P0513: Incorrect Immobiliser Key
Do not keep driving
The car will usually crank but not run. Try the spare key first — if the spare works, the fault is in the first key rather than the vehicle, and that is the cheapest possible outcome. Metal keyrings or a second transponder pressed against the barrel can interfere, so try the key alone. Beyond that this needs a franchised dealer or a qualified auto-locksmith, and you will need proof of ownership.
What this code means
The engine module did not receive a valid authorisation from the immobiliser, so it will not allow the engine to run. The car typically cranks normally and either refuses to fire or starts and stops within a second or two — a distinctive pattern that points straight at immobiliser authorisation rather than fuel or spark.
A damaged transponder in the key, a failed antenna ring around the ignition barrel, or a key that has simply worn are the ordinary causes. So is a replacement key that was never correctly programmed, which is worth asking about directly.
This is deliberately the kind of system that resists diagnosis — it exists to stop a vehicle being stolen — so meaningful work on it requires manufacturer tooling and proof of ownership. That is a feature rather than an obstacle.
Likely causes
Start here
- Damaged or worn key transponder · specialist
- Faulty immobiliser antenna ring · specialist
- Key not correctly programmed · specialist
Less common
- Interference from other transponders or keyrings · easy
- Faulty immobiliser control module · specialist
Symptoms
Components involved
Information, not instruction
CarGeek is a reference, not a service manual. Its pages are written from public sources and from what other people have found, never from a manufacturer's own service information, so they can be wrong or incomplete for your particular vehicle. Some of what they describe carries real risk: high voltage, fuel under pressure, stored energy, hot and moving parts.
Have anything you intend to act on checked by a trained person against the manufacturer's own procedure for your vehicle. Nothing here replaces that procedure.
Community experience
Be the first to write this up
Nothing posted about this yet. Whatever you found is worth writing down — even a dead end saves someone the same afternoon.
What makes one worth reading:
- The car — make, model, year and engine. The same fault behaves differently on each.
- What you measured, not only what you replaced.
- What actually fixed it — or that nothing did, which is worth knowing too.
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