Need help can't get my car to recognize smart key

Plug the keyfob into the keyslot on the dash. You should be able to use the car that way, and it should also reset the smart function. If the smart function still doesn't work, try the "key" pushbutton switch on the panel below the steering column.

 

This is the solution I thought of, I often wonder why my smart key won't work, only to find out the smart key disable switch under the steering column is pressed in.

 

I have a 2007 Prius. I park it at work aboard a naval station with aircraft carriers and other ships in and out of port 1/4 mile away. Periodically I have had use the regular key to open the car and then put the smart key in the slot to start. I suspect it is electronic interference from the ships radar, etc., as it never happens anywhere else.

 

I am sure we need local help on this, let run thru the common checks.
chk 1-when the fob comes within 2 feet of the outside of the car, the dome lights will come on.
Chk 2-pressing any fob button will flash a small LED to the right of the lock button on the fob.
Chk 3-My understanding of the proximity recognition between the car and fob is similar to the store's security tape on each high value product. What worries me is each store has a scanner that wipes out that device. Your car doesn't appear to recognize the fob anymore. The forum may correct me on this but the proximity tape on product are not battery dependant. I am curious if any fob will light dome lights or just the fob for that vehicle. I will check and get back with you.

Berls Radar interference concept can and will cause electronic malfunctions, although my experience was on a radar mtn top that shut down my 8mm camcorder, and it normallized after leaving the mtn top.

Can't rule out the dead aux battery, if the car has lost its identity or blown a fuse, I will check my fuse box.

 

Can you lock/unlock the car with the buttons on the keyfob? Do you have a second keyfob to try? Can you lock/unlock the car with the mechanical key in the keyfob? If you got two keyfobs, there is some chance that the 2nd is really for another car. Even if the battery inside the keyfob is dead, the keyfob should work plugged into the dash.

 

In this case it's not the smart key. You have a serious problem which will require a trip to Toyota service.

Tom

 

If you jumped or charged the 12V ("small") battery in reverse you could easily have caused a lot of expensive damage. Have it towed to a Toyota dealer and hope that you get lucky.

Why was a one year old Prius sitting around unused for months?

 

Priusowns,
Welcome! Priuscahat (PC) is a great place for figuring out your car's goodies. I see your avatar states you have a 2006. Have you taken it to your local Toyota service guy? Why knock yourself out! It's still under warranty. The smark key system (sks) can either be a problem with the fob, or the receiver, or the (ecu) electronic control unit that communicates the input to the car. BTW, don't bother trying to charge the battery in the fob. They're only a couple bucks, and not designed to be recharged. I'd skip telling the dealer you tried to do that, too. Let us know what the dealer says.

 

Something doesn't add up. A 2008 Package 1 (HZ) Prius does not have SKS. This is the only one that does not. I presume your personal information is inaccurate as any dealer should be able to tell the difference between a plain fob & a SKS fob.

If my fobs stopped working I'd contact Toyota if the dealer said it isn't covered under warranty.

 

that sounds like a load of bull to me. Don't let them push you around.

Call Toyota directly.

did they put a new 12v battery in?

I hope you get it worked out, good luck.

 

Whoa! I'm missing something here...why would the dealer charge you for corrective maintenance on a vehicle that's less than one year old? What happened to the warranty? Only reasons I can think of are that either you admitted to, or the dealer proved, that you are at fault for damaging something.

Just curious -- are you military and deployed? -- is that why a brand new Prius was sitting in a garage for a few months?

 

Priusowns,

I second JimN's opinion above. The SmartKeySystem doesn't come on your base unit. You don't have the little square rubber black buttons on your 2 front door handles or on the rear hatch to the right of the Toyota emblem, do you? Or do you have the little round pushbutton to the left of your steer'g down where it meets the lower dash panel? If you DO have these, then you DO have the SKS but you DON'T have a base unit as it says in your info to the left of your posts (then what is your pkg # or 2-letter pkg code?).

If you indeed DO have the SKS buttons & system, I have another interest'g possible solution for you to check out before you pay $600 to have the ECM reset. You said the dealer says the fob "doesn't appear to be programmed to the vehicle" (actually, it should be the other way around). I see that you have 4 posts (only 3 of which are in this thread & the 4th one is in the private sales category). In your private sales post, you have (or had) a 2001 Prius. I don't know much about the earlier models, so I wonder if they had similar fobs & you mixed them up & you're trying to use one of those on your 2008. That would explain the dealer saying it "doesn't appear to be programmed to the vehicle" & should have given you a clue.

If you still have the 2001 & its fobs (& they are similar/identicle to the 2008 fobs), you should check it out. If you have already sold it, you should quickly find the new owner & get together with him/her to exchange the 2nd fobs before the buyer of you old car has a chance to lose one of them or throw away the one they find doesn't seem to work on the car they bought from you. You should also do this quickly (if you believe the fobs could have gotten mixed up) because now this person has total access to your new 2008 Prius (just as you would have to your old car).

Post back & let us know if you REALLY do have the SKS (& your info about having just a base unit was incorrect---post your pkg # or letters in your profile so we can more easily help answer your questions in the future), & let us know if the fobs got mixed up or not (& if so, were you able to swap with the buyer of your older car & get your other fob back).

One last question : you did originally get 2 fobs from the dealer for your 2008, didn't you? Did you ever try both fobs to see if they both worked before you let the car sit for those months? If you only ever tried just one of them, it's possible that the dealer had a fob mix up on their end before you even got your car. Or the dealer could have lost one fob (they've delivered new cars to owners with only one fob before) & they may have gotten a new one from the parts dept but forgot to get the service dept to program the ECM to accept the new fob. You should have gotten 2 fobs with identically cut metal keys inside them & one fob should have a small metal tag with your (metal) key code # on it. If one of the fobs has a blank metal key inside, then you know that it's a replacement & if that is the fob that isn't work'g, then they can program your car to recognize it. If you don't have the metal key code tag on either of the fobs, then the dealer should be able to access Toyota's records by your VIN # to find out what the key code is for your car & either make a new tag for you or give you that # on some document to store safely away with any of your other important personal papers.

Ken (in Bolton,Ct)

 

Great Post Ken