A Toyota driver says she finally figured out why her car was having trouble starting. She believes an unexpected accessory was to blame.
Leilani (@leilanii_02) shared a warning for other drivers after she said a decoration near her push-start button may have interfered with her vehicle. “Car accessories can cause car malfunction??” she wrote in the text overlay of her TikTok.
Leilani says she added a Hello Kitty accessory around her car’s push-start button. Shortly thereafter, she started noticing problems. “My car has been really acting up,” she says. At first, Leilani says she assumed the timing was random. “I thought it was just a coincidence,” she says. “No, babes, this is the reason.”
Leilani says she recently had to jump-start her car. Then she began looking into whether the Hello Kitty accessory could be to blame. That’s when she says she found reports from other drivers claiming similar decorations can affect how a vehicle starts.
Leilani says her car would sometimes display a “key not detected” warning—even after she replaced the battery in her key fob.
She ultimately moved the accessory away from the push-start button and recommended that other drivers with similar decorations do the same.
“I highly recommend y’all taking it off and putting it on somewhere else,” Leilani says.
She also warned about other interior decorations, saying she has heard that adding rhinestones or similar accessories to a steering wheel can create issues if the airbag deploys, though she noted she does not use those herself.
“Cute but dangerous,” she captioned her video. She also encouraged viewers to “stay safe out there.” As of this writing, her clip has more than 500,000 views.
Can Car Accessories Cause Problems?
Car decorations, especially small ones, may seem harmless, but their placement can make a difference.
For push-start accessories, there can be cause for concern if the decoration interferes with the vehicle’s normal operation. Some push-start vehicles rely on communication between the car and the key fob before allowing the engine to start.
If your car is not detecting a key, there are several possible causes, including a weak key fob battery or signal interference. Removing any added accessories near the button can be a simple first step to see if the problem goes away.
Of course, not every decoration will automatically cause issues. As some viewers pointed out, plenty of drivers use similar accessories without any problems.
Other car decorations can create different safety concerns. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has warned drivers against placing rhinestones or other decorations on the center of the steering wheel because of the airbag beneath it. If the airbag deploys during a crash, those decorations can become dangerous projectiles.
So while adding personality to a car’s interior is not automatically a problem, drivers should be careful about placing accessories on or around important safety buttons, equipment, or sensors.
Drivers Debate The Accessory Warning
Commenters who watched Leilani’s video were split over whether the accessory was actually responsible for her car problems, with several trying to determine the cause.
“If it’s magnetic then it would affect it, but if it [were] adhesive, then I think u would be fine,” one person wrote.
Another agreed, suggesting, “The magnet messes it up.”
Some viewers, though, said they have used similar accessories without any issues.
“Wait, what?! I’ve been having mine on (the exact same one) since 2023, and my truck is fine,” one commenter shared.
“I have the same one, and mine hasn’t had a problem (3 years going strong),” another added.
One person said they had a similar decoration but a different setup.
“I have a diamond metal ring around it. No cover and haven’t had any issues,” they wrote. “Maybe it’s because of the cover.”
Others said viewers had previously warned Leilani about the accessory.
“I think a bunch of us had said that in ur video a while back,” one wrote.
To this, Leilani responded, “Sometimes I miss y’all’s comments.”
Some viewers shared other car-related safety concerns.
“And no wearing claw clips while you’re driving because if you crash, it could go into your scalp,” one person wrote.
Motor1 has reached out to Leilani via direct message on TikTok. We’ll update this story if we hear back.
