I had a new key made for my Prius, 10/17. I drove it from Maryland to Conneticut and was half way back when everything shut off, first no brakes, then no Acceleration, then no lights. I was on Route 95 South, at 9 pm and in poiuring rain, and in middle lane with trucks and cars wizzing past me. I don't know how I was able to get off and into a gas station. The tow truck couldn't even jump start it enough to get the car in Neutral to pull it up on the flatbed. it took many tries just to get it on the tow truck.
Towed it back to my home in MD so that I could unload it and the next day, I had it towed to the dealer. I gave that tow truck driver my old key and he got it jumped and in Neutral and up on the flat bed, and when we got to the dealer, the car worked fine. Then I realized that they had the OLD key, and that I used the NEW KEY on the trip.
It turns out that there is a part of the programing in the Prius that if the car doesn't recognize the key, it will kill all power to the car. They had to replace the "Immobilizer ECU". It was terrifying to have my car die in the middle of the highway after hours of driving up to CT and then returning two days later, to have it not recognize my new key. I would rather have my car stolen than to have the car shut down in the middle of the highway. The dealer said that it would cost $3,000 to fix it, and once I knew it was the "NEW KEY" I told them they had to fix it for free. The towing cost me 569.65, and the Key, made at the dealership, cost $288.15. I will never use the key again and will be afraid to ever trust that a new key will ever be safe again.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
I had a new key made for my Prius, 10/17. I drove it from Maryland to Conneticut and was half way back when everything shut off, first no brakes, then no Acceleration, then no lights. I was on Route 95 South, at 9 pm and in poiuring rain, and in middle lane with trucks and cars wizzing past me. I don't know how I was able to get off and into a gas station. The tow truck couldn't even jump start it enough to get the car in Neutral to pull it up on the flatbed. it took many tries just to get it on the tow truck.
Towed it back to my home in MD so that I could unload it and the next day, I had it towed to the dealer. I gave that tow truck driver my old key and he got it jumped and in Neutral and up on the flat bed, and when we got to the dealer, the car worked fine. Then I realized that they had the OLD key, and that I used the NEW KEY on the trip.
It turns out that there is a part of the programing in the Prius that if the car doesn't recognize the key, it will kill all power to the car. They had to replace the "Immobilizer ECU". It was terrifying to have my car die in the middle of the highway after hours of driving up to CT and then returning two days later, to have it not recognize my new key. I would rather have my car stolen than to have the car shut down in the middle of the highway. The dealer said that it would cost $3,000 to fix it, and once I knew it was the "NEW KEY" I told them they had to fix it for free. The towing cost me 569.65, and the Key, made at the dealership, cost $288.15. I will never use the key again and will be afraid to ever trust that a new key will ever be safe again.
- Betsy H., Chevy Chase, MD, US