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Keyless remote poor range

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Jetman, Jun 15, 2017.

  1. Jetman

    Jetman Junior Member

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    My keyless remote range has diminished. The red light goes on when I push the button but I have to be literally 2 feet from the car to unlock the door which pretty much defeats the purpose of a keyless remote. I figured the battery might be dead so went to the hardware store and got a brand new 1632 but has not made any difference.

    I have a 2013 Prius II so it only opens the drivers side door when I touch the handle. When I'm with my wife it's nice to use the remote to unlock her side especially when its raining etc. My spare remote is doing the same thing so I think my 12V might be going? Its original 12V. It's starting to irritate me so I will have to take it to the dealership and test the battery. I have a 2 so it doesn't have the big screen that shows battery life. I keep my key 10-15 feet away from the car inside so don't think thats the problem.
     
    #1 Jetman, Jun 15, 2017
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    if it's not the 12v, find someone with a volt meter, and test the new fob batteries. they should be 3.3v.
     
    #2 bisco, Jun 15, 2017
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  3. Jimi1976

    Jimi1976 Active Member

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    Replace the FOB battery
     
    #3 Jimi1976, Jun 16, 2017
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  4. harrysprius

    harrysprius Active Member

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    Mine only works out to about 5 feet. If a battery fixes it let us know please. Could be you bought a low battery. Maybe been sitting around a long time? Thanks!
     
    #4 harrysprius, Jun 16, 2017
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  5. Jetman

    Jetman Junior Member

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    I already replaced the battery with a brand new 1632 in one of the remotes. Both of them are not working properly so I'm thinking its the 12v. I will go to the hardware store and see if they have a volt meter they can test the fob if it's putting out 3.3v and if it is then it's the 12v car battery and will go to the dealership and test that. Ill let you guys know one way or the other.
     
    #5 Jetman, Jun 16, 2017
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  6. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    A lot depends on the brand of battery you bought and where you bought it from. I recommend the Duracell battery. You should have a range of at least eight feet. I can lock and unlock our doors on our 2013 from inside the house with our keyfob and "fresh" batteries.

    Also do recommend you check the voltage of the 12 volt on the Prius. If it reads less that 12.3 volts after sitting all night with the Prius OFF, it would be a good idea to change that battery also. Yeah, it's expensive but it will help.

    Use a digital type volt meter that can be found at the dollar stores to measure the voltage. You don't need an expensive Fluke meter for that work.

    Peace,
    Ron (dorunron)
     
    #6 dorunron, Jun 16, 2017
  7. Jetman

    Jetman Junior Member

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    Key Fob batteries test good. I took the FOBS to a hardware store and they had a FOB tester and it does the same thing you have to be real close to get it to work and it says replace battery even though we tested the brand new battery and its good. So looks like something is wrong with both of my FOBS which is quite weird.

    My 12V at the jumper lead says 12.5 so battery seems okay. I ordered a CTEK 3300 and will charge it overnight and see if anything changes.
     
    #7 Jetman, Jun 16, 2017
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  8. El Dobro

    El Dobro A Member

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    Remote range extending trick, touch the remote to under your chin when pressing the button.
     
    #8 El Dobro, Jun 16, 2017
  9. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    Just for grins, what brand of batteries are you purchasing for your keyfobs? Where are you buying said batteries?

    Ron (dorunron)
     
    #9 dorunron, Jun 17, 2017
  10. Jetman

    Jetman Junior Member

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    I use energizer. I just found out that it may not be the battery though. I went on a couple day vacation and when I got back to the car at the airport the range was magically extended. I think I my problem is my keyfob is too close to my car when I am at home. I park out front and have very large windows and even though the Fob sitting on the counter is 10+ feet away it was still communicating with the car and draining the fob. So I put my keys in a cabinet now further away and I will see if that will do the trick. Thanks for the replies! I hope this fixes the problem.
     
    #10 Jetman, Jun 19, 2017
  11. TheBippi

    TheBippi Junior Member

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    Hopefully this isn't that joke from a few months back where we have to place all our electronics in the microwave to block them from listening...
     
    #11 TheBippi, Jun 19, 2017
  12. Jetman

    Jetman Junior Member

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    That was it, it has been a week and the range is still strong with my keys being in the upper kitchen cabinet. Well at least I got a new Ctek 3300 smart battery charger now.
     
    #12 Jetman, Jun 26, 2017
  13. Jetman

    Jetman Junior Member

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    The key started not working again. The perm. fix seems to be improper grounding. If you are having problems with your Gen 3 please search youtube below. Mine is still having problems but it is something else to try. Next step is new 12V battery and if that doesn't work brand new key fob on amazon for 165$. lol

    2010 Toyota Prius Remote Short Range Solved

    vid by Oleg Khriswell
     
    #13 Jetman, Nov 12, 2018
    Last edited: Nov 12, 2018
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