I haven't seen anything about this before, why does the FOB need reprogramming?

 

I had to replace my FOB battery around the two year mark. Standard CR2032 coin cell.

If I recall, there was a warning light on the dash which indicated the battery was low. It flashes for a few seconds, then goes off. At some point, if the battery is completely drained, there is another indicator which tells you to put it into the intelligent key holder, which is to the left of the steering wheel near your knee.

I don't use my key to set the seat position (I leave it in the same position and am the only one that drives my car), so I never had to perform this process:
Actually, I'm not sure now if this has anything to do with the seat. When I replaced the battery, this step was not necessary.

I think the programming is needed when you buy a new one. It will then need a value flashed into it's NVRAM that is the id for your specific car.

Hopefully this will save you $75 that you can spend on something more interesting, like a roof spoiler