Hello, I have a new 08 Prius and the dealer told us when we purchased the car that it locked on it's own when you walked away without having to use the key. I seem to be having trouble with this, does anyone know if it's true?
it's a lie. he's full of sh** this is what saddens me. I apply for one of these jobs and get turned down. Why do they slap me in the face when they hire Idiots as sales peoples!
The salesman made a false statement. Heres a reason why it doesn't do it: Your keys slip out of your pocket, and the battery dies. Car thinks keys are outside of the car and locks them in.
If I read my manual correctly, if the SmartKey system is engaged the car will automatically lock after 20 seconds or so if you forget to lock it. Maybe it was two minutes--I don't have the manual in front of me. If I read my manual incorrectly, then maybe your dealer did too.
My guess is that your salesman was not lying. He was confused. That feature is called "autolock" and is available on Mazda's SmartKey system made by Denso. Toyota's system is made by Tokai-Rika (æ±海ç†化 ホーãƒ*ページ). On their website, it describes such a feature, but somehow mysteriously we don't have it in USA. Vehicle Field/TOKAI RIKA CO., LTD. quote: "We developed the Smart Entry system, which automatically unlocks the front door as you approach with the Smart key and locks the door after you leave and also the push start system that starts the engine without inserting the key by only pushing the start switch." The other locking is called "auto-relocking". In this case, the Smart-key system relocks itself if it was unlocked and none of the doors/hatch got opened within 30 seconds. Such feature is present in Mazda and Toyota.
Supplemental: Here is how the autolock feature works in Mazda's system. - After you shut down the vehicle, and close all doors, the SmaryKey system detects that you are truely outside the vehicle and it does so by giving out a short beep. Note: Three sensors (two in front doors, in hatch) in the system can triangulate where you are. If there is no beep, the system will NOT auto-lock itself. It means that the system is confused. - After hearing the beep, you walk away as you usually do. Once the sensors do not detect you after 3 seconds, it locks itself. Even if you hang around within the range of detection, it locks itself after 30 seconds. It is important to hear the beep, after which the autolock system starts to count down for locking (either 3 seconds or 30 seconds). If you close the door and run or walk away quickly, the autolock system may fail to sound the beep. As a result, the autolock will not lock itself. Well, that is as much as I know. This is a good system for people who tend to be forgetful.... "Honey, did you lock the car?" "Well, I am not really sure.... Should we go check???"
