I was told I could touch a spot on the driver's door handle to lock/unlock the vehicle. This works intermittently. I have the key. Sometimes it sets off a noise like a quieter alarm. Sometimes it doesn't work at all. Obviously the key is closer when I can touch the handle than when I normally lock and unlock from a distance. Am I doing something wrong? Is there a trick?
Unlocking is easy, just grab the handle as if you were opening the door. You will hear a couple of beeps and the door will unlock to allow you to open it. Locking involves touching the door handle near the small grooves at the front of the handle. Again, you'll hear a couple of beeps and the doors locking. If either doesn't work consistently, you should have your dealer check if there is a problem with the SKS system. It is possible that the battery in the key fob is getting weak. If so, you should see a notice on the display. The battery is easy to replace and my dealer will do the swap as part of the price of the battery.
I have a 2012 v three, lets assume they are the same. To unlock, touch the inside of the handle as if it was going to open. To lock touch the grooved area at the front of the handle. Top or bottom or both. http://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/om-s/OM47820U/pdf/OM47820U.pdf Page 58 Now if they do not work, the Fob battery may be weak. Page 409 tells how to replace the CR1632 Fob battery. It is sold at drugstores or jewelers.
It took me a couple of weeks to get used to it. What you have to understand is that there are three sensor locations. The 1st location is on top of the handle where you see a couple of slits. You touch that area to lock the car only. It doesn't unlock. The 2nd location is underneath on the opposite side. This location functions the same as the 1st. When it rains, I sometimes have to grip both locations like a pinch for the car to lock. Think of it as a way to increase your signal. The 3rd location is behind the handle and it unlocks only. The idea is that as soon as you pull on the handle, the door will unlock. This is contrary to the previous gen Prius and every other door lock mechanism I've encountered where there is a single button on the handle that locks and unlocks. I agree this is a better mechanism but it took me some time to get used to.
A nitpick, but every Prius with SKS since 2004 has had separate inputs for lock and unlock. On Gen2 the black button was lock only. Gen3 replaced the visibly obvious button with subtle grooves. For cars with three-door SKS, you squeeze the regular hatch release to open and there's a separate button to lock. 2PS64 ?
what the problem? i have had 04, 08 and 12, they all work fine and very easy to use. and i'm a complete idiot.
BINGO! Thank you. They told me to use the 1st location, nothing about the rest of it. I assumed they knew what they were talking about. My mistake.
Interestingly, now it sometimes locks and unlocks when I get near, no touch required. I'll bet that's a feature.
