I don't understand why the smart key needs you to push a button to lock the car. If the key fob leaves the area where the car is, it would seem the default action should be to lock the car. The industry standard is to require an additional button press, but why? To me, a smart system knows when I arrive and when I leave and does what I used to do for me- unlock or lock the doors. It should be smarter than me and never forget to lock my car. I can already push a button to lock my car while I'm standing next to it with my dumb key, this just moves the button out of my pocket. In the rare case I want others to access my car while I am far away, I'll hand them my key or press a button while I am leaving the area to override unlock.
accordingly. This has been discussed in early days of Prius, but it doesn't hurt to re-iterate it again. The SmartKey on my CX9 has an "auto-lock" feature. It locks the door w/o you having to do anything - just walk away. Here is how - it senses all doors are closed - it senses that you (with the key) just left the driver side - it acknowledges this (the intention to lock) with a short beep. - I simply walk away - within 3 seconds, the CX9 will lock itself. It does not unlock as automatically since that may not be the intention of the driver. One still needs to press a buttom to unlock (i.e. show your intention to enter). I personally believe that Toyota has this autolock feature turned off. The original manufacture of SmartKey for Toyota, Tokai-Rika, has the auto-lock feature in their specifications. Finally, yes, SmartKey can always be smarter. It has a long way to go. For example, it should link with sensors in seats to tell if there are any passengers still inside, etc. Better decision can be made with more information (i.e. more sensors).
Uncommanded actions impose liability issues. Other Toyota products, such as the bluetooth phone and nav system, show that Toyota is risk adverse when it comes to potential liability. Tom
When I first picked up my 04 Prius back in Nov 2003 I had thought that my "smart key" would function as described in this thread. I would walk away from my car and expect it to lock automatically. To test my theory, I had a friend hold my key and I walked back to the car and indeed it was still open. It certainly makes sense for it to function as auto-locking as well. However, I am so used to pushing that little black button on the door, I don't think I can ever get used to just "walking away". I would be cool if we could somehow enable that feature if it is indeed something that just can be programmed.
If the car is left on, my 09 can be taken out of park without the key being near the car. I was curious if it was safe to leave the car on when I went in a convience store, etc.
The SKS is designed so that the key is not needed to run the car once it is started. This is a safety feature: in case the car loses communication with the SKS (such as a dead fob battery), the car won't shut off on you (bad when you are driving!). Although this looks like a security issue on the surface (someone can drive away without the fob after the car is started), it is actually a lot better than a standard key, since they can't restart the car once it is turned off. If you want to leave it on, start the car via the SKS, lock the car with the mechanical key while it is running, and then take the fob with you. Best wishes,
I think the Smart Key system works perfect as is. It is good practice to get into the habit of pressing the button on the doorhandle to lock, as it will give the long beep if something is wrong, such as a key forgotten inside or a door not closed completely. On the other hand, if your car "auto locks", and you forget your key in the car and walk away thinking it will lock, not only would it NOT lock, you would also be leaving the key in the car ready for any thief to hop in and drive away...
I thought the whole point was to be able to put your key in your pocket and forget about it as the car will do everything for you. How would you forget it in a normal circumstance? Do people take their smart key out of their pocket and place it in a cupholder instead of the ingition or something? Might as well use a regular key then. If you were to somehow forget your normal dumb key in your car you'd be in the same situation anyway.
Why leave it on? Re: Smart keys... could be smarter? I think walking away from the car and leaving it in "ready" mode is both wasteful and dangerous.
Sometimes I wear pants that don't let the keys sit well with other things in that area, so i'll drop my keys in the cup holder. I'll forget they're there and close the door, and push the lock button. The long error beep reminds me to take my keys. It's a great system.
When we travel my wife carries a spare key in her purse. Occasionally we forget at a rest stop and are remineded when the Prius refuses to lock because she's left the purse hidden in the car somewhere.
