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WTH is this mode for??? What does it do?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by froSTed, Oct 3, 2012.

  1. froSTed

    froSTed Junior Member

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    So, my bad, I sat on the remote for my 2010 Prius and the trouble started. I'm not sure how it was supposed to work, but the damn drivers side door wouldn't open until you played with the remote a LOT. Just trying the old smart way by grasping the handle did one of two things, nothing, or it locked the damn door instead of unlocking it. When I used the keyfob, the door unlocked until I grasped the handle.. and, yup, you guessed it. It LOCKED! When I tried to lock the car and walk away, it would lock, then immediately unlock. YARRRRGH! After searching in these FANTASTIC forums (not sarcasm) I found the solution was to hold the lock button down and the emergency button, the car beeped, and everything works normally, I can unlock the drivers side by simply pulling the handle and IT LOCKS NORMALLY now! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT MODE?! How is it supposed to work and why is this undocumented "feature" even there???
     
    #1 froSTed, Oct 3, 2012
    ursle likes this.
  2. n0na

    n0na Junior Member

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    First of all, you are in the wrong forum (here, we all have the Prius v, which is only available as a 2012 model), so most of us won't necessarily know how your car is supposed to work.

    Make sure the battery in your keyfob is in good condition because if it isn't, you may get odd results. If I remember right, with my v3 I can press the lock and unlock buttons simultaneously on the keyfob to change the operating mode so that opening the driver's door by touching the handle will also unlock all other doors. That feature isn't documented in the instruction manual which erroneously says I'm supposed to use the navigation screen to switch modes. Keep in mind that your locking system may have simply broken, in which case you'll probably need to have the dealer fix it. Sorry I can't help more. Maybe someone else can.

    P.S. Read the instruction manual to make sure you know how your car works. For example, I believe my car can relock itself under certain situations. For example, if the handle is touched, the door(s) will unlock but if you don't open the door right away, after about 30 seconds the door(s) will relock by themselves. I think that's how it works, anyway. So, some of the squirlly behavior you've noticed may be normal. I'm having a little difficulty figuring out exactly what your problem is and what sequence of steps caused it, so you might want to give us more detail.
     
    #2 n0na, Oct 4, 2012
  3. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    #3 cwerdna, Oct 4, 2012
  4. jim256

    jim256 Member

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    This is the right forum, (n) I wonder if when you sat on the remote it caused one of the buttons to be locked in a depressed position, so when you tried anything else it was getting a signal intended for reprogramming the function or confusion about what signal it was getting? Pressing emergency may have cleared it if that was the button that had been locked down (or wedged so it was making contact).
     
    #4 jim256, Oct 4, 2012
  5. froSTed

    froSTed Junior Member

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    I was wrong, this didn't fix the issue I am having. Touching the inside of the handle on the drivers side does not unlock the door. Clicking once on the unlock icon on the keyfob unlocks the door until I try to open the drivers side door. It locks again. Clicking twice on the unlock button unlocks all the doors but yet again, grasping the door handle locks the drivers side door and it starts beeping. I have not replaced the battery yet, but both the spare key and the regular key do this.
     
    #5 froSTed, Oct 4, 2012
  6. ursle

    ursle Gas miser

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    I'd unhook the 12v battery (for 10 seconds) and get the other remote and use it.
     
    #6 ursle, Oct 4, 2012
  7. froSTed

    froSTed Junior Member

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    I just replaced the battery, no change, it is still acting really odd.
     
    #7 froSTed, Oct 4, 2012
  8. froSTed

    froSTed Junior Member

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    What does this have to do with the 12 v battery??
     
    #8 froSTed, Oct 4, 2012
  9. jdenenberg

    jdenenberg EE Professor

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    Disconnecting the 12v battery is a way to reset many of the ECUs in your Prius, but I would check again if on of the buttons on your fob is stuck.

    JeffD
     
    #9 jdenenberg, Oct 4, 2012
  10. froSTed

    froSTed Junior Member

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    I have tried the spare key fob both with new batteries. Seems to have gotten worse. The button that unlocks the car on the inside no longer works for the drivers side.
     
    #10 froSTed, Oct 6, 2012
  11. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    perhaps your 12v battery is bad?
     
    #11 bisco, Oct 6, 2012
  12. froSTed

    froSTed Junior Member

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    Everything else works fine, it's just the drivers side door lock that does not work, it sort of wiggles sometimes when trying to lock it but that is all. I tested the range of the key, it can lock or unlock from over 50' away but the drivers side door lock stays locked. I have to use the manual key to unlock it.
     
    #12 froSTed, Oct 7, 2012
  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    could be a bad motor in that door.
     
    #13 bisco, Oct 7, 2012
  14. froSTed

    froSTed Junior Member

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    I am taking the car in today to be looked at. It should be under warranty.
     
    #14 froSTed, Oct 10, 2012
  15. froSTed

    froSTed Junior Member

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    At the dealership. They said its an actuator, asking about how this could have happened, they have no idea.
     
    #15 froSTed, Oct 10, 2012
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