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Key Fob Batteries Died (Both Fob's)

Discussion in 'Gen 1 Prius Plug-in 2012-2015' started by elife, Jan 27, 2014.

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  1. elife

    elife Junior Member

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    My Plugin is 19 months old (June 2012) and BOTH of my key fob batteries died….now for the rest of the story.

    I was down visiting my daughter who lives 200 miles away. While down there I noticed that my key fob would not open the car doors. Sidebar - when I purchased my car in 2012 my local Toyota dealer offered a free two hour seminar on basics of your new Toyota. It also came with a free dinner to entice you to come - sandwiches, chips, salad, soda etc - nice touch. Anyway one very important point the service manager made was to always take your backup fob when traveling as it was a extreme hassle - and expense - to replace the key fob if you did not have at least the backup (2nd key fob) with you should you lose your fob. end of sidebar So, feeling rather smug I went into my suitcase and got my 2nd - backup - key fob only to find that it too would not work. I began to think the problem was not the key fob but something on the car itself.

    Of course my owners manual was inside my locked Prius. Then, in the recesses of my 60+ year old brain I vaguely recall the service manager talking about what to do in a situation like I was experiencing. I just could not remember the details. So I went inside and pulled up the owners manual - on line - and on page 590 (I believe) it outlines the procedure for 1) getting into the car and 2) starting the car. Turns out there is a metal key inside the key fob. Press the little button on the side of the fob and pull out the metal key! (I did not even notice that the door of the Prius had a place for a metal key). And so I did. Once in the car all you need to do (and the car display will also tell you this if it senses a dead key fob) is to physically touch the key fob to the start button (even though the key fob battery is dead) and presto the car will start. THANKS TOYOTA FOR THIS BACKUP SYSTEM.

    For the remainder of the weekend at my daughters that is what I did. Today, and back home, I stopped by my friendly Toyota dealer and told them of the problem. He took the key fob and said that the battery was dead. He said if you press the key fob button and the little red light on the key fob does not illuminate then the battery is dead. I explained that the backup fob was also dead - how could that be as I only used the backup fob maybe two or three times before? He said "how close is the backup fob to the car when it is parked at home". I have a garage so it is only about 20 feet of so from where I keep the backup fob. He said at that at that close range it is continually "communicating" with the car and that is why the backup was also dead!?! So, I am thinking that now that I have to also replace the backup fob battery I will now "wrap" it in aluminum foil and perhaps it will keep the "chatter" down with the car - who knows.

    Net / net - 1) know how to get into your car and start the car should your key fob battery die 2) always take your backup fob - even though in this specific case it did not help me. 3) It appears - at least in my case - the batteries in the fob last about 18 months.

    Rob
     
    #1 elife, Jan 27, 2014
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  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    20 feet is too far, something else killed the battery. the manual gives a list of what not to keep the fobs near.
     
    #2 bisco, Jan 27, 2014
  3. Bill Collins

    Bill Collins Junior Member

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    i don't believe Alum foil will do the trick .. You need a computer Antistatic bag.Which will keep the Fob from being read by the car. You can get this at any electrons store IE: Radio Shack.. I also think twenty feet is quite a distance from the car to to chat with the fob



     
    #3 Bill Collins, Jan 27, 2014
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  4. Michael33

    Michael33 Member

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    Key fob batteries should be replaced annually. It doesn't have to be the same month every year, but it should be close to that. They will last much longer if 'sleeping' though, so just keep the spare in an upstairs room, away from the car and other electronic devices that use RF. We keep our spares in the kitchen, and that also works - for us.
     
    #4 Michael33, Jan 28, 2014
  5. -1-

    -1- Don

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    :)Great information, THANKS!
     
    #5 -1-, Jan 28, 2014
  6. brewcrew9

    brewcrew9 Member

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    great info, your issue = we all learn, well for some of us anyway…...
     
    #6 brewcrew9, Jan 28, 2014
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    our fobs, 5 hybrids so far, all hang together with cell phones in a kitchen cabinet about 15 feet from the cars separated by the garage wall. they have lasted 4-5 years each.
     
