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No 2017 Prius Smart Key fob "resting place"?

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Technical Discussion' started by dslomer64, May 26, 2018.

  1. dslomer64

    dslomer64 Member

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    My 2006 Prius had a little hole in the dashboard near my right knee, I suppose to put the key in to keep it from getting lost or to leave for mechanic (or if driving nude?). I was told it had nothing to do with driving the car.

    Au contraire. About 2010, nothing about the key would work. Replaced battery. Nothing. Not Smart anymore; buttons wouldn't work. Car wouldn't power up...

    ... until I put the No-longer-Smart Key into that little hole in the dashboard. Car powered right up; still drives normally in a pinch. Even without a battery in the key.

    The other Smart Key still works. My wife came home after driving it and said the buttons wouldn't work. It was too late (after 4pm) to go get a new one, so I took the one out of my '17 to get her ready to go next time she drove it. Tested: ok.

    Then I thought I'd check to see if the '17 battery-less key would work as the '06 does: put key in the little hole and ...

    ... Where's the hole??

    To say I've looked everywhere would be a lie. But don't tell me it's right about where the '06 hole is or I'll have yet another notch in my senility belt.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  2. mark27lim

    mark27lim Active Member

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    no hole this time around. just tap it against the power button on the dash when you press it and you should be good to go. you can also put the key away after you’ve done that.
     
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  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    If I recall correctly, if you hold the battery-less fob up to the start button while pushing the button, the car can start.

    Ah, beat me to it.
     
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  4. Lucifer

    Lucifer Senior Member

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    Mine lives in the pop up compartment top shelf between the front seats.
     
  5. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    It's explained quite well in the Manual.

    I keep mine in my pocket at all times after reading the following.

    About when I bought my PRIUS, I remember in a local newspaper reading about a FOB which the car allowed to be locked in with the door handle "touch" - but then wouldn't allow it to be unlocked - and there was a baby or young children inside, and she could see the FOB on the seat, BMW I think. I remember her impassioned plea to never put the keys down inside the car.

    I thought I'd search for it. Whoops - GOOGLE came up with 499,000+ responses when I GOOGLED "car locked - fob inside". So maybe it's a common occurrence.
     
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  6. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Yeah.. that slot in your 2006 actually does work for the car (it's not just a holder lol). On cars without the Smart Key, that's the slot you put the key in before you start. If you had SKS, it was optional (and of course if the battery is low, that method works too).

    Starting with the 3rd Gen in 2010, because all cars had SKS as standard equipment, the slot wasn't necessary. Toyota cleaned up the dashboard and opted to allow the owner to hold the key near the POWER button and then press the POWER button to start the car if the fob battery is low/dead.

    Same goes for Gen 4.
     
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  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Did anyone find it, either 3rd or 4th gen, could cite a page number? I'm sure I've seen it, but looking through the pdf's tonight you think I could find it, that is the instruction to hold the dead-battery fob to the start button.
     
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  8. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    Take no notice of my page number - it's the AUSTRALIAN version. Search for KEY in the PDF version for your country.


    upload_2018-5-27_15-43-25.png
     
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  9. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    3rd Generation - Page 542 (North American manual)

    upload_2018-5-26_22-58-22.png


    4th Generation - Page 709 (North American manual)

    upload_2018-5-26_22-59-34.png
     
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  10. dslomer64

    dslomer64 Member

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    Tideland said, "Yeah.. that slot in your 2006 actually does work for the car (it's not just a holder lol)."

    LOL? I believe I established that I knew that in my original post. It was some ignoramus who TOLD me it had no function. Hell, I'm just trying to be entertaining. LOL!

    Anyway, I wasn't sure if everybody was being serious about touching the key to the power button until I pressed POWER and the screen said to touch the key to the power button.

    How does that work, anyway, this apparent closing of a circuit by two pieces of plastic touching? Please attach a wiring schematic with your response.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  11. dslomer64

    dslomer64 Member

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    Alanclarkeau said, "It's explained quite well in the Manual." But it's so much more entertaining to read some of the responses I knew I'd get. lolol

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  12. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    rfid chip inside the fob housing and corresponding part inside the dash.
     
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  13. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    The preamble on the previous page indicates these are steps to take in case of low fob battery:

    upload_2018-5-27_13-37-21.png
     
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  14. dslomer64

    dslomer64 Member

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    I had to Google "rfid". Glad you brought it up. For anybody else who, like me, was unaware of Radio Frequency IDentification and how it works...

    The technology "uses electromagnetic fields [EMFs] to ... identify ... 'tags' [that] contain electronically-stored information" (Wikipedia) for many purposes, such as inventory and theft-prevention on addition to non-Smart key identification.

    Since my fob had no battery, it couldn't very well have generated anything, therefore it contains "electronically-stored info" that will be read and matched to identical "info" via some device that constantly (?) emits EMFs and reads whatever they might make available to other devices nearby.

    I haven't seen an answer to the part of my question about how "two plastic objects touching" would enable powering up the car.

    That's because they don't have to touch. Close counts. EMFs provide the connection, not touch. (The manual says to touch the Toyota emblem to the Power button. It probably shouldn't.)




    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  15. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    No - it actually works with either side. It may a suggestion that if the key says "MITSUBISHI" - you're using the wrong key.
     
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  16. mark27lim

    mark27lim Active Member

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    yes and that is why you don’t want to lose your spare key. it costs upwards of 300usd to replace.
     
  17. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    Also sometimes people replace the fob case on their Gen 3 and forget to transfer the RFID chip. The fob works fine until the battery dies.
     
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