Wife locked the keys in it.

First of all welcome to PriusChat. There are a lot of articles here about your problem.
If your smart key system is indeed turned on you can not lock your smart key in the car. I get to test mine all the time when my wife leaves her purse in the car and I press the black button on the door handle after exiting and get a reminder beep.
You might try and see if you can by chance open the hatch.
If all else fails call AAA and let their Slim Jim expert open the door. It sounds like your smart key system must have been turned off (little on/off button under the steering wheel)

GT

 

Other poster wasn't referring to the button on the fob but the SKS that senses the fob and opens the door when you touch one of three handles. The same system also makes it impossible to lock the keys in the car unless you pushed the button under the steering wheel that requires the fob to be inserted into the dash. Otherwise, the SKS senses the fob in the car and will unlock the doors when one of three handles (two front and the hatch) are touched by your hand. If this isn't working then you probably disabled SKS with the button and a quick search for a similar thread might tell you what you are looking for. It is still kind of early for some but the true experts should notice your post shortly.

Good luck.

 

AAA will be able to unlock it no problem

when you press the black button to lock the door the prius will check for a smart key
inside and not allow you to lock it

but !!!

if you press the lock button on the actual fob. the prius will lock regardless if there is a key inside

the hatch back door will always unlock if there was a key left inside near the hatchback door

yeah they must have the smart key disabled, when the smart key is turned on and the key is within range of the inside of the car and you press the lock button on the inside door handle and slam the door, the car will unlock in 1 second...

the only way to lock the prius with a key inside with the smart key on, is like i said, to use the lock button on the actual fob or use the mechanical key i guess

 

hey man its not my reasoning, its the way toyota designed the car

i just verified it before clicking submit

smart key on
---------------
mechanical key locks car with fob inside
black button will not lock car with fob inside
inside door handle lock will lock up the car but quickly unlock if you shut the door
fob inside can only be locked with the remote button
doors will not automatically open if a key is left inside unless the car detects it in the hatch back, and will cause the hatchback to open

 

the smart unlocking back door is a customizable feature, btw

i just did this...

with the smart key on, i can press the lock button on the fob inside the car, and then shut the door, and i just locked my
fob in the car!!!

like i said. when you press the remote fob button all bets are off, the detection of the key is being overridden by you
you are specifically ordering the car to lock regardless of what the car thinks!

 

I lock a fob inside using a fob. It is silly, but I still do it. Tony, are you sure that you are married? I do a lot of silly things because I am married.

Sometimes my wife wants to leave her purse in the car, but it has her fob in it. The car won't lock with the black buttons if you leave a fob inside, so I have to use the lock button on my fob, or the manual key. The fob button is easier. She doesn't do this much anymore - my rolled eyes and grumbling have slowly modified her behavior.

As for the hatch, I've been able to unlock the hatch on my 2006 if there is a fob in the back. I was very surprised to find this, since I thought the car was safely locked.

Tom

 

Funny, my wife just did that. She wanted to leave her purse in the car so she put it the the little cubby area in the hatch. I hit the button on the hatch door and start to walk off and get this long beeeeeeep. I knew my FOB was in my pocket and my spare is usually hanging up at home so I started arguing with the car. After 3 or 4 button presses, and powering the car up and then down again and still getting the angry beep it dawned on me to ask my wife if she had the second fob in her purse. She had just driven the Prius a few days back and never hung the key back up. :doh:

That'll teach me to argue with my car!

 

I think there are "dead" spots in the inside of the car where the SKS can't detect the presence of the fob. I experienced this once when my GF left her purse in the car (with the keyfob inside). I was able to lock the car with her purse inside at one stop, but when we stopped at a different location the car gave the long beep and refused to lock the doors until I retrieved the fob from her purse.

I'm not sure how you can use the button on the handle to lock if there is no fob present though.

 

Swi, isn't the Prius (and this site) amazing? If you think you ever know everything about it or want to figure out more things, just come here. There sure is a wealth of knowledge in these posts. I sure never knew about locking the fobs in the car by just pressing the lock button on the keyfob. I don't think I will share that info with my wife though because after finally getting her to remove her purse from the car after a year of getting the annoying "There is a keyfob in the car still dummy" warning beeeeeps, when trying to lock the cars, I don't want to give her an excuse to leave it in.
Good luck and enjoy your new ride.

GT

 

Dead spots or possibly some stray RF interference from another device nearby xmitting on the same band/frequency. :noidea:

 

GT, where in south central PA? Wife's from York. I'm from Bristol. Moved to Atlanta area in '77. Most are rels still in PA.

 

Dave, I live south of Harrisburg about 20 minutes north of York. Can't stand the cold but the people here are great. I am a transplant sense '94. When you get that new car come on up!!

 

Thanks! You many be supprised when we take you up on the offer. Wife has rels all around York area. Two sisters/families in Red Lion. My brother's up in Moosic, PA. Between field support for IBM and fishing and hunting with my brother-in-law I've been all over the area, even though I'm originally from Bristol, Pa. Thanks for the reply! We try to get up once a year but alternate between Red Lion and Moosic.

 

I have the FOB and a cell phone in my pocket, if the cell phone is right on top of the FOB, SKS will not detect it. I have to move them apart before it will work.