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Multiple beeps unlobking door: battery or what?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by mikepaul, Apr 14, 2008.

  1. mikepaul

    mikepaul Senior Member

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    Multiple beeps unlocking door: battery or what?

    I can't recall seeing this one mentioned, and a search doesn't bring it up recently.

    Two times in two days, unlocking my door has started a series of the unlock beeps, maybe 5-10 repeats while I get in the car. Not sure starting the car is why they stop, but they do stop.

    Weak battery? Gremlins?...
     
    #1 mikepaul, Apr 14, 2008
  2. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    No similar problems with locking?
    Only thing that comes to mind is that usually there are extra beeps when you unlock if the alarm system had been activated while you were away. I guess there might be an issue with the 12V if it's old (more than 4 years)...that always seems to attract the gremlins.:tinfoil3:
     
    #2 efusco, Apr 14, 2008
  3. mikepaul

    mikepaul Senior Member

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    In light of the fact that when I went back to my car a little bit ago to get some soda I forgot and it did the 5-beep-sequence (counted this time) twice while standing at the car (unlocked, locked, unlocked again), we can eliminate the alarm-trip thing unless that's broken.

    Other than being annoying, it's not worth fixing unless it's one of those Early Warning things that says I should get a new battery ASAP. Google doesn't bring back any post but mine on this issue, at least using the kind of problem description I stated...

    I'm going to open and slam all the doors just to see if that helps...
     
    #3 mikepaul, Apr 14, 2008
  4. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    You're not touching the lock button on the handle? I've done that before, where I reach into the handle and put my thumb on the unlock button at the same time. That makes it beep a bunch of times.

    Tom
     
    #4 qbee42, Apr 14, 2008
  5. mikepaul

    mikepaul Senior Member

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    The door-slam idea worked.

    When I went home from work, I unlocked the driver's door which normally unlocks all doors and I got the 5-beep thing. I then started slamming all the doors, working my way around to the front passenger's door. It was still locked, and touching that sensor unlocked it. So I slammed it then locked the doors again with that button. When I got back to the driver's side everything unlocked with no more issues.

    I guess there's a reason for every error code, even if you don't know you are hearing one at first...
     
    #5 mikepaul, Apr 14, 2008
  6. dixiepeep

    dixiepeep New Member

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    I had the same problem. First there was only 2 beeps, now all of a sudden there are five. I am going to check my doors. Little things like this annoy the crap out of me.
    Also, my vanity lights stopped working. I have only had the car 2 weeks. I wonder if I disabled this somehow???
    The middle interior light works fine. The car is a puzzle to me.:confused:
     
    #6 dixiepeep, Apr 17, 2008
  7. dixiepeep

    dixiepeep New Member

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    It worked. I had to slam my hatchback and the mutiple beeping stopped. Also, I noticed that if you have the vanity mirror in the closed position the light will not come on but if you slide it open the light will come on. Anyone else notice that???:behindsofa: The car is a little spooky at times.
     
    #7 dixiepeep, Apr 17, 2008
  8. RobertG

    RobertG New Member

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    Yes, and the visor has to be pulled down some distance. Having noticed that, I just leave the vanity lights switches in the on position, since the lights don't come on until the mirror is uncovered.
     
    #8 RobertG, Apr 17, 2008
  9. mikepaul

    mikepaul Senior Member

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    My beeping came back, and slamming the doors didn't help this time.

    Again, the passenger door didn't unlock with the others, so I stood there and unlocked/locked it with the black button several times then the issue cleared up again. I've unlocked the driver's door twice now with no extra beeping.

    Now it's a waiting game for it to come back again. Meanwhile I guess that passenger's door needs more exercise or something...
     
    #9 mikepaul, May 20, 2008
  10. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    It sounds to me like the passenger door locking mechanism is having some trouble. Perhaps it needs to be cleaned and lubricated.

    Tom
     
    #10 qbee42, May 20, 2008
  11. arfellows

    arfellows New Member

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    I just had my doors on the drivers side repainted. In doing so they are were removed. I do not know if that mattered. I had this strange set of extra beeps also. After I read the above posts, I slammed all of the doors and the problem seems fixed.
     
    #11 arfellows, Dec 20, 2008
  12. mikepaul

    mikepaul Senior Member

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    Here's an additional piece of info. I have a thread about my front passenger door lock not locking electrically anymore, and while it failed to lock I got the extra beeps. Starting Friday night, after locking it by hand for several days, it started working normally again and there are no beeps.

    So it appears that if something makes the lock mechanism sticky, like dirt or paint or whatever, the lock needs to be cleaned to avoid malfunctioning and beeping. Slamming seems to help, although I'm not sure why manually locking helped when electric unlocking still worked.

    Of course, this could just be the last few times the lock mechanism works at all and Tuesday it could die completely. Fun stuff to think about...
     
    #12 mikepaul, Dec 20, 2008
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