Remote Key Fob Not Working Rav4

[daveh_rav4]

Hi...

I have a 1998 Mk2 Rav4 3dr (2ltr). I have two key fobs... The battery's were getting low as I had to move closer and closer to the vehicle to activate the key fob remote alarm (like 2 or 3in.) I have installed a new CR2016 button cell in one of the fobs, it lights up when I press the alarm buttons but will not activate or deactivate the alarm? The other remote key fob is still working okay, but I fear the Battery is near exhausted on that! I looked in the owners manual and it states return to your Toyota dealer if the remote fails to function after changing the Battery! Does this mean that the fob has to be reprogrammed? Probably at some exorbitant Toyota service charge... does anyone know of a procedure for reactivating the remote fob please.

Any help/advice appreciated.

Dave - UK

[ajstars]

Other option is to go to Japan or Asia somewhere and get them to make you a new key (at most shopping malls) for less than a fiver!

On a similar note - I was parked in a car park the other day (I now know of two such places now) where the key fob refused to unlock the car. It took about ten minutes of walking around pushing the button before finally when near the rear nearside door the car suddenly opened. The Battery is also relatively new and has been fine since, operating from a good ten metres away.

The car park in question was at a police station - is it possible or likely that all the aerials in the locality could affect the alarm system?

Occassionally the alarm does go off for no apparent reason - maybe it is just a fault?

[dave.m]

Other option is to go to Japan or Asia somewhere and get them to make you a new key (at most shopping malls) for less than a fiver!

On a similar note - I was parked in a car park the other day (I now know of two such places now) where the key fob refused to unlock the car. It took about ten minutes of walking around pushing the button before finally when near the rear nearside door the car suddenly opened. The battery is also relatively new and has been fine since, operating from a good ten metres away.

The car park in question was at a police station - is it possible or likely that all the aerials in the locality could affect the alarm system?

Occassionally the alarm does go off for no apparent reason - maybe it is just a fault?

Guys, sure I read a thread some where about this, I think it was down to microwaves or broadband signals affecting the remote.

Dave.

[daveh_rav4]

Hi...

Just to clarify a few points. The remote fobs I have are separate from the door/ignition key. I have also read the post about microwave/radio interference... and as a radio ham I understand about radio waves and harmonics of at certain frequencies 'swamping' the remote fob signal. Sadly, this is an ever increasing problem in our electronically biased world! However, I am sure my problem is not pertaining to this. Both fobs worked before I changed the Battery.The one I put a new Battery in is not working now (the other one still works fine!), I think it has lost it's program code that it had before I removed the Battery to insert the new one.

If the Toyota dealer can re-program the errant remote fob, then their must be a procedure to do this... I just wondered if anyone knew what it was and weather it was an end user operation that I could carry out? Otherwise its back to the Toyota dealer cap and dosh in hand.

DaveH

e

Other option is to go to Japan or Asia somewhere and get them to make you a new key (at most shopping malls) for less than a fiver!

On a similar note - I was parked in a car park the other day (I now know of two such places now) where the key fob refused to unlock the car. It took about ten minutes of walking around pushing the button before finally when near the rear nearside door the car suddenly opened. The battery is also relatively new and has been fine since, operating from a good ten metres away.

The car park in question was at a police station - is it possible or likely that all the aerials in the locality could affect the alarm system?

Occassionally the alarm does go off for no apparent reason - maybe it is just a fault?

Guys, sure I read a thread some where about this, I think it was down to microwaves or broadband signals affecting the remote.

Dave.

[shcm]

Daveh,

I've no direct experience of the 1998 RAV4 fobs, but usually they have a rolling code part to the transmission which has to be re-synced to the vehicle when the Battery is changed. They don't normally loose all of their programming, I'd be very surprised if it did.

You need to try something like pressing and holding both lock and unlock buttons together for a number of seconds or holding the lock button for 15 seconds or so. Rovers for example needed 4 successive lock transmissions to re-sync if I remember correctly.

Might be worth having a play with pressing and holding various button combinations, shouldn't harm the fob any further.

The other thing might be to remove the Battery again and leave it for half an hour or so to let it completely "discharge", so the thing resets properly when the power is re-applied.

73's

[daveh_rav4]

Okay shcm...

Thanks for the info, I have already cracked it :) I did a 'google' search 'reprogramming Toyota keyfobs' and found another Toyota Owners Club thread concerning this problem. This thread suggested, as you did... after changing the Battery, hold both buttons down for 12 to 15 seconds, release and then press either button. That worked, fob now working :)

However, before I tried that I also contacted my local Toyota dealer and spoke to a very helpful guy on their service dept. This is what he suggested: remove the securing screw and separate the two half's of the fob case (this disconnects one of the Battery connections), then press and hold the 'unlock' button for 2 seconds, release and then press the button again.

This procedure probably puts the key fob logic back to a default state so it can accept the code from the vehicle alarm logic. I hope the above information helps someone else.

I did not try the procedure that the dealer suggested, as pressing both buttons did the job... but it is useful to know both procedures in case the first method failed!

