2021 Locked Doors

Hello, I am a new member and my name is George.
I have a 2021 Limited Tundra.
The issue I am hoping to solve is the doors will not unlock. I have replaced the battery in the key fob with a brand new battery still nothing.
I have tried using the emergency key to unlock the drivers door but also no luck.
My truck battery is fairly new (within 4 months) and was working fine.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

You can’t get into the truck at all? Do you have a second fob you could try? Yours may have become deprogrammed by accident…..

is it push button start? Do you have access to the app to try to unlock?

 

Correct, I cannot get into the truck at all. I did try the second key fob and even switched out it's battery also.
The truck is push button start.
I am not familiar with the app?
I put the emergency key in and turned to the right then back to the middle and it would not open. I even tried turning it to the right and holding it while opening the door but no luck.
I also tried holding down the lock button and red emergency button at the same time for 5 or 10 seconds to see if a reset was done but no luck there either.

 

Can you hear anything no when you push the fob - do the actuators make any noise? If not almost sounds like you may have an electrical issue like a blown fuse or messed up ecu. Any recent work done to the truck? Any evidence of rodent activity?

 

No noise whatsoever.
No recent work other than a new battery a few months ago.
I don't see and evidence of rodent activity. The truck has sat for 2 weeks without being started or anything.

 

Dang might have a parasitic draw on the battery but wouldn’t necessarily explain why you can’t open with the key…..

I have used the following method to get into my truck. It would be interesting to see if it will start once you get in (after charging the battery).

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MUUnvByD4m4

 

Funny, I watched his video earlier in the day.
I may have to go that route and try to see if it will start.

 

Sometimes you can get the same result with a blood pressure cuff if you have one at home

 

I have neither but will order one or try home depot like he suggested.

 

When you turn the key in the driver door, are you sure you’re turning it all the way? The alarm should sound when it unlocks and then put the fob right next to the button when you start it. If the alarm isn’t going off when you unlock, it sounds like it might be a battery / electrical issue. But I would imagine that you should still be able to manually unlock it

 

Yeah, I can't figure out why I cannot manually open the door. I tried both keys from the fobs but nothing. I turned them as far as they would go it seems.
I will keep trying though.

 

Damn sorry to hear this man. Hope you get it figured out soon.

 

The only bright side is I do have a second vehicle.
I will post an update once I figure it out.

 

I would try to get the door open with an air bladder, pop the hood and hook the battery up to a trickle charger for a few hours.


Quick google (I did not know this):


Car Battery Issues:

• Dead battery:
  If the car battery is completely dead, even an emergency key might not be able to unlock the door, as it may rely on the car's electrical system for some locking mechanisms

 

That is good to know. I would not have guessed that.

 

Any luck?

 

I was able to pry the door open slightly with the air shim. However neither the coat hanger nor the toilet snake worked in opening the door. I did order an access tool which will be here tomorrow morning so I will give it a go again then.
Very frustrating to say the least.

 

Damn man; sorry this happened. Hope you can get it fixed and figured out soon

 

That would be interesting if the smart key backup key doesn’t work if the (truck) battery is dead. I thought that was the whole point (also when the fob battery is dead)? The keys do look funny so maybe they are not physical locks that directly unlock the door.

I have a dumb keyed 2021, I made a few blank keys with no chip that can manually open the door even with no (truck) battery.

This maybe a rare win for non-smart key trucks haha. My 2022 4R has the smart fob.

 

Just checking back…..any luck getting your truck unlocked today?

 

Yes the issue has been solved hopefully.
I got the access rod from Amazon and after 30 or 40 tries I was able to pop the passenger door open with the rod.
Once inside I tried starting the truck but it was dead. I put a jumper box on the truck and it started. I let the truck run for a while then turned it off and tried to turn it back on but it wouldn't start.
Took the battery out and back to O'Reilly's and it registered 5 volts.
They gave me a new battery since the dead one was only a few months old.
Everything seems to be working again since I replaced the old with the new.
Hopefully it was just a bad battery and not a draw on the battery from somewhere.

 

Good news!!!! Glad it worked out. You may want to consider a trickle charger - if the truck sits for weeks it’s great peace of mind. Mine is a daily driver but have one that has quick connects on the battery of my wife’s jeep. Keep it plugged in all the time and when we want to drive it a quick unplug and go.


And for the record that is some engineering BS that an “emergency key” is unable to unlock a truck if the battery is dead. That makes no sense

 

I have been thinking about that. What brand trickle charger do you have?

 

So the key will not work if battery is dead, what’s the point of the key

 

I have cheap ones from Amazon that I keep on the jeep, motorcycle and riding mower.

[2-Pack] Trickle Battery Charger 12V 1100mA Smart Car Battery Charger Battery Maintainer Float Charger for Motorcycle Lawn Mower Tractor Automotive ATV Lead Acid and Lithium Batteries

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08CZ9XYKJ

I also have this for the tundra if it's going to be parked for awhile or take to campgrounds, etc if I am drawing anything off of the battery.

$130 OPTIMA Batteries Digital 400+ 12 Volt Battery Maintainer and Charger for AGM, Lithium, Automotive, Marine and Powersport Batteries

https://www.amazon.com/OPTIMA-Batte...ocphy=9060031&hvtargid=pla-2281435182418&th=1

 

Exactly correct! I was cursing Toyota as I discovered that point.

 

Thank you all for the information and suggestions.
Much appreciated

 

I would test your key now that the battery is replaced. My key has opened my truck in the past when my battery was completely dead. Perhaps there is something wrong with the mechanical linkage in the door?

 

I checked both key fob keys yesterday and they worked once I had the new battery in. Still very weird to me.

 

Did the emergency key unlock the doors?