Can't lock your keys in the car?

When I bought my prius I was told by the salesman that while it was hard to do, you COULD lock your keys in the car, because he had accidentally done it. I think the key to doing it is that if the keys are somehow shadowed by a radio-blocking or distorting object, or if the keyfob signal is weak, it may not be detected.
I thought one of the funnier things in the owner's manual was the statement that you should never leave your keys in the car "due to the risk of theft". Do ya think?

 

You can not lock your car with the smart key inside unless you really want to or the fob battery is very weak. It is possible using the mechanical key to lock the door or by getting out of the car with the window down reaching in to hit the power button, door lock switch, and auto close the window.

 

Under 'normal' circumstances (barring dead battery, RF interference, etc..), it's impossible to lock the keys in the car when using the "Smart" system... i.e. pressing the black button on the handle to lock the car or by locking with the second key fob. The car will make a long beep and not lock. This is by design.

However, you can manually lock yourself out the old fashioned way by locking all the doors, open the driver door, then close the mechanical lock on the door while it is open, then close the door. This will lock the door whether your key is inside or not.

Of course, that is completely ignoring the smartkey technology, and I couldn't imagine any regular Prius driver ever doing this accidentally once they get used to the keyless smartkey technology.

If so, well, then there is no 100% protection against stupidity.

 

The best way to use the smart key is to put the fob in your purse or pocket and leave it there.

 

I don't USUALLY use my Prius for work. But on the rare occassions that I do, all the dirt, water and other assorted muck that ends up on, around, or in my pocket would probably be a bit bad for the health of the unit.

On a somewhat related note, some of us women, at least, tend to wear our pants a bit tighter than a number of you guys. So, while my jeans are not "painted on" they are still much more snug than say my husband, who has to wear a belt to keep his from falling off.

So, if you are using the fob, it is in your pocket, and the buttons are being 24/7 pressed because of the tight fit, I would imagine your battery -- and fob -- might wear out much faster....

 

I had to enable the ability to do this when i got my car tinted, I just disabled the smart key system under the dash. Then the tint guy just put the key in the center console locked the doors and left the car for me to pick up.

When i showed up I had my spare fob, unlocked the doors via the fob and then re-enabled the smart system under the dash.

What would be funny is to disable the smart system on some smart @$$ sales man right before he pitches this "cant lock yourself out" thing

 

Is it possible to lock one fob in the car while using the other (or the button with the other fob in pocket) to lock from the outside? Prior to getting our Prius, my hubby and I would both carry our sets of keys while we were out, and we would love the extra keys in the cupholder until we got home and needed them again. I've never been entirely clear on whether the doors were actually locking or not because I always have the smartkey enabled so if I test the handle it will open regardless. So it's just a curiosity since we have now taken to bringing only one set of keys with us if we're both going.

 

Nope. See post #4. You will receive a long beep and the door will remain unlocked.

 

If the Prius can detect the fob in the car, then it should emit a long beep and not lock. If you really want to store a fob in the car, I suggest that you find a suitable metal container that is large enough to hold the fob and will shield the radio waves emitted by the fob.

If you want to see if the doors are locked, why not look at the door lock knob on each door, which will show a band of red if unlocked and all black if locked.

Bringing only one fob for two drivers may not be a good idea if the person carrying the fob leaves the car. A beep will sound and a warning light will appear on the dash. The driver can continue to drive, but once the Prius is powered off, the driver will not be able to restart the Prius. The driver will also have to use manual methods to lock the doors and of course will not be able to unlock them.

Hopefully the fob buttons are not really being depressed continuously, because that would cause confusion to the Prius if the fob is in range, and will wear out the fob battery very quickly.

If the woman in this example carries a purse, a backpack, or similar item, then the fob can drop down into the dark recesses of said purse (or backpack, etc.) and does not need to again see the light of day except when the fob battery requires replacement.

 

I leave my spare key in the center console. When I leave the car it can be locked with the spare in there.

 

The SKS is designed so the key fob stays in a pocket or bag or anything, If you are not using this feature why not put it in the keyslot instead of the cup holder... then when shutting down the car, a beep will remind you to not forget the keyfob inside....

For those who like to keep a fob inside (can't understand why letting the tools inside to help people steal your car though...), just remove the battery, it will still work for starting the carbut won't be detected by SKS

 

When I'm feeling a bit paranoid, and I want to double-check that the doors actually locked after pressing the smart-lock button on the exterior of the car, I just grab the handle of the rear door on whichever side of the vehicle I'm standing. The rear door handles don't have smart-key handle sensors, so they won't unlock when you pull on the handle.

 

I don't have a band of red around my knobs.

 

A Prius without a fob is impossible to drive. If you leave a fob inside you make it possible for a thief to drive it away. A thief will find any hiding place you can think of.

 

Of course it can be stolen. The thief just has to break in first. Or do I misunderstand you?

 

Be aware that it is possible to press a FOB button in continuously while it is in your pocket. The car will still work (depending on the button I suppose). I had trouble one day getting the car to unlock when grocery shopping. When I tried to lock it at another store it took about 4 tries. When I got home and removed the FOB/garage key assembly from my pocket everything worked normally again.

Moral - when you put the FOB in your pocket (tightish pants) put the buttons facing your leg. They probably won't get pressed in that way. In my case, it's the other junk in my pocket that seems to press in the buttons. Or get a neck band and hang the FOB from that.

Oh, and anyone who says "you CAN'T lock the FOB in the car" is truly a non-believer in Murphy and his laws, and should be avoided!

 

If one fob is inside the car (and has a working battery and is not somehow shielded) you cannot lock the car using the SKS button on the door handle, even if you have the other fob with you outside the car. However, in this circumstance you can still lock the car by pressing the "Lock" button on the fob you have with you. Of course you can also lock the car with the mechanical key.

I discovered this while on a trip, and the extra fob was in my suitcase in the back of the car. The SKS button on the door handle would not work, but the Lock and Unlock buttons on my fob still worked.