Can you Lock your Keys in a Prius – Key Fob Nightmares


Locking a key fob in a Prius is something that owners are claiming that they have done.  Most car manufacturers for electric cars realize that it is possible that someone would leave their key fob within the car and they have programmed the onboard computer to detect a key fob in the car.  If it present, you will not be able to lock the doors. If this is true, why are there so many messages in forums from Prius owners stating that they can lock thier keys that contain a key fob within the car?

Can you lock your keys in a Prius? You can lock your keys in a Prius.   In the manual, it states that you can start the car when the key fob battery is extremely low by holding it against the start button and then pressing the start button.   If you were to leave the key fob within the car and then lock the doors using the lock on the door, you could exit the car and lock the key fob within the car. The car doors will not lock if it detects the presence of a key fob, but a weak battery will not allow the car to detect that this tem is there

If you have locked your keys in your Prius, do not panic.  Retrieve another key right away or use the following tactic to get into a locked Prius.

How to unlock a Prius with the keys inside?

There are diverse ways that you can enter the car door window in a Prius to unlock the door.  This is something that you might have to end up doing if your key fob has a low battery and it’s locked within the car.  Of course, I suggest you call a locksmith, but as a last resort, this following method will work:

  1. You need to purchase a kit that will allow to enter the window of a Prius car door so that you can then unlock the door.
  2. I recommend the AIDA Essential Kit for unlocking your Prius.  Click here for current pricing on Amazon.
  3. The first step is to use a wedge to hold out the window slightly at the top since there will be less chance of causing damage in this area.  There is a plastic wedge that comes with most kits.
  4. Once a small space at the top of the window has been created, you can force half of the air wedge into the opening.  Now slowly pump up the air wedge until you feel that there is enough space for the long reach grabber. 
  5. In Pruis, you need to use the long reach grabber to pull open the latch on the inside of the door that will allow you to open the door. 
  6. Push the grabber into the space that has been created at the side of the door in the Prius.  
  7. Make sure that if need to add the extensions, that you tighten well the screws.  Many users have stated that if the screws are loose, that the extensions will spin making it hard to pull on the lock mechanism in the Prius door.
  8. Now slide the grabber over to the locking mechanism and grab onto the outer side of the lock mechanism.  Now pull on the lock mechanism until the door unlocks.

Make sure that you change the battery in your key fob right away so that you can avoid creating the same scary scenario for yourself.

Besides just locking the key fob in the Prius, what could go wrong if you have left your Prius running while you are on an errand? What if someone enters your car and drives away?  Will the engine continue to run?

How far can a Prius go without the key?

If you were to leave your Prius running and you had taken the key fob with you, it would continue to run.  If will beep to alert that the key fob cannot be found.  It will not turn off until you turn it off.  It is a safety feature, since if the Prius stopped in mid route just because of a dead key fob battery, it would be dangerous for the driver.

 if your Prius model is able to accomplish a range of 25 miles on a full charge, that is the distance that you would be able to accomplish even if the key fob is not within the car once the car has been started. if you happen to have gas, once the gas motor kicks in, your mileage is going to increase. Prince you could travel as much as 600 miles on a full tank plus a full charge even without the key fob in the vehicle.

Once you have stopped the car, you will not be able to start it again without using the key fob.

Since you’re worried about the security of your Prius if you happen to leave the car running, another concern that you might have is whether it is easy to break into a Prius.  

Is it easy to break into a Prius?

It is possible to break into most cars.  A lot of Prius owners assume that its some high-tech method that’s being used to break into the car.  Nevertheless, it is usually just the old school way of manipulating the locking mechanism.

What is done is that the thief using a slim Jim to gain access to the lock mechanism that’s within the door of a Prius.  There’s not really any way to totally prevent someone from using a slim Jim on your car door even if it is a car that’s more high-tech such as a Prius or Lexus. 

I searched online for more high-tech methods that people are using to break into a Prius and I came across an article in the New York Times.  One owner had been broken into three times during a month, and he was getting very frustrated. The police department told him that he had forgotten to lock his car.  He finally noticed someone simply unlocking his door by holding up tiny black device that allowed them to open the car door quickly.

He researched this device. He discovered that it was a device that amplifies the signal from key fob.  The Prius was tricked into believing that the key fob was close by allowing the car doors to be unlocked. 

The best policy is not to store anything that’s valuable within view in your Prius. Keep valuable items in the glove compartment or tucked away in the centre console.

How to open Prius door with dead battery

It’s frustrating when you try to open the Prius doors and you notice that the battery is too weak activate the locking mechanism.   If you are far away from a store that sells this type of battery, there’s a way that you can get in your car and to start it without needing to replace the battery right away.

Here is a video showing how to get into and to start a Prius with a key fob that has a dead battery.  It a terrific way to ensure that you do not have to make an expensive service call:

A key fob for Prius comes with a mechanical key.  To detach it from the key fob, you need to press the button that’s on the side. Make sure that you’re holding in the button and then pull on the opposite end of the key fob. The end will detach, and a mechanical keyboard be attached to it.

You can insert this key into the keyhole in the driver side door to unlock your Prius. Now that have unlocked your Prius, the next hurdle that you must overcome is how to start the car without having a working battery in the key fob.

The start the Prius, hold the dead key fob close to the start button. It is better to have it touching the button. With your other hand, press the start button and the car should start.   If it doesn’t start right away, you will need to press the key fob into the button and then the car should start.

I recommend that you buy a spare key fob that is made by VOFONO for the Prius.  Click here to view the current pricing on Amazon.

You should replace your battery as soon as possible.  Also, keep a spare one in the glove compartment ensuring that you are aware of its expiry date.  Click here to purchase spare CR 1632 batteries for a Prius key fob that are available on Amazon.  

If you tend to leave your keys the centre console, it is possible that you will be able lock the keys in the car using the locking mechanism button on the door.  Since the onboard computer does not detect a key fob with a dead battery, the Prius will unfortunately allow you to lock the key fob in the car.

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