on steady, and stops monitoring the key. Any key that will turn the cylinder will start the car in that mode.
A Passlock failure when the car is not running is interpreted as a theft attempt and the injectors (Alero) or starter and injectors (Impala) are disabled.

I would not expect a voltage drop during start if the starter is not turning over. Without that the load is not very big at all. If you don't have a "Security" message, I would swap the starter relay with another one, you may just have a bad relay. I can't remember if there are any more relays under the hood with the same part number, you may have to get a new or used one to try.

Read the links I referenced in the first post in this thread. The resistor bypass method works in the Impala as well but I think the wire colors are different, so you will have to check a diagram for that. For further troubleshooting, I would strongly recommend you search here:http://www.naioa.com
This is one of the best Impala sites around, many of us on the site there have dealt with this issue before.

 

The problem has been getting steadily worse for the past year, we started using the spare key a couple months ago which allowed it to run but the security light stayed on continuously. Now it has started thinking we are stealing it again.
Okay, I've read every post up to this point and visited the links provided in the first post and I am still puzzled as to the exact procedure.
I have done the resistor fix on my sons 92' camaro a few years ago, getting the resistance was easy as touching the chip contacts with my meter, the alero has no such chip in the key....... how does it determine resistance? is the key just a straight contact with the resistor being inside the lock cylinder?
Like I said I've been through everything here and either from fatigue or frustration have overlooked something.
Thanks in advance for any help.

 

First I want to apologize for not posting the results after asking in this forum. The solution described by iflylow using the resistors worked perfectly in my (since kaputt) 1999 Alero 3.4.
I can only recommend to re-read the article mentioned/linked by iflylow in his initial post as it really contains every information necessary.
I wasn´t careful the first time and thus used a resistor with a wrong Ohm-setting, but once I read the measurement in the correct Ohm-range it worked immediately.
I hope you´ll succeed!

Stevie

 

Okay, I really need some help here. I've gone back through this thread again but did not find anything specific enough to proceed. I have a 2004 alero which would be a passlock III system... correct? The links in the first post show passkey I and passlock II but not III. I have read elsewhere that this system cannot be bypassed with the resistor method, is this true? and do I just need to resolve myself to buying a new ignition/key switch and trying to get it to relearn/ accept the new key?
In either circumstance is there anyone with knowledge of how the #%*! you get to it? I have removed the lower panels and from what I see there are screws holding it to the dash but they come in from the front and I don't see how to remove them.
Thanks,
Mitch

 

First, let me say I am not familiar with III, the procedures posted work with II, however they may also work with III.

The resistance is built into the switch, you are correct there is no resistor in the key. That is one of the primary differences between Passkey and Passlock. When you clip the yellow wire, you can then measure the resistance between one end of it and ground. Click the link for the exact end to use, I don't remember right now.

When I installed the resistors, I had to approach the ignition sylinder from the pax side. I removed the shifter ****, then pried up the whole plastic piece around the shifter, it just snapped out. Then I pried out the trim around the radio. I don't recall if I had to pull the radio or not, it's been 4 years ago now. I think you will have to pull it, but maybe not disconnect it. You will then be able see the wire bundle coming from the back of the ignition switch, and find the Passlock wires you need for the bypass. The whole process of gaining access to the wires is not as hard as it sounds, and maybe takes 15 minutes.
Good luck, let me know how it goes or if you get stuck in the process!

 

Thanks for the reply, I had considered radio removal to allow access but wasn't sure if the procedure would work on a III system so I did not proceed.
It will be a few days before I can attempt the bypass and let you know the results, in the mean time my wife and I are swapping vehicles till this is resolved.
Many thanks,
Mitch

 

Hello everyone. I was having the same problem on my car. After doing the key restart for several months it finally got to where it would never start.

The dealer wanted to charge me $1000 just for the parts to fix it and to be honest I would rather set it on fire then give them another dime.

I found that you can do the wire cut method but this will only provide you a temporary fix. Eventually the other parts of the system will fail and you will be back to square one. The average lifespan of your passlock parts is less than 7 years. Why buy another BCM so it can fail again?

I got lucky because I found this site http://newrockies.com/?ap_id=np9911. They sell a bypass that takes passlock out of the equation forever. No more failing parts. They also sell a manual that will instruct you to build your own bypass if you are handy like that. I wasn't. They really saved me because there is no way I could afford the new parts.