I have a 2011 Traverse that has been giving me a lot of problems lately. The newest happened today when I took my 2 youngest children Christmas shopping. I used the fob to lock the car. About an hour later I tried using the remote start...it didnt work. I tried unlocking the doors with the fob...it didnt work. I had to unlock the driver side door with the key which set off the alarm. But the alarm was very slow and weak sounding. I thought, great, the battery is dead. But it started right up. Any ideas what the issue might be? I dont want to run into a worse situation where the car wont start while I'm out with the kids.

 

A couple of questions arises. First, how often do you replace your key fob battery? If more than 2 years has gone by, replace the battery. A lot of folks replace their fob battery annually. It doesn't cost much and it gives you peace of mind.
Next question. Have you ever replaced your car battery ? A car battery will usually last 5 or 6 years, some a lot longer. But, as a general rule 5 maybe 6 years you should be looking at replacing or having it load tested to see if it is still good. Keep in mind that if you still have the original battery in it, it is 8 or 9 years old.
As far as the reason it started might be the battery had enough power left to start the engine.

 

Might be the key fob electronic plate going bad, but a poor battery could be the case as well.