Locked out -- even with metal key

Is the key turning in the lock? Are you turning it the correct way? Sometimes the locks get very sticky, since they are almost never used. Lock lubricant can help. If the key turns all the way in the lock, then the door will open, unless you have some very odd problem, like a broken lock linkage.

Tom

 

For anyone hanging around a Naval base you need to be aware of this.

WE RADIATE

That's right, you have the right all the freadoms in the Constitution, which in this case includes rf radiation.

I first noticed it in San Diego when most people thought the batteries in their keyfob had died. No problem, that's what a metal key is for. Most got in and drove away without a problem, I was one of those lucky ones. Others it seemed the car battery had died. For these select few there was no hope. They tried jump starting with no avail. The car just wouldn't fire. When I got home I did what I usually do, got out and hit the fob... the doors locked. So I hit it again and they unlocked. Well this went off and on for about 2 weeks. Those who couldn't start their cars had to wait until after 5pm to leave work. Turns out the Navy was trying out a new radar thingy and it "killed" the signal from the key fob and in some cases shut down the computer in the car. No permanent damage to vehicles but who knows about the peeps.

Couple months ago I was at North Island and the Prius wouldn't open with the smart key, then the fob wouldn't work so I had to use the metal key. I thought, here we go again, lets radiate everyone and see how many cars we can nutralize.

Be aware WE RADIATE AND DON'T CARE

 

Same at Sandia Crest, NM, 10,000+ft mountain peak above Albuquerque where all the transmitting antennas for central NM are. There is so much electromagnetic radiation there are warning signs about car alarms and electronic car door locks. I haven't taken the Prius up there yet. Wonder what the effect would be on pacemakers? My ham club has a transmitter shack up there, we try not to linger among the 50,000 watt transmitters and antennas. Haven't been up there at night to try the fluorescent tube trick.

 

That warm fuzzy feeling you have..... it's called BBQ.

Back in the 90's the ship was in overhaul for about 14 months. Birds had nested in the radar antenna. LOL you know where this is going. Well we're not allowed to radiate that antenna inport because it's so powerful, has a tendancy toooooo I don't know, shut down power grids and airport radars. So we rotate and radiate into a dummy load, not out the antenna, to make sure the trons are working. Well when the antenna started rotating the birds flew away, no big deal. When we got off the coast we started radiating and a couple hours in, sure enough, the birds found us and tried to roost. Well as soon as they got swept by the antenna they dropped. There was 0 glide slope. One second they were flying along, the next, their wings folded up and dropped like a rock.

The galley changed the menu to chicken that night.

 

ok, had the same problem today, one of my kids left the light over the back seat on all night. This morning the battery is dead and the car is locked. Tried to open with remote key but no luck, then tried with metal key no luck either...( It is suppose to be sticky but if you cant open it then the key has been replaced so dont keep trying or you will break the lock)
best thing is to call AAA or a locksmith with special tools to open the car the old way.. tell him to aim for the lock on the side and not the unlock button on the arm rest, since the battery is dead. after the car opens find your way to the trunk and remove all the junk in the back including the black cover over the spare tire. find the latch for the trunk and unlatch the trunk. Charge the battery and start the car. Drive to a lock smith and have him make you a working metal key and you are set. Total cost should not be more than 50 $ including opening and making a new metal key. good luck.

 

Prius owners should make a habit out of testing the mechanical key every six months or so. The lock just sits there unused for years, and then people are surprised when it doesn't work.

Furthermore, opening a Prius with the mechanical key is a bit different than opening your house door lock. You have to turn the key and pull the door. It's better to practice it at home before you really need to do it.

Tom

 

I bought a 2006 Prius yesterday....thrilled with it. Drives beautifully. I woke up this morning and went to get dressed. I'd placed the key in that useless little RH micro pocket of my jeans....seems made for it.
Darling...wheres my jeans? ''In the wash'' ....SAY WHAAAAA!!
Id like to thank you guys. While the electronic key is najjered, the metal key turned easily clockwise but wouldnt open the door; (just made a encouraging clunking niose with each twist) Anti clockwise seemed jammed and I feared twisting too hard. Read the thread....took a deep breath and (grunt) Im in !....albeit with the alarm going ! So Im now off to ebay before the neighbors can trace me as the owner of the screaming beauty, and, armed with the reprogramming instructions elsewhere on thread, (twist left thrice, slam the door, recite 5 hail Marys while whistling the national anthem.....neat trick if you can do it.) I hope to get back on the road sometime next week.

Thanx All

 

welcome, get first post! i hope you get it sorted, all the best!

 

do they have an auto club service that covers locksmiths there? we have AAA and if you lose the fob they will send someone out to replace it and cut a new key.. if they do join now and call for service in a few days.. I would keep trying to work the metal key back and forth until the lock loosens up.. as for starting the car.. the fob is most likely gone BUT you can try to insert it into the dash slot, if that fails hold the fob to the dash next to the power button push it and it should start..once going just keep the fob in the cup holder. you only need it to get the car started once running you will be able to drive it

 

Old post..but don't feel stupid. Learning is fun (as long as you don't deride yourself for what you didn't know until you learned it/were told/watched it on Youtube). I'm still trying to get my manual keys to open my LHD prius driver door when the 12v battery is dead. It works when the battery is charged. I tried putting liquid graphite in the lock -- and exercised it a bit. Now will need to disconnect the battery, or wait until I leave the car in 'IG-ON' mode too long again!

 

mine was rusted bad, lots of CRC and almost broke key with pliers getting it to turn anticlockwise. I'm gonna have to get the key in there and give it a few wiggles to loosen it up properly.

PS: still love my Prius

 

Video showing how to turn
I'm also having issue with manual key ,Not turning
If the 12v battery dies then will have same problem

Also buy extra cr2016 for key fob Prius gen3

 

A good reason to add a step to exercise the manual key into your yearly service schedule.


[EDIT]

This is a Gen 2 thread, and while that information relating to the Gen 3 is somewhat the same as far as getting into the car when the fob battery dies, there are enough differences that it will frustrate a Gen 2 user.

For example, the physical key lock on the fob is different; The battery is different (Gen 2 uses a CR2032); and more or less the whole battery change procedure is different. But the good news is that the owner's manual covers it.

 

Didn't see this post at the time, but yeah, that's a thing that can happen, especially if the electric lock actuator in that door was ever replaced. When I needed to replace the actuator in my Gen 1, I first tried buying non-Toyota actuators listed on eBay that were much less money than from Toyota, and more than one of them came flat-out missing the internal electrical contact that tells the Body ECU you're not breaking in when you use the key to unlock.

I had to work out a way to test that function on the bench right after unboxing the part, before going to the trouble of installing it in the car, and once I showed the eBay seller how to do it, he found his whole inventory all had the problem, and stopped selling them (under that seller account, anyway).

It was kind of a clever way for a manufacturer to cheap out on the part, because if you were replacing your actuator because the power locking/unlocking had stopped working, you'd probably be sure to test the power locking/unlocking, and that would be ok. But you might not think to test whether you can get in with the key without setting the alarm off. So you'd think it was fine. And maybe some time later down the road, if you need to use the metal key and the alarm goes off, you'll just think maybe it's supposed to, or it's some other problem, and not connect it to the actuator that was put in.

 

If the door handles can be pulled out to take it to key shop ,was trying to look at any YouTube videos on this for getting another key made or make lock matching existing key

 

this thread seems to have a life of its own