Remote Lock Puzzle

[ToeKnee]

Has anyone else experienced this by chance.

For no obvious reason the remote locking key fobs would not work when I pulled up outside my own house the other day. Never had the problem before, and the the manual key worked fine.

Moved the car no more than 50 yards and 'lo the remotes work fine again.

Everything continues to work fine (including outside the house) for 24 hours plus.

Then outside the house again and no remote locking again. Everywhere else is 100% fine.

I'm wondering if this could be some kind of interference (seems unlikely though).

I will be contacting my local Toyota dealer (not wonderfull) to get their comment, but in the meantime has anyone else had this happen, and if so any result would be interesting to hear.

Thanks.

[TonyRay]

Yeah, same problem. Seems to happen periodically. Strolled up to the Verso, pressed the remote button and *nada*, pressed and pressed for about 20 seconds with no response. I walked 'round the car, pressed from a different position and bingo, doors unlocked.

The remote (when brand new) is cable of working from up to 100 metres away (I know, I've done it a few times :P), but to stand just a few feet away and get no response, is unnerving as it is puzzling. It's happened to us at least twice.

[sandereo]

Has anyone else experienced this by chance.

For no obvious reason the remote locking key fobs would not work when I pulled up outside my own house the other day. Never had the problem before, and the the manual key worked fine.

Moved the car no more than 50 yards and 'lo the remotes work fine again.

Everything continues to work fine (including outside the house) for 24 hours plus.

Then outside the house again and no remote locking again. Everywhere else is 100% fine.

I'm wondering if this could be some kind of interference (seems unlikely though).

I will be contacting my local Toyota dealer (not wonderfull) to get their comment, but in the meantime has anyone else had this happen, and if so any result would be interesting to hear.

Thanks.

Yep - I had the same problem a month ago.

Wouldn't lock, nor unlock. Luckily I was at home so I tried my spare remote and it worked fine. I then tried the 'everyday' remote afterwards and it also worked fine. Never had the problem again.

I think that the synchro sometimes gets lost between transmitter and receiver.

Wonderfull things these ones and zeros. As long as they work together that is.

Erwin

[Bodgit]

There could also be some interference from an electronic device nearby. My old car (non toyota) used to ring my dads remote door bell when i locked the car. Two birds one stone :) it was great. Just does make you think if that can happen, what else may impact the remote key fobs.

[Hafiz]

Hi,

Haven't had the problem with my verso(yet!).Used to have exactly the same problem when I used to own an Avensis. It used to happen only if I parked it facing my garage shutter. If I parked it a few yards to either side it didn't.Totally puzzled, I did take it to the Toyota dealer to check it and they couldn't find anything wrong. Probably worth writing to the company about this weird problem.

Hafiz

[ToeKnee]

Well I'm interested to hear it has happened to afew other people.

The car is going into my local Toyota dealer in the next week or so for a full checkout, as it has now happened four times to me.

The last was a key only job, which didn't leave me feeling confident I have to say.

Unfortunately my local Toyota dealer does not inspire confidence anyway.

They had two goes at curing a paint fault I found when I picked the car up. (How come I had to find it for them in the first place), and their reaction to the remote locking was predictable to say the least.

Batteries. Yes quite.

Too far away. This having been told I was standing next to the car. Durr.

Had I tried both fobs. Yes I had.

And then the gent say's "Of course they are electronic !" . This remark was left open ended as if it should somehow be an acceptable option.

So I wait to see. Meanwhile I'm pleased some bright spark included the key neatly in the remote fob, or did they know something we don't ?

And yes, I agree, when it works normally the range is excelent. I think I'd settle for less range and reliable just about now though.

[Dobbin]

Hello all - my first post :)

This problem is more widespread than you might think and is seen quite commonly by the big breakdown organisations.

Most radio keyfobs operate on a pan european frequency of 433Mhz even though in the UK there's also a frequency allocation at 418Mhz. Manufacturers don't want to stock more than one type of key across Europe so they plumb for 433Mhz keys.

The problem is that in the UK the 433Mhz band is used quite legally by quite a few other users, by some radio ham repeaters and other telemetry uses.

There's quite a bit of useful information here:

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/ra/...t/rake/rake.htm

Depending where you park, you can get a problem where the alarm receiver is already seeing a high level of transmissions from other sources as well as your keyfob and this leads to the the receiver being 'deafened' by the unwanted transmissions.

The short term fix as used by the breakdown groups is to move the vehicle up the road slightly, a small change in position can provide a big reduction of unwanted signal. The roadside patrols in the AA and probably others too carry a gadget that can show when there is an unwanted signal present in an area.

Two things that you might find helpful, firstly - kind of obvious but make sure the keyfob Battery is tip top, otherwise it's transmissions will be weaker, and secondly (and this may seem a little bizarre...) try holding the keyfob against your head when pressing the button. This can sometimes work because the transmissions are re-radiated by your skull - and it's not a bad aerial !

Hope this helps. It's possible that you have a fault on your alarm, but I bet not.

Regards,

Dobbin

[Creamola]

I know that this sounds silly, but if you pretend that you have a key slot in your head - just above your ear - and you press the key fob to your head, it doesn't half improve the transmission.

Try it the next time you enter a large car park at night, stick the fob to your head and press - the car that lights up in the distance - that's yours.

[Essex Toura]

Your head makes a great aerial! increases the distance that you can use the keyfob from, no kidding, i just love playing around with it, till I can no longer get a response, when it is to my head, great fun in car parks as people can not see the person who is using the keyfob!! lol try it next time!

[ToeKnee]

Well, the car went into my local Toyota dealer.

They plugged it in and nothing odd showed up, but I guess no real surprise there.

So they completely re-programmed the locking system and went to a different frequency in the hope it was just interference from some local source.

However they did confess they do see the problem from "time to time". Hmmm

Cheaky blighters only wanted to charge though on the grounds it was not a 'fault'. A short conversation about asking Totota themselves what constituted a fault on brand new car and they decided it was covered under warranty after all.

From the number of replies here and also other peoples comments in conversation it obviously crops up on other makes and not just Toyota.

Looks like it's just another 'novel feature' which we all have to live with in the modern world.

[Daner]

I had that problem last year, but only for a few weeks, and only within a mile or so from my home, never anywhere else.

My service center is within walking distance from where I live, and the dealer techs had seen a lot of this since a local construction project started. They claimed that the interference was due to external radio interference from one of the remote-control construction cranes in the area. I'm inclined to believe them, because when the crane was taken down, the problems stopped and have not returned.

[LCFC]

Have started encountering this issue too lately for no apparent reason(Corolla 55 plate).

Outside house-Didint work.

at work-No problem.

Back at home -it was ok again!!!

Not gonna spend time and money on the issue will just resort to old fashioned key in lcok and turn.

Lifes too short....tho it is a pain in the @rse!!!

LOL

[LCFC]

Apparently it may have something to do with the vicinity of your house and them !Removed! mobile masts which omit radiowaves.