1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Is my door locked? Is my alarm armed?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by harshfie, Feb 15, 2007.

  1. harshfie

    harshfie Junior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2007
    10
    0
    0
    Location:
    Virginia, USA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Hi everyone.

    I don't see an answer to this one anywhere, so I'll Ask:

    How can you tell if your doors are locked?

    The light won't help because I get the same blinking light if the doors are locked or unlocked.

    The door handle won't help, because if the door was locked, pulling the handle unlocks it due to the SKS.

    The only way I can tell now is 1) to hear the single beep when I lock, or 2) Get rid of my smartkey and try the handle.

    -=-=-

    My Pri also has the alarm enabled (VIP). Just after locking, I can tell that the alarm WILL come on because the blinking light goes steady for 30 seconds. Later, however, can you tell if the alarm is on?

    Is it even possible to lock the door without the alarm. I haven't figured out how yet.

    jh
     
  2. Stev0

    Stev0 Honorary Hong Kong Cavalier

    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2006
    7,201
    1,073
    0
    Location:
    Northampton, MA
    Vehicle:
    2022 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    Look at the passenger side handle. If that side is locked, you can assume the driver's side is locked, too. Of course, to be 100% sure, just go to the passenger side and look to see if the driver's side is indeed locked. I admit that would be a pain, but not as much of a pain as getting rid of the SKS.
     
  3. MegansPrius

    MegansPrius GoogleMeister, AKA bongokitty

    Joined:
    Nov 19, 2006
    2,437
    27
    0
    Location:
    Chicago, IL
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I always lock the car using the external button. The car beeps and the interior light shuts off. Using any other method always left me worried that the car was unlocked. I don't even think about it anymore, and can't even begin to express how much we love the smartkey, as we are loadking/unloading stuff for Megan to take to her classroom everyday.

    I also believe that when you approach it with the smartkey, even though the light comes one, the car does not actually unlock until you pull on one of the door/hatchback handles.
     
  4. Soylent

    Soylent The v isn't a station wagon! It's just big boned

    Joined:
    May 2, 2006
    443
    11
    3
    Location:
    Fort Lauderdale, Florida
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Three
    Remember that you have to press a button to lock the doors- they don't lock automatically when you walk away from the car. Having said that, when you press the button on the door, or the button on your key fob, you should be able to hear a single chirp signifying you've locked the door. You'll also hear the doors physically locking.

    Also, if you look closely at the locks, you'll see a red sticker on the little latch by the handle. If its red, it's unlocked. If its black, it's locked.
     
  5. ceric

    ceric New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 30, 2004
    1,114
    53
    0
    Location:
    Fremont, CA
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    In fact, if you lock the door thru SKS button on the door handle, it will not unlock the door even if you try to pull it within a few seconds (10 maybe?). I always lock the door thru the SKS black buttons on the door handle and pull it right after to make sure it is locked.
     
  6. Marlin

    Marlin New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 20, 2005
    1,407
    10
    0
    Location:
    Bucks County, PA
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Pull the handle within 3 seconds of locking the door. The smart key system will not unlock the door during that interval. It does this for the very reason you ask; so you can verify that it is locked.

    See the manual for more information.

    I believe that you can have the dealer increase the delay to something greater than 3 seconds.
     
  7. Bill Merchant

    Bill Merchant absit invidia

    Joined:
    May 3, 2005
    4,096
    82
    13
    Location:
    USA | Oregon | Portland area | 97004 |
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    You can always try to open a rear door, which doesn't have the SKS sensor. Not 100% foolproof, but if the back doors are locked, the front ones probably are too, if you used the door or fob button.
     
  8. darelldd

    darelldd Prius is our Gas Guzzler

    Joined:
    Jan 17, 2006
    6,057
    389
    0
    Location:
    Northern CA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    All good advice from the others. I do think that you're missing the part where SKS does NOT lock the doors for you. You must press the little black button on the front doors, or the hatch... OR use the button on the remote. When you do that you can hear and see the locking happening. You'll get used to the sound once you start locking the car.

    I'm smiling because I thought the SKS would lock the car for me as I walked away as well. It doesn't!

    You also asked about setting the alarm. The Prius does not come from the factory with an alarm.
     
  9. Bill Merchant

    Bill Merchant absit invidia

    Joined:
    May 3, 2005
    4,096
    82
    13
    Location:
    USA | Oregon | Portland area | 97004 |
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(darelldd @ Feb 15 2007, 10:30 PM) [snapback]391306[/snapback]</div>
    If I open the windows, close the doors and lock them, then reach in through a window and open a door from the inside, all sorts of noise starts happening. Not alarming?
     
  10. MegansPrius

    MegansPrius GoogleMeister, AKA bongokitty

    Joined:
    Nov 19, 2006
    2,437
    27
    0
    Location:
    Chicago, IL
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    II
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bill Merchant @ Feb 16 2007, 02:44 AM) [snapback]391312[/snapback]</div>
    If the OP has a 2007 package #2, it won't have the anti-theft system, as that's part of package #3, so I'm assuming all the noise wouldn't happen. I have to admit, when I first got the car, I was a little confused about how I "set" the alarm, until I read the manual and found out it set automatically.
     
