So got in my 2007 Prius this morning and tossed my keys in the cup holder like always. The car is saying the key is not available. However, if I plug it in the dash it works just fine. This is something new to me. The doors lock and unlock just fine with the key fob but I'm not sure why the car is not picking it up in order to start.
I had this happen when I tried to add a new FOB to the system... Something went wrong and FOB wasn't able to be added and I lost that function and have had to plug the FOB into the dash ever since.
Changed the key fob battery and it worked for one day. So, was able to perform a check on the battery and it was bouncing me between 10.8 and 11. So obviously it was time to change that, even though it's only 2 years old. Sadly, I can't remember where I bought it from, since I take care of both of our Priuses, and cannot find a receipt for it in the file for that vehicle. Ended up changing out the 12 volt battery. Key fob still didn't work. Changed out the key fob battery a second time and as of yesterday, knock on wood, all is working.
The manufacturing date which is the fall back to the receipt-less install date is usually on the battery body. Take it to a dealer for that make and model of 12v battery. If it’s two years or so it’s likely it’s a free replacement. Then again if it was sitting on the dealers shelf for three years and you got stuck with it, you’re likely SooL.
I'm SOL. Oh well...its only money. It's still disappointing because the battery is only 2 years old. I can't for the life of me remember where the heck I got it from and I don't find anything in my email but I would have been the one that installed it.
it is good practice to check new battery voltages before installing. if the fob battery is 3.3v, i would suspect a bad connection in the fob if it happened again.