This whole remote key fob thing is verging on a comedy... replacing a key fob Battery is a thing that most owners can carry out for themselves? I know it's part of one of the service schedules; but surely we have not all been reduced to getting the dealer to do such mundane operations. We will be getting them to empty the ashtrays next (full of sweet wrappers in my case). I have also read that some Toyota dealers charge £40 for re-syncing a key fob! Am I being cynical or is this why the simple trick of re-syncing the fob is not described in the owners manual. I also have a Haynes repair manual for this model Rav4 and no mention of this in their either, d'oh!

Thanks to all who replied...

73's & 88's (you work it out ;) )

DaveH (G4NWP)

Daveh,

I've no direct experience of the 1998 RAV4 fobs, but usually they have a rolling code part to the transmission which has to be re-synced to the vehicle when the battery is changed. They don't normally loose all of their programming, I'd be very surprised if it did.

You need to try something like pressing and holding both lock and unlock buttons together for a number of seconds or holding the lock button for 15 seconds or so. Rovers for example needed 4 successive lock transmissions to re-sync if I remember correctly.

Might be worth having a play with pressing and holding various button combinations, shouldn't harm the fob any further.

The other thing might be to remove the battery again and leave it for half an hour or so to let it completely "discharge", so the thing resets properly when the power is re-applied.

73's

[dave.m]

Thanks to all who replied...

73's & 88's (you work it out ;) )

DaveH (G4NWP)

Daveh,

Oh bugger going to be on here all night now.

Dave

[dave.m]

Hmmmm, got it sussed ;) now the 73's ok but the 88's ? They have me a bit worried, are

you going to trading your Rav in for something french and convertible ?

Dave.

PS its getting a windy, better get some more guy ropes ;)

[daveh_rav4]

Hey... I'm just a friendly sort of guy Dave! :P Ok, I will save the 88's for the lady Rav4 drivers if you are nervous! :)

Only 'hairdressers' use French or Italian cars....

73's BCNU SN (radio hams were using texting 100 years before the mobile phone was ever invented!) B)

DaveH _ _. ...._ _. ._ _ ._ _. (another quiz)

Hmmmm, got it sussed ;) now the 73's ok but the 88's ? They have me a bit worried, are

you going to trading your Rav in for something french and convertible ?

Dave.

PS its getting a windy, better get some more guy ropes ;)

[BigBaz]

Other option is to go to Japan or Asia somewhere and get them to make you a new key (at most shopping malls) for less than a fiver!

On a similar note - I was parked in a car park the other day (I now know of two such places now) where the key fob refused to unlock the car. It took about ten minutes of walking around pushing the button before finally when near the rear nearside door the car suddenly opened. The battery is also relatively new and has been fine since, operating from a good ten metres away.

The car park in question was at a police station - is it possible or likely that all the aerials in the locality could affect the alarm system?

Occassionally the alarm does go off for no apparent reason - maybe it is just a fault?

Guys, sure I read a thread some where about this, I think it was down to microwaves or broadband signals affecting the remote.

Dave.

Yes, I have experienced this before in this county and in France but only on my bike. There are a few petrol stations that I wont use because of this. Reminds me of a time 3 years ago when in France I had to push my bike about a mile away before I could get the alarm to deactivate.

[cyclopse]

Other option is to go to Japan or Asia somewhere and get them to make you a new key (at most shopping malls) for less than a fiver!

On a similar note - I was parked in a car park the other day (I now know of two such places now) where the key fob refused to unlock the car. It took about ten minutes of walking around pushing the button before finally when near the rear nearside door the car suddenly opened. The battery is also relatively new and has been fine since, operating from a good ten metres away.

The car park in question was at a police station - is it possible or likely that all the aerials in the locality could affect the alarm system?

Occassionally the alarm does go off for no apparent reason - maybe it is just a fault?

Guys, sure I read a thread some where about this, I think it was down to microwaves or broadband signals affecting the remote.

Dave.

Yes, I have experienced this before in this county and in France but only on my bike. There are a few petrol stations that I wont use because of this. Reminds me of a time 3 years ago when in France I had to push my bike about a mile away before I could get the alarm to deactivate.

[cyclopse]

Other option is to go to Japan or Asia somewhere and get them to make you a new key (at most shopping malls) for less than a fiver!

On a similar note - I was parked in a car park the other day (I now know of two such places now) where the key fob refused to unlock the car. It took about ten minutes of walking around pushing the button before finally when near the rear nearside door the car suddenly opened. The battery is also relatively new and has been fine since, operating from a good ten metres away.

The car park in question was at a police station - is it possible or likely that all the aerials in the locality could affect the alarm system?

Occassionally the alarm does go off for no apparent reason - maybe it is just a fault?

Guys, sure I read a thread some where about this, I think it was down to microwaves or broadband signals affecting the remote.

Dave.

Yes, I have experienced this before in this county and in France but only on my bike. There are a few petrol stations that I wont use because of this. Reminds me of a time 3 years ago when in France I had to push my bike about a mile away before I could get the alarm to deactivate.

Thanks so much. This reboot solution for the key fixed a recent locking problem on my wifes Yaris SR.

Cyclopse

[tropical_Z]

Recently changed the Battery on the spare key and found the fob not working either.Left it for a while before trying it again - works again. Maybe theres some capacitor / storage charge that needed to be built up when inserting new cells in a key thats not been used in 5 years?

[WarChild007]

I have a similar problem to this with a. 2005 verso.

After locking the car and checking it was locked by pressing the lock button again it appears to have deactivated the central locking fob.

What's the formula to reactivate it?