[khermans]

I just got this new Prius, and the SKS unlock all the doors when I touch the hatch door, but when I touch any other door it does not unlock! Also, the light does not come on when I approach the vehicle! This is weird, because it worked just fine when I first got the vehicle. Any ideas? Anyone else see this on their prius?
--
Kristian Hermansen

 

[DaveT]

I seem to remember the manual indicated the system can be programmed for different opening sequences. Possibly yours was inadvertently reprogrammed?

 

[khermans]

Yeah, there are ways to change what doors you touch and what doors opens when you do -- but this does not seem to be the case -- because in all these options touching the driver's side door would still open at least the driver's side door! I ending up bringing it into the Lia Toyota Dealer of Hadley, MA. They said it might be a quick fix, but I was weary. I was right. At first the guy thought that it was the battery in the SKS remote, but I informed him that didn't add up since it was responding and unlocking the doors when touching the hatch lever (you can see the red light go off on the remote). So, then he thought it might be my USB key on the key chain, but I told him that shouldn't matter since it should not have any elec/mag interference without being plugged into a PC. We removed it to be sure, and that didn't fix a thing.

After 5 hours of prodding, the guys still have no idea what is wrong with it. The only theory is wiring somewhere inside the vehicle. They told me that they are ripping it apart to find the problem. This worries me, since the car is not even a week old! Do you guys have any tips on if this might be a lemon or not? If I remember correctly, Toyota gets a few shots to fix the problem before it is declared a "lemon" in Massachusetts. However, during this time -- I don't have my vehicle :-( It is still at the dealer and I have no idea how long this is going to last. I'd really like to either exchange the vehicle for a new one or get my money back for a new one. It kinda sucks to be in this situation! However, I have enjoyed the Prius very much other than this problem.

Any ideas or suggestions you guys?
--
Kristian Hermansen

 

[khermans]

Did you do any modifications and possibly have the door lock/unlock malfunctions as an unintended consequence?

No -- the minute I pulled into the driveway at my house and got out of the car, I locked all the doors. I moved away from the vhicle, approached it, and unlocked the doors by the SKS sytem. Then, I wanted to show my family the "cool" vehicle-approach-light-on-and-unlock feature that the SKS offers. However, it didn't work! I was pissed. It worked when I was at the dealership and when I immediately returned home, but since then, it does not work anymore. I thought that this might be a common problem with the new model. Apparantly no onw has seen this type of behaviour...

 

[galaxee]

nope, haven't heard one of those yet.

they did give you a rental right? this is a warranty issue.

let us know how it pans out.

btw, it's going to take a lot more than just some wiring issues that make the locks haywire for toyota to cull that car out and give you a new one. my husband had a warranty engine problem- manufacturing specs screwed up and metal chunks in the oil (bad bad bad). he did a complete teardown and rebuild of an engine, on new engine version no less. it was like exploratory surgery for almost 4 weeks, he was the first in the US to rebuild one of those suckers and spent more time than he would have liked describing errors in the repair manual to tech support. the guy got his original truck back, it was not replaced.

that said, MAKE SURE they give your car to a guy with good diagnostic skills. most of the time these guys are Toyota MDTs but not always. wiring problems are a real b**** to sort out and it takes some good skill.

 

[khermans]

they did give you a rental right? this is a warranty issue.

Am I entitled to a free car rental while it is in service? I was unaware of this? How do I get it? Thanks for the suggestions!

 

[galaxee]

if it's a warranty service they should give you a rental. just go ask. unless it's a really tiny dealer and they have no rental cars of their own, then i don't know how it works.

 

[Tideland Prius]

Are you sure you're not pressing the black lock button while opening the front doors? Doing that won't make anything happen.

 

[khermans]

Are you sure you're not pressing the black lock button while opening the front doors? Doing that won't make anything happen.

Yeah, I'm positive that is not the case. Even the Toyota service guys couldn't figure it out :-( At first they told me, "yeah, you sure you're doing it right?" ... "it'll probably take a few minutes", etc. They probably assigned me the dumbest guy too because they thought I was dumb. Turns out, no one has any clue what's going on with it. I'll keep you posted when I find out more tomorrow...