  11. Ichabod

    Ichabod Artist In Residence

    Joined:
    Jul 21, 2006
    1,794
    19
    0
    Location:
    Newton, MA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Once in a while there will be a lot of street noise and I can't hear the beep, or see the lights flash from my position at the side of the car. So I think even if the OP is not confused about the doors not automatically locking, it's a valid question.

    I didn't realize I could pull the handle right away after pushing the lock button, so thanks for that tip! That will save me the trouble of pushing it a few times or hitting the remote lock as I walk away and watch the lights just to verify that it's locked.
     
  12. harshfie

    harshfie Junior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2007
    10
    0
    0
    Location:
    Virginia, USA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Great answers everyone. Thanks.

    What I was actually thinking about when I asked this was checking on the car after someone else in the family drove it. Did they remember to lock it? Pulling the handle doesn't work a long time later, since the SKS will just unlock the car for me.

    It sounds like there isn't an easy way to visually tell if the door is lock or the alarm set.

    For anyone out there with an alarm on their Prius, do you ever have need to lock the car without setting the alarm? It seems bizarre that one can't disable the alarm.

    Thanks...
     
  13. MegansPrius

    MegansPrius GoogleMeister, AKA bongokitty

    Joined:
    Nov 19, 2006
    2,437
    27
    0
    Location:
    Chicago, IL
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    II
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(harsh (pri touring '07) @ Feb 16 2007, 04:35 PM) [snapback]391686[/snapback]</div>
    If I wanted to check that say, a relative, friend, etc, that I had loaned the car to had locked, I'd just try to open a door without the fob on me.

    Don't really know why, if you're locking the car, you would want the alarm disabled.
     
  14. darelldd

    darelldd Prius is our Gas Guzzler

    Joined:
    Jan 17, 2006
    6,057
    389
    0
    Location:
    Northern CA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bill Merchant @ Feb 15 2007, 10:44 PM) [snapback]391312[/snapback]</div>
    Ah. Because you don't have the OP's car. You got one WITH an alarm, I guess!

    I should have wirtten "YOUR" Prius didn't come from the factory with an alarm (to the OP).
     
  15. kinghuang

    kinghuang Member

    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2005
    119
    8
    0
    Location:
    Calgary, AB, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Sometimes when I'm not sure, I just hit one of the little black button again. It doesn't seem to hurt pressing it while the car's locked.
     
  16. luckyboy

    luckyboy Member

    Joined:
    Feb 16, 2007
    204
    29
    0
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kinghuang @ Feb 16 2007, 06:40 PM) [snapback]391774[/snapback]</div>
    So bummed, just found out from my dealer that my base prius with no SKS cannot be set to chirp or beep when looking the doors, I'll have to check manually...
     
  17. darelldd

    darelldd Prius is our Gas Guzzler

    Joined:
    Jan 17, 2006
    6,057
    389
    0
    Location:
    Northern CA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(luckyboy @ Mar 2 2007, 11:27 AM) [snapback]399168[/snapback]</div>
    You can absolutely do this yourself by adding a buzzer to the 12V feed to one of the lock solenoids. I did exactly this with my Rav4EV
    http://evnut.com/rav_lock_chirp.htm
     
  18. luckyboy

    luckyboy Member

    Joined:
    Feb 16, 2007
    204
    29
    0
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(darelldd @ Mar 2 2007, 02:59 PM) [snapback]399186[/snapback]</div>
    Thanks for the link, I'll have to look into it
     
  19. jeneric

    jeneric New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 27, 2005
    442
    1
    0
    Location:
    Redmond, WA
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(harsh (pri touring '07) @ Feb 15 2007, 09:36 AM) [snapback]390923[/snapback]</div>
    It's not too difficult to pull the handle out from above and below the black bar, so that it doesn't activate SKS.
     
  20. Sufferin' Prius Envy

    Sufferin' Prius Envy Platinum Member

    Joined:
    Jul 7, 2004
    3,998
    18
    0
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Three more ways to check if the car was locked:

    All with Key Fob in hand and approaching driver door:

    1) If the door is locked, the power button and dome light will come on. If the door is not locked, they won't.

    2) Within approximately three feet of the door, the little red LED on the Key Fob will flash if the door is locked, if it doesn't flash the driver door is unlocked.

    3) If it is daytime and you did not see any of the lights, grab the door handle, but do not pull. <blockquote>a.) If you do NOT hear the door unlock, the car was unlocked to begin with.
    b.) If you DO hear the door unlock, it WAS locked, but is now no longer locked . . . BUT, you don't need to lock them again . . . just walk away and they will automatically re-lock themselves in about 20 seconds.</blockquote>
    With the driver door unlocked, if you approach the front passenger door, the start button and dome light will come on and the little red LED on the KEY FOB will flash if the passenger door is locked . . . provided the driver has not started the car . . . in that case, all exterior SKS functions are disabled. The front passenger door is not a reliable indicator if the driver door is locked or unlocked.

    I have not tested the above with scenarios such as, "what if a passenger door is unlocked and you approach a locked driver or front passenger door?"
    If that is your worry, just repeatedly hit the lock buttons on the car's exterior, or the lock button on the Key Fob . . . the car will repeatedly try to lock itself as many times as you hit the buttons and the batteries' charges allow. :blink: