Can't get into my car

[luke2020]

Hi all,

I Found that the key fobs for Toyoto Corolla Verso (2004) suddenly stopped working today so I replaced the Battery on both  - still only getting the red light on the fob but not able to open the doors. I'm not sure if the main car Battery has died - I didnt see any warning signs on the dashboard and the usual electronics were working fine yesterday.

Anyhow I thought I would use the mechanical key included in the fob. The key is really stiff in the lock and only gets to the 2 o'clock position . Spent a while with WD40 to try and lossen it up. There was a slight improvement but I  think I've gotten as far I can. I've tried both of the keys.

So question is  - anybody any experience with using the mechnical keys? I'm about the third owner of the car and I've no idea if anybody has used them since 2004! Whats the expected normal final rotation position for the unlocking  to work?
Would really like to be able to get into the car without forking out on somebody to do it.
Thanks in advance for any advice you can give

Cheers
Luke

 

[carlios]

Hi Luke,  I had a similar problem with one of my key fobs only it would not lock. Tried the mechanical key, it would not turn either way. Eventually with firm pressure it worked in both lock and unlock positions. Have you tried both clockwise and anticlockwise?

[luke2020]

Hi Carlios, thanks for the reply. Good to know its not just me. Yes I tried both anti/clockwise. You can see around the 13sec mark, that there is barely any movement anti-clockwise. If the door is locked that would expected though right? Its on the driver side (the only lock) so clockwise should open it.

[PeteB]

Yes, clockwise to unlock.

If the car was deadlocked (two presses of the remote) when you locked it, it's normal for the key to need a lot of force to overcome the deadlock, which is quite hard given the small area to grip the key.

When I managed a fleet of Prius a few years ago, a couple of time drivers had let the 12V Battery go flat and claimed their emergency key wouldn't work, even after I told them to try turning it with a lot more force.  On both occasions I drove to their cars and was able to get them open.

I've heard of one or two cases of cars being supplied with the wrong emergency key, but I don't think your key would turn as far as it does in the video if that had happened in your case.