Please help - car is running - doors won't unlock

Are you sure that your lock isn't frozen up? Have you tried lock de-icer? If you don't have any available, heat your key up with a cigarrette lighter, then insert it into the lock and try. You may have to repeat this a couple times. If this doesn't help, maybe spray some WD-40 into the lock. If all else fails, I would break out the passenger rear door window (If you have glass coverage) to gain access. I'm not recommended you do this, only as a last resort. But if you absolutely have to, tape the window up with duct tape prior to breaking it. This willl help to keep the clean-up to a minimum.

 

Well, good to hear! Glad I had to step away from the computer before finishing my reply.

 

Actually lock de-icer works quite well. It's just isopropyl alcohol. Except you have to re-lube the lock after.

Sounds like it had some ice or such in there and you had to wiggle the parts around to free them.

 

That's the way it's supposed to work. The key unlocks the door, pulling the handle opens the door.

It's a good idea to try these things before you have an emergency, especially since the mechanical lock gets very little use on a Prius. I open mine from time to time just to make sure it still works.

When you locked your car from the inside, it told the SKS to not operate from the outside. It's a safety feature.

Tom

 

You pull the handle and turn the key. That's how it works.

Tom

 

Take it to the dealer and have them replace the door lock mechanism under warranty. Something is jamming, broken, or worn.

 

That's correct. When I first tested mine, I did exactly the same thing. It took a little reading on this forum to realize that you have to pull and turn the key. The Prius user manual will not win any awards for clarity or completeness.

I believe it was hobbit that posted a good thread about removing and lubricating the lock tumbler mechanism. As they come from the factory, the lubrication is not always good, which makes it harder to actuate. The good news is that you can easily pull the mechanism from the outside without removing the door panel. If you are still under warranty, ask your dealer to do it. Even so, Prius drivers need to know that you have to pull on the handle while turning the key, otherwise you don't get in.

Tom

 

That article would be here.
.
I'd suggest at the very least if you get an opportunity with
tolerable weather, pull the cylinder and have a looksee at it,
even if you don't try to dig in further and clean/lube it. Make
sure the thing turns with the key freely in your hand, and then
figure out what's going on inside the door...
.
_H*

 

My 2007 will not lock with the door button when the car is running.

 

I'm just wondering, did you do all of the above as an experiment, or for fun?

I agree. The mechanical key turns the lock cylinder on my 2004 without any drama required. Glad that you were able to figure out how to open your car.

 

Sounds like she wanted to leave the car ON and locked?

 

The link talks about a dead batter and the key. Perhaps when the battery s not dead, it may be using some computer programmed logic how it operates and it looks like it isn't as logical to us as it should be

 

I'm glad to have read this thread and learned of this quirk. Thanks!

 

I use a mechanical key regularly, and I don't touch the handle until after turning the key. It just works.

There must be something wrong with the mechanism if you have to jiggle the handle to make the key work.

I like to go running, and the keyfob is too expensive and bulky to take with me on a trail. So I carry a $2 hardware store copy of the mechanical key. The key gets me in the door, and then I use a dumb (no battery, black logo) keyfob inserted into the dash. The smart keyfob stays at home when I do sports activities that might risk damaging or losing it.

As long as we're on the topic of the mechanical lock/key, I wonder what it would take to install a lock on the passenger door? Would a mechanism for the driver's door work in the passenger door, or is there some difference?