1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Fob is not working

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Katrina O, Aug 25, 2019.

Tags:
Page 1 of 2
  1. Katrina O

    Katrina O Junior Member

    Joined:
    May 16, 2015
    66
    10
    0
    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    EDIT: my boyfriend reminds me that all this started after taking my car to Discount Tire to get a flat fixed and TPS problem diagnosed. Which seems weird but might be relevant?

    Hi all. I have a 2008 Prius Touring. My fob started malfunctioning in the last month. First, the fob buttons wouldn't work but the smart key feature worked fine. Then a few weeks ago that stopped working as well, so now I have to use the manual key to lock/unlock every time (this started happening just before I went on a 2 week vacation so have really only been dealing with it for a week). The fob battery was replaced with no change. Funnily enough, the alarm/emergency button works just fine in fact it's now super sensitive (and the only way to turn off the alarm when it goes off is to unlock & power on the car). Does this necessarily mean the 12v is bad? It was newly installed (yellow top) just two years ago. Car gets light use, only 6000 miles in last 12 months. Only got one fob when I bought the car 5 yrs ago so this is getting pretty annoying!

    Help appreciated!

    Photo of inside of fob... no corrosion or other visible problems
     

    Attached Files:

    #1 Katrina O, Aug 25, 2019
    Last edited: Aug 25, 2019
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    110,164
    50,060
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    possibly. only way to find out is to test it. and you really should get a second fob
     
    #2 bisco, Aug 25, 2019
  3. Katrina O

    Katrina O Junior Member

    Joined:
    May 16, 2015
    66
    10
    0
    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Ok, so I took the fob battery out and even though I didn't see any problems I cleaned the connections with an eraser. Now the smart key functions work again, but the fob buttons still don't work. At least it's much better. Think this may mean it's not a 12v problem but more likely a fob problem?
     
    #3 Katrina O, Aug 25, 2019
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    110,164
    50,060
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    sounds like it. iirc, some have wiped everything down with alcohol
     
    #4 bisco, Aug 26, 2019
  5. Skibob

    Skibob Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 14, 2018
    2,912
    1,497
    0
    Location:
    Northern California
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    It could be dirt and sweat got into the buttons. Is there a hole worn somewhere on any of the buttons?
     
    #5 Skibob, Aug 27, 2019
  6. Katrina O

    Katrina O Junior Member

    Joined:
    May 16, 2015
    66
    10
    0
    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    No holes. Some of the rubber is a little loose but nothing extreme. The alarm continues erratic behavior, it went off a few days ago when I was just dangling my keys. Getting sick of it.
     
    #6 Katrina O, Sep 23, 2019
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    110,164
    50,060
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    call around to some locksmiths
     
    #7 bisco, Sep 23, 2019
  8. pasadena_commut

    pasadena_commut Senior Member

    Joined:
    May 2, 2019
    1,713
    516
    0
    Location:
    Southern California
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    If it's anything like a TV remote inside you may need to use something better than an eraser, like electronic contact cleaner. (Don't get that on rubber or plastic though!) Rubbing alcohol on a clean lint free cloth will work too. Also you my need to clean the part of the button that contacts the circuit board, not just the circuit board itself. When cleaning remotes I pull out the rubber key pad, wash it thoroughly with soapy water (dish soap, like Dawn), rinse well with tap water, then rinse a couple of times with distilled water. Wear gloves for the last part, you are trying to get all the grease off of it. I have never taken a fob apart though, not sure if the case/buttons can be washed this way. Probably yes though. Be sure it is completely dry before putting it back together!

    Also, like the others said, get another fob. Whether or not you can make this one work now they are still small easy to lose objects.
     
    #8 pasadena_commut, Sep 23, 2019
    Skibob likes this.
  9. RobH

    RobH Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 18, 2006
    2,369
    981
    70
    Location:
    Sunnyvale, California
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Sounds like the rubber is worn out. I'd just buy a replacement case off eBay/Amazon for $10-$15. Open the old case by removing the mechanical key & battery, then spread needle nose pliers in the mechanical key slot. Move the circuit board and transponder (separate black chip about 1/2" long & 1/8" square) to the new case. New cases just snap together.
     