    #7 bisco, Jan 28, 2014
  8. CaliforniaBear

    CaliforniaBear Clearwater Blue Metallic

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    Somewhere there is a description of changing the fob battery.
    Found it
     
    #8 CaliforniaBear, Jan 28, 2014
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  9. elife

    elife Junior Member

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    Well, the plot thickens. Went out today to head out in my little PiP and - you guessed it - the key fob did not work. That would be the one I got a new battery for yesterday - and that was working yesterday. However, my backup one (also new battery yesterday) was working. After I ran my errands I went to the Toyota dealer - fortunately it is less than 5 miles from house. My service writer wants me to bring it back tomorrow and he will give me a new fob / battery but he needs the car so he can program the fob to the car. Good thing I am retired, that the Toyota dealer is so close, that I enjoy "kicking tires" and that they have great, fresh ground, free coffee and doughnuts. However, as my oldest daughter reminds me "Dad, the coffee and doughnuts are not really free. They get you when you pay the bill" - lol - she is probably correct.

    Rob

    PS - I have had the car for about 18 months 16K miles and do not like it - I love it….now if we could just do something about that fob thingy.
     
    #9 elife, Jan 28, 2014
  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i'm a little surprised he's going to give you a $400. fob without testing the battery first. as for the free coffe and donuts, i would consider them free because the dealers that don't have them still charge you.;)
     
    #10 bisco, Jan 28, 2014
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  11. Ken Blake

    Ken Blake Active Member

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    A technician here put a key fob near a cordless phone continuously. It took about a month to kill the battery in the key fob.
     
    #11 Ken Blake, Jan 28, 2014
  12. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    mine are within 2 feet of the cordless, i wonder if it depends on the frequency?
     
    #12 bisco, Jan 28, 2014
  13. elife

    elife Junior Member

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    $400 bucks for a key fob! Wow - I am going to start carrying them with two hands! ;o) I guess they are tired of seeing me eating their donuts and drinking their coffee. I will let you know how it goes.

    Rob
     
    #13 elife, Jan 28, 2014
  14. CharlesH

    CharlesH CA HOV Decal #5 on former PiP

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    The cost of a key fob depends on whether you have an active one they can clone. If they have one, it is fairly straightforward to introduce it to the security system (like of like the garage door openers with the rotating codes) (a few $). If they don't have a working "master", then the security system on the car has to be reprogrammed (more $$). In the Gen I Prius, this required replacing the security module hardware (many $$$$), but they then made it resettable. It's the security system that creates the cost, since you HAVE to go through them to deal with it, so they can charge whatever they want. The key fob hardware itself is not that expensive.
     
    #14 CharlesH, Jan 28, 2014
  15. Michael33

    Michael33 Member

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    Are the phones on or off? If on, then it seems likely that cell phones aren't a problem!
     
    #15 Michael33, Jan 28, 2014
  16. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    right, they are on, plugged in and charging.
     
    #16 bisco, Jan 28, 2014
  17. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    someone's gotta pay for the coffe and donuts.:cool:
     
    #17 bisco, Jan 28, 2014
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  18. Michael33

    Michael33 Member

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    Actually, if they are charging they probably aren't RF-active.
     
    #18 Michael33, Jan 29, 2014
  19. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    that's interesting. what about when they are fully charged but still plugged in? that's probably most of the time.
     
    #19 bisco, Jan 29, 2014
  20. mmmodem

    mmmodem Senior Taste Tester

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    My PiP is about 15 months old and the dash started displaying low battery when I shut it down about a month ago. I ignore it as I know all keyless start vehicles have a metal key backup in the key fob. Not just Toyota.

    I intend to use every last drop of battery in the fob, waste not want not. I am a little miffed that the battery is running out so early in my ownership. I usually only replace the key fob battery once in my cars because it goes out at about 5 years and I've never owned a car longer than 10 years. I know the Prius fob has a proximity sensor but Bisco hasn't complained about the battery in his key fob battery and he's nearly número uno for PiP ownership. I was expecting at least 3 years.


    iPhone ?
     
    #20 mmmodem, Jan 29, 2014
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