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

Keyless remote not reliable.

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by anthonylokrn, Feb 27, 2013.

  1. anthonylokrn

    anthonylokrn Member

    Joined:
    Apr 8, 2011
    119
    14
    0
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    So my past 5 cars I've owned came with factory keyless entry...but the Prius is by far the worst in distance. I'm not sure if something is wrong with my keyless system, but if I'm 25+ ft away, I'll have to specifically point the remote at the car and press it a few times.

    If I can't find the car in a parking garage, even if I'm fairly close to the car, it's no use trying to set the alarm off manually since the remote can't reach it.

    Remote is definitely good since it is new from a year ago, even my old remote was the same. Battery shows no sign of being the weak link.

    Anybody else with the same with their prius?
     
    #1 anthonylokrn, Feb 27, 2013
  2. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 4, 2005
    12,544
    2,123
    1
    Location:
    SF Bay Area, CA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    The range is pretty short but maybe it's by design, to prevent accidental unlocking and alarm activation.

    I almost never use the remote's buttons. I don't see a need to. I just take advantage of SKS, unless I've intentionally turned it off.
     
    #2 cwerdna, Feb 27, 2013
  3. anthonylokrn

    anthonylokrn Member

    Joined:
    Apr 8, 2011
    119
    14
    0
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I mainly use it when I'm locking the car. I forget to push the black button on the handle so by the time I'm 20 ft away it's a pain to get the remote to lock the car.
     
    #3 anthonylokrn, Feb 27, 2013
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    109,155
    49,618
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    i'd say 20-30 feet is about right. i never use it either, you can get used to pressing the door handle button if apply yourself. that's the beauty of sks, leaving the key in your pocket.
     
    #4 bisco, Feb 27, 2013
  5. desmondlee

    desmondlee Member

    Joined:
    Apr 4, 2007
    204
    27
    0
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    have you changed the battery in the fob?

    also, cell phones near the fob can cause interference (it did for me with the iPhone 3 & 4 & 4S)
     
    #5 desmondlee, Feb 27, 2013
  6. enviroprius

    enviroprius Junior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 16, 2006
    91
    12
    0
    Location:
    Sonoma, CA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Sounds normal to me. Seems slightly improved with our '12 v, but not much. Far cry from my old Honda van that I could unlock and roll the windows down from 3-400 ft away.
     
    #6 enviroprius, Feb 28, 2013
  7. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 17, 2011
    3,318
    1,103
    0
    Location:
    Houston, TX
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    As other's have said, what you are experiencing is normal for the Prius. It does not have a lot of range as far as the key fob is concerned. Try to get into the habit of pushing the black button when you close the door. I think the range is about 12 to 15 feet. You can try holding the fob up higher in the air, it does seem to help at the extreme range even though it is a lot shorter than some other vehicles.
     
    #7 dorunron, Feb 28, 2013
  8. anthonylokrn

    anthonylokrn Member

    Joined:
    Apr 8, 2011
    119
    14
    0
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Yeah my past cars were Honda and Subaru...I could lock the cars while in my backyard...with the prius barely can lock it standing in the garage with the car in the drive way.

    But oh well, seems to be the case with all the Prius then. Funny that I don't have the problem with a '07 4runner though.
     
    #8 anthonylokrn, Feb 28, 2013
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)