 

[DanMan32]

The black button would do something: it would lock the doors. Even when the doors are already locked, it re-locks, beeps, and flashes tail/parking lights. The fob has to be near the door you are trying to lock, so does that work? If so, that rules out the door oscillators and their wiring.

I hope I am correct to assume that the car will start with SKS, in other words the fob does not need to be in the slot to power up.
Each door senses separately. Problem in one door should not affect the other door. Is the problem with both front doors, or just one? Only the front doors can be opened by SKS (as well as the hatch of course). When you opened the hatch, are you sure it was actually locked?

Sometimes turning SKS off, powering up (with fob in slot of course), powering down, then turning SKS back on works.

I looked over the wiring diagram, hoping maybe I'd see a possible common point of failure, such as a loose wiring harness, but didn't find anything that would not also disrupt other components.

Does wireless entry work, especially while standing at either front door? If so, that would rule out the wirless remote receiver, as SKS also uses that to hear the fob's response to the oscillators. But then if there was a problem wtih that, all SKS functions would not work.

Another diagnostic trick would be to look at the transmit indicator on the fob. With all the doors locked, the car would send out a poll to see if the fob is around. You can see the fob light blink every few seconds when it does. The car will only do an unsolicited poll at the doors though, other locations and functions require an action on your part to trigger a poll. Example, pressing the hatch switch will have the car check for a fob in your possession. If it weren't for the dome light lighting up as you approached, even the SKS front door open could wait until you touched the door handle before it would check for the fob.

Another thing I might try is change the customizable settings using the THHT then change them back.

 

[OverTork]

This is a long shot but did you try a different FOB. My thinking is if the battery in the FOB is weak it will transmit a weak signal, and maybe the reciever in tha back hatch is a little more sensitive.

 

[khermans]

The black button would do something: it would lock the doors. Even when the doors are already locked, it re-locks, beeps, and flashes tail/parking lights. The fob has to be near the door you are trying to lock, so does that work? If so, that rules out the door oscillators and their wiring.

Nope, don't think the black button on the driver's handle locked the doors! So, does this mean it could be wiring issue? The tech tried the same thing, and also was puzzled. I still have no idea, and they don't either :-( I just got a rental car today because someone else on the forum suggested that I can get one as covered in my warranty. However, when I told the dealer about it, the woman informed me that usually it is not possible to get a free rental unless you can't physically drive the car home...

I hope I am correct to assume that the car will start with SKS, in other words the fob does not need to be in the slot to power up.

Yes, starting the car is not an issue at all. That works just fine!

Each door senses separately. Problem in one door should not affect the other door. Is the problem with both front doors, or just one? Only the front doors can be opened by SKS (as well as the hatch of course). When you opened the hatch, are you sure it was actually locked?

The problem occurs with ALL 4 DOORS, not including the hatch. So, no matter what door I touch/pull/prod, the SKS won't open the doors. Only if I touch the back hatch does it unlock all the vehicle doors. I'm certain that the car was locked when doing this, since I have tried numerous times to get it working. Even the tech had problems. However, it is also interesting to note that the dome light will not come on when I approach the vehicle either! It used to work when I first drove the car off the lot though...

Sometimes turning SKS off, powering up (with fob in slot of course), powering down, then turning SKS back on works.

I didn't try that, but now I don't have my car to try it :-( Got this damn rental vehicle...

Does wireless entry work, especially while standing at either front door? If so, that would rule out the wirless remote receiver, as SKS also uses that to hear the fob's response to the oscillators. But then if there was a problem wtih that, all SKS functions would not work.

No, manually pressing the UNLOCK/LOCK buttons on the remote does work just fine. So, that makes me think that it has nothing to do with the remote! So, I am still under the assumption that it is some internal wiring issue or some fuse got blown for the 4-doors/dome-light circuitry? This is a shot in the dark though...

Another diagnostic trick would be to look at the transmit indicator on the fob. With all the doors locked, the car would send out a poll to see if the fob is around. You can see the fob light blink every few seconds when it does. The car will only do an unsolicited poll at the doors though, other locations and functions require an action on your part to trigger a poll. Example, pressing the hatch switch will have the car check for a fob in your possession. If it weren't for the dome light lighting up as you approached, even the SKS front door open could wait until you touched the door handle before it would check for the fob.

