OK, it has only been a week since I drove home in my new, 2005, Prius. I love it. Just now getting used to "park", "start", crazy Drive and Reverse selections - all so different but totally sensible. The thing that has me confused is the car locking and unlocking. At first, when I walked up to the car, it would unlock itself. But the passenger door wouldn't open. So I walk around to the driver side and unlock all doors with the button. Or, if I walk up to the car and want to open the hatch first, it won't open. I push the little square button and still it won't open. What's going on? Is there a way to learn what I should and shouldn't be doing. Sounds nutty but I'm stumped. It's going to be a nice day. I think I'll go wash my new ride for the first time
Read the owner's manual. It explains how to configure the fob and SKS system to unlock all doors or just the driver's side door.
To unlock, there's a sensor in the handle. It senses your hand, without touching it (side doors) or squeezing it (back hatch). The button is for lock only. Your confusion comes from doing both at virtually the same time and not realizing it. .
Ditto the other comments. The door does not unlock when you approach it, you have to make contact with the inside of the door handle. The front doors require only light contact; the hatch requires some pressure. By default, touching the inside of the driver's door handle unlocks only the driver's door. You can change this behavior if you wish. Touching the inside of the front passenger door unlocks all doors, as does pressing the inside of the hatch handle. A neat trick with the hatch handle is to give it a quick press. This will unlock all the doors without opening the hatch. A longer pull will open the hatch too. The little black buttons LOCK the doors, not unlock. Pressing the black button while touching the inside of the handle creates confusion, as you are telling the car to lock and unlock at the same time. It will beep at you when you do this. If you don't have one, you should get an owner's manual. Most of this is covered in some detail. Tom
Thanks everyone for your patience and great replies. I didn't get the owners manual but I have sent away for one so I'll have it soon. I was thinking I was on candid camera, standing in a parking lot fiddling around with the doors... lock/unlock/lock/unlock. It's all starting to make sense. Actually, it's starting to sound quite brilliant. What an amazing car.
The owner's manual has a lot of good information, but it's not well organized. Think of it as an information scavenger hunt. Tom
Also, I found out that on my key fob, if I hit the unlock button twice, ALL the doors unlock, if i hit it just once, only the drivers side door unlocks....Yes, it is an amazing car, and the owner's manual will help a TON.....Happy hypermiling!
