2011 Hybrid Camry no power did not start - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

drewski28 · 04-19-2011, 08:18 AM

Greetings:

This is my first posting on this site. I live in Charlotte, NC
and we own a 2011 Hybrid Camry. We have owned the car
for about 6 months now.

On Friday April 15, 2011 we had our first oil change at 4400 miles.
Saturday we took the car for our first 5 + hour trip. We travelled
to Surf City, NC. Sunday afternoon we drove the car as usual. Monday
is where the problem was experienced:

At around 2 pm I approached the car with the key fob. The
security system did not detect our keyless entry. Then I opened
the door and noticed something peculiar. Nothing would work.

We attempted to start the car using the push button -nothing.
Pressed on the brake for a few secs and did push button button -nothing.
Initially it looked like we were having a battery issue.
Called my dealer in Rock Hill and they asked us to try holding the
keyless entry fob up to the button for a few secs. --nothing still.
We called our road assist service, and AAA tried to jump start the car.
That did not work either. We then had to have the car towed.

This morning Tuesday April 19th I got a call from the dealer
we had the car towed here in Wilmington, NC.
They have advised that the car is starting normally.
We have asked the technician to do a complete diagnostic check of the system.
I am worried that this is not going to get fixed and we are going to be riddled with
problems since the dang car is only 6 months old.

Just wondering if anyone else has experienced a similar problem with
their Camry.

snookwhaler · 04-19-2011, 11:48 AM

That sounds like a key problem.

I am no "expert". BUT, we had the exact same thing happen to us about a month ago. We stopped for breakfast with everything normal. Went back out to leave and the car would not respond. I had to open the door with the metal key. When I got inside, I pushed the button nothing happened. I pulled out the owners manual and started reading. After about 5 minutes of holding the key up to the button (right next to it), the car recognized the key and started.

After driving home and switching to the second key, the problem has not re-surfaced. I'm 99% sure it was the battery in the fob. I have since replaced that battery and I am back to using the fob I was using before with no issues.

drewski28 · 04-19-2011, 03:24 PM

Hey snookwhaler:

I forgot to mention. I tried to start the car with 2 different
key fobs and neither of them activated the car.

I am hoping Toyota will be able to remedy this problem.
So far all the folks at the Wilmington, NC service department
have not been very helpful.

Until someone escalates this issue up to Toyota and until this issue
is fixed I am going to be leery about driving this car.

ukrkoz · 04-19-2011, 04:15 PM

well, 2 things you do not do.

1. jump starting the car. 12V battery in the trunk has very little to do with engine starting.
2. not following proper starting sequence. pressing the power button without having brake pedal depressed, etc.

looks like your car simply had a momentary lapse of reason and quit recognizing your fobs. wild thought is - and it is in the manual - high level of outside radiations may cause this. i wouldn't be parking in that spot again. very likely there was some sort of emitter there that could have messed up your fobs recognition.

WhiteSands · 04-19-2011, 11:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drewski28

Greetings:

At around 2 pm I approached the car with the key fob. The
security system did not detect our keyless entry. Then I opened
the door and noticed something peculiar. Nothing would work.

We attempted to start the car using the push button -nothing.
Pressed on the brake for a few secs and did push button button -nothing.

I own a 2007 TCH and have two places in town where I have keyless problems. One is a Denny's restaurant and the other is a Convenience store on the main drag in the north part of town. Both times this happened at night. I had lots of trouble getting either door to recognize either of our fobs. That one time at Denny's I had to hold my fob up to the button to get it to start the car.

A few days later we ate at Denny's again this time during the day. I looked around and saw a 150 foot tall cell tower about 200 foot from the back corner of the restaurant. One day driving by the convenience store is another tall cell tower in behind it.

Evidently it was the cell tower RF causing my fobs to barely work. Next time this happens look for a nearby cell tower. I have no other fob or starting issues as long as I'm over a block from those cell towers. I now park at Denny's as far away from the tower as I can get. We no longer stop at that particular convenience store.

Things to know - When you press the brake pedal pedal, a small green led should light in the start button. It's then you press the start button and hold it for a few seconds for the car to start. Another is when you shut off the car to get out, always look at the clock on the dash, it should be off or dark. This way you know for sure the ignition and power are turned off.

Let us know if you have any more starting problems.

Aptos Driver · 04-22-2011, 04:23 PM

This is probably my biggest concern/fear as I consider whether to buy a TCH for my wife. She doesn't like the idea of push-button start to begin with. In fact, she's a technophobe who'd rather have a car with roll-down windows. That aside, I worry about her getting stranded in exactly this kind of situation. Also, she's lost car keys in the past and I worry about her losing her TCH fob. I understand that they're expensive to replace? How many do they give you with the car? Two? Three?

Joe B · 04-22-2011, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aptos Driver

This is probably my biggest concern/fear as I consider whether to buy a TCH for my wife. She doesn't like the idea of push-button start to begin with. In fact, she's a technophobe who'd rather have a car with roll-down windows. That aside, I worry about her getting stranded in exactly this kind of situation. Also, she's lost car keys in the past and I worry about her losing her TCH fob. I understand that they're expensive to replace? How many do they give you with the car? Two? Three?

You get two.You can always negotiate getting a third remote when buying.
The push button feature is on the gas Camry and other brands too.

Aptos Driver · 04-22-2011, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe B

You get two.You can always negotiate getting a third remote when buying.
The push button feature is on the gas Camry and other brands too.

So how do you like your loaded TCH?

Joe B · 04-22-2011, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aptos Driver

So how do you like your loaded TCH?

So far so good but only own it about 7 months.

ukrkoz · 04-22-2011, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aptos Driver

This is probably my biggest concern/fear as I consider whether to buy a TCH for my wife. She doesn't like the idea of push-button start to begin with. In fact, she's a technophobe who'd rather have a car with roll-down windows. That aside, I worry about her getting stranded in exactly this kind of situation. Also, she's lost car keys in the past and I worry about her losing her TCH fob. I understand that they're expensive to replace? How many do they give you with the car? Two? Three?

you should really benot concerned with push button. i have no idea why it became necessary but most modern cars have it.
problem described here is not relevant to push button. it is relevant to interference causing fobs not to be recognized by ECM. this may happen to anything that is electronic and operates remotely.

as of the key...

anything can be lost. there's a "lost my only key" thread here, you can read it. "losers" will lose anything no matter what you do. like i said in the other thread, i have mine on a string around my neck and under my cloth. VERY hard to lose.