Doesn't this support my theory that the remote has nothing to do with it? It it were some issue with the 4-doors/dome-light circuitry, that should fail to work, while the hatch SKS would still function. Doesn't this make sense? So, it would seem that those sensors or their underlying circuitry have failed somewhere...

Another thing I might try is change the customizable settings using the THHT then change them back.

THHT? What is and where do I find these settings?

 

[KTPhil]

I agree with the weak battery theory. If it doesn't sense the fob nearby, it won't accept the black button push.

 

[sub3marathonman]

Nope, don't think the black button on the driver's handle locked the doors! So, does this mean it could be wiring issue? The tech tried the same thing, and also was puzzled. I still have no idea, and they don't either :-(

OK, this probably isn't the real reason, but that statement made me wonder.

Is it possible that the other key fob is still in the Prius? I know if one is inside the doors won't lock. Also, with the car being so new it seems that the second one might never have been taken out.

I didn't see that they tried both key fobs with the same results.

 

[KTPhil]

Tests (some of which you have done, others not yet):

1) Approach the vehicle from the side, fob in hand. Do they lights come one?
2) Approach from the rear, fob in hand. Do the lights come on?
3) Can you lock the car from any of the three black butTons?
4) With fob out of teh car and 20 feet away, but with you inside, can you lock the car using the inside power door lock button?

This should help narrow the symptoms down so we know what does or does not work.

 

[OverTork]

OK, this probably isn't the real reason, but that statement made me wonder.

Is it possible that the other key fob is still in the Prius? I know if one is inside the doors won't lock. Also, with the car being so new it seems that the second one might never have been taken out.

I didn't see that they tried both key fobs with the same results.

I think you might be onto something there. I just tried it on my car (leaving the spare FOB inside) with exactly the same symptoms. Car would lock and unlock by pushing the buttons on the FOB in hand. Rear hatch would unlock and open with FOB in pocket. Interior light would not illuminate and front doors would not unlock with FOB in pocket. Attempting to lock or unlock front doors with black button on handle failed with loud beep.

If this turns out to be the cause I hope your dealer is understanding. I'm pretty sure even the Platinum protection plan doesn't cover leaving your key in the car.

 

[Thomme]

Probably also not the problem, but this has happened to me -

If your cell phone is in the same pocket as the fob, it can interfere with the fob's handshake with the car.

Granted, this should result in no SmartKey functionality rather than partial, but perhaps the RFID reception is better from the hatch position than the doors. Just spitballing here. I may be way off base.

 

[khermans]

OK, this probably isn't the real reason, but that statement made me wonder.

Is it possible that the other key fob is still in the Prius? I know if one is inside the doors won't lock. Also, with the car being so new it seems that the second one might never have been taken out.

I didn't see that they tried both key fobs with the same results.

OK, well, I have no idea where the second key fob is. The fact is that when I bought the car, I was supposed to get two keys. However, the guy I was dealing with on vacation during the time I was to pick up the vehicle. He left all the things that I needed with another rep at the dealership, and at first they couldn't find the stuff he left, but finally they found it. I think that in the confusion, the second key fob ended up somewhere unkown. I am waiting for my rep to come back from his vacation to see if he can locate it, because I asked the dealership to try -- and they have no idea :-(

HOWEVER -- I don't think that it is inside the car for one main reason. THE DOORS LOCK WITH THE REMOTE WHEN I PRESS THE LOCK BUTTON! Doesn't that rule out the battery on the fob AND that the other fob could not be inside the car?
--
Kristian

 

[JDavies]

SKS Problem

Do the push buttons (wireless remote) work on all doors..?

 

[JDavies]

SKS problem

Sorry, I didn't read this part of your post.. Disregard my last.
Since the push buttons work then the battery is OK. However.. the buttons only transmit when you push them.. The SKS is ON all the time.
Try punching the SKS lock-out button (under the dash) off/on a few times.
If you're sure the other fob is not in the car, I have no clue what's wrong.