Doors lock/unlock when wet/washing truck?

Ok, third time it happened today washing my truck. First time I wrote it off as some odd coincidence. Second time it left me scratching my head but not enough to investigate. This time it's confirmed and I'm puzzled. There is some odd feature that makes the doors lock and or unlock and the mirrors fold/unfold when washing my truck. Spray it with water and the doors lock and mirrors fold in. Then dry it off and it unlocks. Spray it again and it locks. Why on earth? Has anyone else experienced this? It's not the feature alone that bothers me, it's just the fact that more R&D went into something so lacking of reason. Or am I missing something and this does serve a purpose?

Thanks Toyota for spending more of my money on absolute nonsense rather than building a quality truck!

 

Your proximity key is too close to your truck when you're washing it. Leave your key in your house and away from the truck when you wash it and this shouldn't happen.

 

Key was sitting on a table 10+ feet away.

 

Exactly. That's too close. Leave it inside the house, away from the truck when you wash it. 10 feet is too close.

This happens to any vehicle with a proximity key. This isn't just a Toyota thing.

 

When washing, the water splashing on the inside of the handle activates the lock/unlock same touching it. Move fob out of range.

 

So based off of that, somebody could open your doors in the rain when you’re at home?

 

It very unlikely as rain water has a resistivity of 20KOhms, where tap water is 1K to 5K Ohms.

 

For the lock/unlock, at least on my '23, you need fob proximity and activate the door handle sensor. I have yet to have the doors unlock just walking up to the vehicle. I have experienced the lock/unlock when fob is within range and washing. Moved fob out of range and is stopped.

 

This is absolute insanity. My key hangs on a hook right inside the garage door. Guess I’ll have to move it. This entire truck is a case study in nonsensical overuse of technology. What happened to Toyota just building trucks that worked?

So easy to see where Toyota redirected resources with this 3rd Gen. Jumping the shark!

 

Easy way to tell is put your keys where you want and see if you can manually lock or unlock with your hand. If you can, your keys are too close. For reference if I put my key in my toolbox of my truck, I can’t lock or unlock by hand and that’s only a few feet from the door. 10 feet should be plenty away but maybe the signal is not blocked.

 

I was being facetious haha.

 

My FOB rarely leaves my center console. I've never had my truck lock or unlock itself when washing it.

 

You can disconnect the fob communication with the truck by press and hold Lock and while holding press the Unlock button twice. That should solve the problem of having the fob too close to the truck.

 

that’s kinda a very minor thing to conclude that Toyota doesn’t build a quality truck over isn’t it?

Mine locks and unlocks when I wash with the fob in my pocket as well, who cares , just keep washing and doing your thing

my 2023 25th anniversary sienna does the same thing , it’s not a big deal

and if you don’t want that to happen for some reason, just temp disconnect it like the other fella said here , it’s easy

now go out and boost with your clean truck and move on from the dramatics , my friend !

 

You make a valid point, but this is just one matter on a looooong list of frustrations with the QC of this truck. Plus... I simply would've actually preferred tow hooks over a neato lock/unlock feature while washing my truck! You know, something actually useful?

 

Same thing happened with my two 3rd gen Tacomas. The pressure washer would sometimes unlock the doors or lock them with just the water. Happened on my tundra to when I washed it before

 

Every modern vehicle allows this to prevent accidental lockouts.

 

How does a feature where it locks and unlocks itself when sprayed by the hose prevent lockouts?

 

I'm speaking to the guy who leaves his fob INSIDE his truck.

You have your fob OUTSIDE your truck, but in too close proximity when you're washing your truck.

This isn't that difficult to comprehend, gentleman.

 

I disagree. I think it’s rather difficult to comprehend why my truck locks itself when sprayed with a hose. That literally makes zero sense.

 

Move your key fob about 5 feet further than where it currently sits while you're washing your truck, and everything will be fine.

My 2014 Grand Cherokee did this. My 2018 Tacoma did this. My 2023 Tundra and every new vehicle with a proximity key fob does this.

Your handle is sensing your spray hose, thinking it's touch from a hand attempting to lock or unlock your truck because your fob is so close to the truck. That's how fobs work.

 

This is mentioned in the manual along with other things that can affect locking/unlocking.

 

I’m sure you’re right. But it doesn’t change the ridiculousness of it. Personally, they could keep the water pressure sensing fob and given me a simple key that you turn to start, if it meant that in trade I get back: tow hooks, Skid plates that aren’t plastic, wheel wells that aren’t fabric, actual door and window gaskets that seal, brakes that don’t scream in the morning, a windshield that isn’t distorted, a real transmission cooler, motors without metallic sand, etc. I miss my 2017 4Runner, and the 99 before it, and the 88 before it, and the 76 FJ40 before it. No nonsense, just reliability and utility.

 

See post #8 tap Water is about 1K ohms, the resistivity across a human hand is around 1K ohm {everyone is little different} . 1K ohm trips the sensor, tap water or hand. Has nothing to do with pressure. . Simple and it works.

 

This was my point. The OP could just leave his FOB in the truck while washing it, or move it further away, and not have to deal with the horrific locking/unlocking ordeal.

 

I know that this is a Gen 3 discussion but.... My 2021 has this same problem.
If you leave the key in the truck everyone gets a sound show because it keeps audibly telling me that the keys are in the truck.
If I keep them in my pocket the truck locks and unlocks periodically the I get water on the door handles in the right way.

I suspect that this happens because the Tundra's handles are tuned to work with gloves on.
My other cars do not do this but they either have a button on the handle or struggle to work when I have gloves on.

 

See post 8 & 24. Handles are calibrated to the resistivity of a human hand.

 

These are capacitive sensors. They do not require skin contact.
This is a known problem with capitative technology. It can be overcome but there is a cost and there are some drawbacks. I believe that the majority of the automotive world has let it be and most of us just move our keys.... We want the feature but not willing to pay enough for it to eliminate these relatively minor issues.
I would be willing to bet that the truck reacts similar in a rain event but it takes a lot of rain to be similar to the hose being sprayed on the side of the car and nobody is there to see it or our keys are far enough away most of the time to not be a problem.
Some quick research:
https://www.eetimes.com/capacitive-...capacitive proximity,car key transmitter (4).

 

I wonder if the doors unlocking from washing with the fob nearby was one of the demerits in the consumer reports rating posted in the other thread?

 

Feels like ever since the recall, we've been infiltrated by CR writers in here...buncha ginas