    #9 RobH, Sep 23, 2019
  10. Katrina O

    Katrina O Junior Member

    Joined:
    May 16, 2015
    66
    10
    0
    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Thanks for the suggestions. Had my 12v tested today, it trested at 12.3. Is that low enough to cause trouble? The guy who tested it (at an O'Reillys) didn't think so, tho he thought it should test at 12.5. The battery (YellowTop) is 2yrs old, just. O'Reillys got also thought it could also be symptom of the hybrid battery failing? Car is 2008 (Touring) with just 113k miles
     
    #10 Katrina O, Sep 28, 2019
  11. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2013
    16,525
    8,429
    0
    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    1. Put a new battery in the fob
    2. Make sure all the buttons on the fob clicks and you can feel it click up and down. If it won't click, it's stuck. Use a razor blade and let it loose.
     
    #11 JC91006, Sep 28, 2019
  12. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2014
    2,492
    2,154
    49
    Location:
    Top RH Corner of RH Coast on L side of The Pond
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I had a similar sounding problem back in 2015 exactly the same symptoms and although I thought the FOB battery replacement had fixed the problem, the SKS was still a bit flakey and I had to use the hidden key in the FOB to get in.
    Here are my log entries:

    Date: 20151220
    replaced batteries in SmartKey FOBs
    Date: 20151224
    106435 new 12V battery

    …no further problems to date! ;)
     
    #12 WilDavis, Sep 28, 2019
    Katrina O likes this.
  13. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2014
    2,492
    2,154
    49
    Location:
    Top RH Corner of RH Coast on L side of The Pond
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    II
    …sounds like you need to change your O'Reillys!!! :rolleyes:;)
     
    #13 WilDavis, Sep 28, 2019
  14. Katrina O

    Katrina O Junior Member

    Joined:
    May 16, 2015
    66
    10
    0
    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Fob battery is brand new. But your reply gave me an idea. The rubber on my fob case is loose enough at top that I peeled it back a bit. I unlocked the car with smart key, pressed on the button (under rubber, so the actual mechanical button) to lock it, no dice. Find it hard to believe the new fob battery would be bad. So....
     
    #14 Katrina O, Sep 28, 2019
  15. Katrina O

    Katrina O Junior Member

    Joined:
    May 16, 2015
    66
    10
    0
    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Yeah well they're hardly hybrid mechanics lol.

    I need an oil change anyway, going to take it to the Prius specialist shop I used last year, have them check out the hybrid battery for me at the same time just for good measure.
     
    #15 Katrina O, Sep 28, 2019
  16. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2014
    2,492
    2,154
    49
    Location:
    Top RH Corner of RH Coast on L side of The Pond
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    II
    BTW I found a spare FOB skellington (…i.e. no innards) on eBay, as I thought it might be handy to have a spare (…just in case! :rolleyes:) - I've not had to use it (so far) but it's in my tool box…
     
    #16 WilDavis, Sep 28, 2019
    Katrina O likes this.
  17. Katrina O

    Katrina O Junior Member

    Joined:
    May 16, 2015
    66
    10
    0
    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Kind of what I'm afraid of. My SKS works just fine though. Shame that my battery only lasted 2 yrs (in fact it's the issue). I've heard that YellowTop isn't all that it's cracked up to be. May have to look for something else

     
    #17 Katrina O, Sep 28, 2019
  18. Katrina O

    Katrina O Junior Member

    Joined:
    May 16, 2015
    66
    10
    0
    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I think that's what people jump to say (must be hybrid battery) when they don't know much about the subject.
     
    #18 Katrina O, Sep 28, 2019
  19. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2014
    2,492
    2,154
    49
    Location:
    Top RH Corner of RH Coast on L side of The Pond
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    II
    12V AuxBatteries are expected to last 4 to 6 years, so 2 years is on the "better check the warranty" side of normal, and I've heard of them lasting 8 to 10 :)eek:) years! (…so I've heard :rolleyes:). The biggest enemy of most battery-technology is extremes of temperature, so how's the climate up in your part of the LeftCoast?
     
    #19 WilDavis, Sep 28, 2019
  20. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 4, 2014
    2,492
    2,154
    49
    Location:
    Top RH Corner of RH Coast on L side of The Pond
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I seem to remember having my local dealership swap the AuxBattery and it was ~$260 (…including a 5,000 mile service) (…back in 2015)
     
    #20 WilDavis, Sep 28, 2019
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)
Page 1 of 2