I want to program an extra keyfob for our 2011 Prius for my husband before his birthday (I discovered that if you leave the keyfob in your pocket and it goes through the laundry, it doesn’t work anymore lol)….so we’ve been sharing a keyfob and it’s become a PITA to do that! I really want to surprise him with it and not pay the dealer $450 for it! I’ve seen instructions on PriusChat for other generations, but not for Gen 3 Prius. What I ‘think’ I know: * I need to get a (mini?) VCI J2534 Cable with latest Techstream s/w (several versions of this on Amazon) and a replacement keyfob (several versions on Amazon) What I know I don’t know: * which VCI J2534 should I get, or does it matter, and should I get on Amazon or eBay? * which replacement keyfob should I get, and should I get on Amazon or eBay? * instructions on how to program it. NOTE: * I do have one original, functional keyfob, which I’ve read makes it much easier to program the new keyfob * I still have the key from the dead Keyfob - I assume it is still fine to re-use even if keyfob is dead? TIA !!!
First......I've had mine survive 3 times through the wash but it was a low-water front loading model. So if you haven't already, and you still have the bad one, pop it open and dry it out by putting into a ziplock with some instant white rice for 24 hours and then put a fresh battery in it. You might be amazed to find that it works again. Then......call around to locksmiths in your area. It is fairly common these days for them to sell you a new FOB and completely program it for about half what a dealer will charge.
Have you replaced the battery? Of course, dry it out first. They are easy to pop apart. You could try a lock smith, they can reprogram them for a lot less money.
@ASRDogman @sam spade 2 Nope, I tried drying naturally, rice, hairdryer on no-heat mode, etc, brand new battery. It is definitely dead. And, as I said originally, we’ve been sharing the last existing keyfob for a while, so it’s been a while since the washing incident happened. @sam spade 2 Your recommendation is interesting, I didn’t realize locksmiths will sell the key fobs too. I’ll call around to see what local lock smiths tell me. What I’ve read is that you need to purchase an OEM ‘virgin’ key from eBay that matches your keyfob, and then find a locksmith to program it. It would be great if locksmiths can provide the correct keyfob, because I’m having LOTS of problems finding my replacement keyfob to program. I need a 3 button OEM replacement keyfob for my 2011 Prius which has FCC ID: HYQ14AAB (NOTE: most OEM 2011 Prius keyfobs I’ve found online use FCC ID: HYQ14ACX) …and.. when I have found one which matches my FCC ID, it is almost always a 4 button keyfob, which includes a button to remote unlock the hatch which my keyfobs don’t have (however, could a 4-button keyfob which matches my FCC ID work with my car if don’t have the remote trunk release option?). … Then, I’ve found a very few ‘holy grails’ which match my FCC ID, and are 3 button keyfobs, but my transmitter # on my circuit board is 271451-5290, and those few I’ve found so far use transmitter # 271451-3370 (however, could that work with my car as long as the FCC IDs are a matches?). TL;DR Can anybody suggest how EXACT an OEM replacement keyfob needs to be to match my current one (i.e. do only the FCC ID’s need to match, and must it be the exact same functionality 3 button vs 4-button, and do the transmitter #’s need to match?)
You should have included this info in the original post. The more information we have, the better answer we can give. Based on this new info, it's doubtful that keyfob is good. So you will need another one. With the correct equipmenet, another used fob can be erased and made to appear unused. Then the info from your good one can be copied to that one. Most lock smiths can do that and sell you another fob. An internet search should provide you will many answers for a locksmith.
The buttons don't have to match as far as I can tell. Mine uses HYQ14acx and I have a key with 3 buttons and a key with 4 buttons that both work (the hatch button just doesn't work since I have no automatic hatch). I SUSPECT all you need is the FCC ID to match, but I haven't checked my circuit boards so that's speculation.
Thanks for your reply! Every 3 button AAB keyfob I’ve found has circuit board # 3370 and every 4 button AAB keyfobs I’ve found has circuit board # 0140. And the only keyfobs matching my circuit board # 5290 have an FCC ID of ACX! Since your car is like mine (with no remote hatch open capability) and the 4 button works for your car, then it should work on mine also. it’s still really ‘curious’ that my Prius is so ‘special’ that I can’t seem to find the HYQ14AAB/271451-5290 keyfob combo anywhere. I suspect you’re right, the circuit board/transmitter # matching probably doesn’t matter. Thanks so much!
My apologies for not giving you the correct info, but I did say the keyfob was dead and my post was about adding a replacement key. But I appreciate your reply.
This is a locksmiths business. If "someone" has them available via Ebay, why would you think that a locksmith would NOT have access to a source for them also ???? While this discussion might be interesting, your time would be MUCH better spent calling lock shops in your area.
And just to worry you more, there is a maximum number of key fobs that can be added to the car. If a prior owner has hit this number, then you may have to re-program everything. I actually ran into this issue when the dealership was adding key fobs to a Prius I bought used. I had several from my prior car that was totaled that I wanted programmed and the total exceeded the car's max amount. The dealer didn't charge any extra, but had to wipe everything out and start fresh.
Thanks for that, information, that’s good to know. I’m the original owner, so it’s only had 2 keys programmed, so I should be okay. But that limitation is certainly interesting!
I apologize that I seem to be annoying, but can I not do both? I live in a smaller town, (not that many locksmiths) and I’ve got a call in to two locksmiths and I’m waiting for return calls. I called a third and they don’t do automotive keys and referred me to one of the locksmiths I’m waiting to hear back from. In the meantime, while I’m waiting, why is it not ok for me to ask questions about my keyfob and understanding it’s programming? Many other people on this forum have asked similar questions that I’m asking here, but the information was from several years ago, and I’m looking for updates to those old posts. Also, there are several posts about how you can do this without a locksmith - it was my original question asking how I can do the programming - in case the locksmith’s charge to do this is too high.
Feel free to ask what you want. Don't worry about those who whine.... Maybe triple a? And independent car repair shops? Auto parts stores?
What ASRDogman said! This forum has a block function and you can set it so you don't have to see any messages from certain posters. You did nothing wrong.
