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2006 Smart Key Problem

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by chrisky, Aug 12, 2008.

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  1. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    Do both fobs behave in the same fashion? It seems unlikely that both would die at the same moment.

    Tom
     
    #21 qbee42, Aug 13, 2008
  2. chrisky

    chrisky Junior Member

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    gbee- Both fobs behave the same.

    Rigormortis - Keys have silver Toyota logo.
    - I locked car, took key far away. Walked back without key, attempted to open hatch. It did not open. So therefore, no spare in car.


    So just to review:- all doors closed, hybrid system off, transaxle in 'P', parking brake
    on.
    Attempt to lock with button. I get one outside beep, no warning
    light, which is supposed to mean that the smart key is in the
    vehicle. But there is no key inside.
    Attempt to unlock on driver's side or passenger's side by grabbing
    handle - does not work. Hatch will open and unlock all locks.
     
    #22 chrisky, Aug 14, 2008
  3. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Hi Chris,

    You've made an outstanding effort to rule out simple issues, and to pin down exactly what the problem is.

    I conclude that the smart key ECU is bad. It will be interesting to find out what your dealer's tech diagnoses the problem to be.
     
    #23 Patrick Wong, Aug 14, 2008
  4. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

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    you were on the right track a long time ago.. have the proximety sensors and antenna's checked.

    1 beep is meaning it's locked... 1 long beep is either low battery ( that you've ruled out ) or a door open ( you've ruled that out too )

    so..... it's a mechanical problem... not yours to try to fix. make the dealer fix it. If you talk to a service guy and he looks dumbfounded... he's dumb.. get a smarter guy.

    It almost sounds as if the computer that runs SS/SE is freaking out... shorting or something...
     
    #24 V8Cobrakid, Aug 14, 2008
  5. rigormortis

    rigormortis Active Member

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    yeah your going to have to take it to the dealer. it could be something simple like
    a programming error in the hand held tester or there going to have to start taking
    the doors apart to see what is wrong
     
    #25 rigormortis, Aug 14, 2008
  6. chrisky

    chrisky Junior Member

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    Oh my god!! I hope it's just a simple programming error or the ECU. Hope they have a good tech guy, because the service manager, although a nice guy, doesn't seem to be too knowledgeable about the SKS. We drop the car off next Thurs. early, and at that time I will also give him copies of the manual, yellow highlighted, of how the SKS system should work. Everybody keep your fingers crossed!
     
    #26 chrisky, Aug 14, 2008
  7. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

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    good work :)
     
    #27 V8Cobrakid, Aug 14, 2008
  8. chrisky

    chrisky Junior Member

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    Thanks everyone. I will post the results of my visit with the dealer.
     
    #28 chrisky, Aug 14, 2008
  9. m6scott

    m6scott Junior Member

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    I think my battery in FOB is going bad .I have not changed the battery ever and my car is an 04. When I get up to the door it does not beep to lock until I get real close.How do you get the battery out to change it? Someone said Radio shack has theses batteries ,how much?
     
    #29 m6scott, Aug 15, 2008
  10. chrisky

    chrisky Junior Member

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    To change battery, remove the mechanical key, and slide that cover off. Remove the 4 little screws and take off the lid. Then you can remove the battery.
    I'm sorry, can't help you with price.
     
    #30 chrisky, Aug 15, 2008
  11. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    You will need a very tiny Philips screwdriver to remove the four screws. Radio Shack sells a set of six screwdrivers, 6402969 is the part number. IIRC the 1.6 mm size is the one that is needed.

    You can buy replacement batteries at your drugstore or at Radio Shack, should cost $5 or less.
     
    #31 Patrick Wong, Aug 15, 2008
  12. m6scott

    m6scott Junior Member

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    Thank you but I dont see any screws on FOB but mine maybe different than yours.I will look at my manual.Thanks
     
    #32 m6scott, Aug 15, 2008
  13. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    You have to remove the sliding cover.

    1)Take out the key
    2)Slide off the cover (has the Toyota logo on it)...you have to press the same release that let you take out the key.
    3)Now you'll see the screws and the rest is pretty intuitive.
     
    #33 efusco, Aug 15, 2008
  14. Danny Hamilton

    Danny Hamilton Active Member

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    I hope you'll come back and tell us how it all turns out after Thursday. It certainly sounds the ECU, or possibly the antennae/sensors. Either way it should be covered under warranty, and I'd expect the service tech to be able to restore proper function.
     
    #34 Danny Hamilton, Aug 19, 2008
  15. chrisky

    chrisky Junior Member

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    I'll definitely post what happens on Thurs. I'm giving them copies of the manual (just in case), and I've made notes to tell them about the ECU and antennae/sensors. I also spoke to our salesperson, so he's quite aware of the problem and anxious to solve our problem.
     
    #35 chrisky, Aug 19, 2008
  16. chrisky

    chrisky Junior Member

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    This is what happened today with the vehicle. Brought it into the dealer at 8 am. Service manager #1 was busy (I think he was ignoring me). I explained the problem to #2 manager. He tried to lock & unlock the car but of course it didn't work. I did mention to him that it might be the ECU or the antennas. He acknowledged there was a problem. We went back around 4:30pm. #2 guy said they reprogrammed both fobs and they were working. But when he retried everything before we arrived it malfunctioned again.
    I don't really know if they ran any diagnostics on the car. But this is what they are going to do.
    They are contacting Toyota head office here in Ontario and getting one of their tech people down to look at the car and figure out the problem. #2 guy says he's never encountered a problem like this.
    Our salesman was there as well and is keeping track of the situation.
    So, I don't have any real good news, but I'm satisfied that they are admitting it's a problem and are committed to solving it. I'll post when we bring in the car. Hopefully that will be next week.
     
    #36 chrisky, Aug 21, 2008
  17. Tread Lightly

    Tread Lightly New Member

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    I'm starting to experience problems with one key fob - if the pocket my fob is in is not directly facing the door, and less than about 1 foot away, I often cannot lock/unlock using the black button. How long do the fob batteries typically last?
     
    #37 Tread Lightly, Aug 21, 2008
  18. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    If one fob works marginally (or doesn't work) while the other fob works fine, then the problem likely is with the battery in the inoperative fob. I changed the fob batteries after three years (although the originals were still OK); however other owners have reported having to replace the batteries after one or two years.
     
    #38 Patrick Wong, Aug 21, 2008
  19. Tread Lightly

    Tread Lightly New Member

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    Patrick Wong,

    Thank you! I will replace the battery and see if that's the problem, as it is now 2 years old. That is, IF I can finally get the cover off the fob... I remove the manual key, then hold the release again while pushing the cover with the Toyota logo off, right? That seems awkward, and I've had no luck, but it looks like it should work. Perhaps a salesperson at Radio Shack, etc., will have better luck for me.

    Tread Lightly on our Earth
     
    #39 Tread Lightly, Aug 22, 2008
  20. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Yes, you need to hold the release while sliding the cover off. The cover fits tightly and this may not be easy to do.
     
    #40 Patrick Wong, Aug 22, 2008
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