Hi everyone, I've run out of ideas on this one and before heading to the dealership thought I'd ask here. The battery in our 2010 Prius' key fob died recently. It wasn't too much of a surprise, since we've had the vehicle for about 3 years now. I replaced it with a new cr1632 battery and the key worked fine. After four days though, it was suddenly dead. Same story with the second and third (I kept telling myself this time it would be different). Now I've given up. The batteries are stone dead, like the fob has been drawing power from them constantly. They all die after about four days. Have any of you seen this? What can I do to fix it? I'd prefer not to shell out the $500 I hear it costs for a new key, but we might not have another option. Thanks for your help. Jason
Do you store the fob close to the car or a cell phone? Either can cause the fob to respond repeatedly, wearing out the battery. Tom
Any chance you're still covered by the 3/36 warranty? If so, make the dealer fix it. If not, try leaving the fob inside an all-metal container, like an altoids tin. Or, use a few layers of aluminum foil. Test it by taking it close to the car; it shouldn't be recognized. Then leave it for a week and try it again; if it's dead, the problem is with the fob itself, and you'll probably have to replace it. If not, it's likely that Tom's idea is the problem. Even if it is the fob, you might be able to live without it as a spare key; you can use the mechanical key to lock and unlock the doors, and hold the key to the power button to start the car. For $500, that's what I'd probably do...
...I've noticed in my garage door opener with similar batts, quite a variation battery life for unknown reasons. Some last years, some do not.
