No, Your Car Doesn't Have A 'Hidden' Remote Start Feature
TikTok is no longer the dancing and lip-syncing app that it used to be, way before its questionable ban in January 2025. It's now rife with disreputable content, particularly clips spreading misinformation online. Among them is a video that went viral for claiming that all cars are secretly equipped with a remote start feature. "Every car has this remote start the dealer does not want you to know," TikToker nathansbmwworkshop says in a video while demonstrating how to activate the supposedly "hidden" feature. "Go lock, unlock, unlock, lock, and hold it. There you go," he confidently adds while showing that it worked on his SUV.
@nathansbmwworkshop How To Acess The Secret Remote Start On Any Car !!!#cartricks #cartricksandtips #cartricksandtipspart26 #carsecrets
The video has since been viewed over 14 million times. It has also racked up more than 370,000 hearts, 270,000 shares, and 20,000 comments. Many poked fun at the alleged trick after trying it themselves. "I think my car doesn't know the secret either," one user joked, while another added, "My car locked, unlocked, unlocked again then locked." Someone else quipped, "Thank you to everyone that tried it so I didn't have to."
Though the viral clip made it seem believable, the claim that every car has a hidden remote start feature is false. Remote start is not a universal feature, and it's not something that can be unlocked through random button combinations. It requires specific hardware and programming to function. Those who have it can only activate the feature by pressing the circular arrow button on the car's key fob.
What the remote start feature is for
Remote start is a legitimate auto feature, but it is far from "hidden" and certainly not standard on every vehicle. What it does is allow drivers to start their car from a distance using the key fob or a smartphone app. This gives the car engine enough time to warm up and turns on the window defrosters on cold weather days before the driver can enter the vehicle. In hot conditions, this gives the cabin enough time to cool off, so the driver and passengers won't have to deal with burning hot seats while waiting for the A/C to take effect.
Apart from preconditioning the car, remote keyless start promotes vehicle security since it doesn't start the engine unless the car is locked. After all, the process of engaging the feature typically starts with pressing the lock button on the key fob. For BMW cars, the lock button is pressed once; for other brands, like Ford, the system requires pressing it twice. To tell if your Ford vehicle has remote start, look for the "2X" icon on the key fob. Pressing it twice should start the car from a distance.
Do note that remote start is mostly available on mid- to high-trim models as standard. Aside from the key fob and smartphone app, newer models allow activation through voice assistants. For cars that don't have the feature, aftermarket kits are available for automatic transmission vehicles built after 2000.