Replacement Remote Key Fob Options for 2004 Chevy Tracker

A customer wrote to ask us how he could tell if the 2004 Chevy Tracker he just bought for his daughter has factory keyless entry installed on it. Here is our response:

From 1999 through 2004 Chevy Tracker may have had a factory keyless entry system installed. It was an optional system on Tracker at that time. If the vehicle does have factory keyless entry, the correct replacement remote is our part number 135-1135. Here is a link to that part.

If the vehicle did not have a factory system, it may have had a dealer-installed alarm/keyless entry system. GM dealers had access to a couple of different GM branded systems from GM Vehicle Security. According to Chevy catalog data, the most likely system for your Tracker was made for GM by DEI and originally used our part 304-1304. That keyfob is no longer made, but there is another DEI part that will replace it. You can see both the original GM part and the current DEI replacement remote at this link.

It is also possible, though less likely, that a GM dealer may have installed a different GM Vehicle Security system or a non-GM aftermarket alarm system on the vehicle. It is also possible that the vehicle left the dealership with no system installed but that a previous owner had an aftermarket system installed after purchase.

There are a couple of things you can do to figure out which situation might apply to you. First, call a dealership near you, give them the VIN and ask them if the vehicle had a factory system on it. They will not be able to tell you anything about whether a dealer-installed or aftermarket system was installed, but they should be able to tell you if it has a factory system. If their answer is no, then you should look in your vehicle for signs that a dealer-installed or aftermarket system has been installed. Nearly all of these systems include an LED light to indicate arming. That LED light normally is installed on the dash somewhere, but lazy installers sometimes just leave it hanging from a wire underneath the dash (usually on the driver’s side). Dealer-installed and aftermarket systems also usually have a toggle or push-button switch for disarming the system. This is often called a valet or shut-off switch. Again, the switch might be installed on the dashboard or it might be attached to a hanging wire under the dash. (For some systems, the LED light and valet switch are combined in a single lit button switch.) If you have an LED light or shut-off switch, then you will need to follow the wire to the system control module and get all information off of that module to figure out what is installed. If it says GM Vehicle Security on it, you most likely have the DEI system that originally used part 304-1304 as discussed above.

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