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Funky Smart Key

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by hoss9009, Feb 13, 2016.

  1. hoss9009

    hoss9009 New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 13, 2016
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    Location:
    Denver
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Disclaimer: I have a 2008 Prius and over the last year, I've slowly had less and less function with the fobs. I changed the batteries in the fobs and did the "ALARM" (orange alarm button) and the lock button to make sure that ALL door are set to open when the handle is touched. I HAVE also searched this forum and can't find exactly what's going on with my Prius that others have experience (dead fob batteries, broken fobs, etc).

    Right now, the fob will unlock and lock the front doors, ONLY. The fob cannot unlock the back doors (I'm down to manually making sure they doors are locked/unlocked). This means that if the alarm is set (hitting the lock button twice and hearing the horn honk twice) and the back doors are UNLOCKED, the doors are susceptible to being opened upon after the alarm is set if they are left unlocked (very scary out in public if you're not careful).

    The driver side handle will unlock the driver side door when the handle is touched. The passenger side will unlock BOTH driver side and passenger side doors when the handle is touched. The exterior lock button on the handle on both sides does not lock the back doors. Also, the lock/unlock buttons (on the interior, both sides) doesn't lock/unlock the back doors.

    The hatch locks/unlocks with the fob just fine. The touch sense on the hatch also works fine.

    I'm wondering if this might be a door/electrical issue as opposed to a sensor issue (the car's interior lights turn on when I'm close to the car). I'm hoping someone might be able to point me to a solution written to this thread, posting a solution thread that I missed, or tell me to go to the dealership (which is my last resort $$$).

    I appreciate all thoughts.

    -Eric

    PS: The alarm random goes off, even in the middle of night. We've received threats against our physical well being because of the alarm. :)
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
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    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
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    Plug-in Base
    welcome! how's your 12 volt battery health?
     
  3. hoss9009

    hoss9009 New Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Replaced 2 years ago. Should I have it checked already?
     
  4. andrewclaus

    andrewclaus Active Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    The problem may be a faulty body ECU. And that is not a simple or cheap solution. I hope you find it's something easier.

    Just for grins, have you tried returning the door lock programming to the default?

    You might want to set yourself up with a Mini VCI on an old XP laptop. It gives you the ability to work on some lock and alarm features, and can troubleshoot ECU problems.
     
  5. hoss9009

    hoss9009 New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 13, 2016
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    Location:
    Denver
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    What do you mean door lock programming? Default? Are you referring to holding down the buttons on the fob and waiting for the beeps from the interior and exterior?
     
  6. andrewclaus

    andrewclaus Active Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    In your disclaimer, you said you reprogrammed the locks so they'd all open with one button push. I'm suggesting you put it back the way it was before you did that, see if anything else changes. I've never made any changes with the fob buttons (I use my Mini VCI), so I don't know how it's done or how it beeps. Again, it's just for grins, to eliminate the easy stuff before tackling the harder stuff.
     
  7. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    1. Most likely, the door lock motors on the rear doors need to be replaced or at minimum the mechanical lock mechanisms need to be lubricated.

    2. Is it possible for you to disconnect the alarm horn? No one is interested in hearing repeated false alarms and we are not excited about losing you as a PC member due to violence.