21 Platinum PTS: "Key not present"

Hi Guys and Gals, Owners and Enthusiasts.

I have 2021 Platinum which uses the push-to-start feature. Since day one, I have had an intermittent problem with this system. The truck has now been in service for 13 months and 7200 miles. The specific issue is one out of every 10-20 times I try to start the truck I get a "key not present" message on the display and the truck will not start. I sometimes have to push the start button 3 or 4 times before it will finally start. As well, and also intermittently, when I get back into the truck while it is running I put the gearshift in Drive and sometimes get the same message. This happens with either key, and both had their batteries replaced at the 6-month service. The truck is now in for its 12-month appointment and naturally has not failed for them yet. There are no stored codes either.

I told my tech that I would try posting here and see if anybody has ever seen this problem before? The dealership, Royal Moore Toyota in Hillsboro, is going above and beyond to try and figure this out for me, but until they can find a stored code or pick something up on techstream there is understandably nothing they can really figure out either.

Thanks,

Greg

 

Could be a timing issue as I believe you must have your foot on the brake fully for the truck to start when you hit the button. Could be that you are just doing both at same time or hitting the start button before your foot fully activates the brake switch.

 

also check and see if your truck has the fuel pump recall. If the fuel pressure is not at the right PSI, truck will not start.

A bad cell or weak starting battery will also cause intermittent issues with all sorts of things.

last thing I can think of- have you added any mods- stereo, amps, any electric run items or LED lights? If so, they could be causing some interference.

 

I have experimented with leaving my foot on the brake and pushing the start button multiple times, as well as releasing/re-pressing the brake pedal and re-pressing the PTS button. Same result in both cases: "Key not present" displays on dash, and no move to the ignition-on or accessory positions. As well, sometimes while holding foot on brake and pressing PTS the ignition will turn to the "on" position but not go to "start." I'll have to push it a second time to make it start.

Yes, it's true that the truck is now modded. However no wires have been cut and it could be returned to stock if need be (which I am currently discussing as a possibility with the dealer if they continue to be unable to duplicate the problem). The problem was persistent from day one, prior to the mods. As well, the mods would not seem to explain why I can hold the key to the PTS button/antenna and still experience the same "key not present" message as in this video here?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1xk5O8CTJY

 

That is odd, good vid catching what is happening. I have keyed starting, so not very familiar. Does make me think about two things- there could be an issue with the remote keys themselves, or whatever device is used in the truck to sense and pick up the key presence. I would think the dealer could check or test whatever the system or sensor is that detects the keys. Frustrating for sure, newer vehicles electronics and systems are complicated and if they are not set up to create a code or warning, can be difficult to troubleshoot. Keep at it. I have seen other threads about starting and other issues with push to start trucks, you may get more insight if you search and review them here.

 

My 21 does sometimes. I think maybe some interference with whatever else might be in my pocket. Doesn’t usually take more than a few seconds for the light to go off. Time is the consequence of convenience sometimes.

 

Thanks. Good call. I will expand my query beyond just Tundras and see what pops up on the good ol' net of inter.

Interesting. @ScenicRoute, did you watch my youtube recordings? Do you experience the same situation as seen there? For me it is sometimes 6-8 seconds and 2-4 button presses.

 

Okay, this just in. Dealer called a few moments ago. They have determined that the battery installed in my truck is a 24f. It should be a 27f. 27F is bigger capacity, slightly higher voltage, and charges faster. Hopefully we're on to something!

 

Nice, hope that is it. Low volts, bad cell etc can really cause odd issues with Tundras. Seen it so many times- really wonky things you think could never be related to a marginal battery. Fingers crossed for you.

 

Thanks everyone for the troubleshooting support. I just got another call from the dealer after they replaced the battery and checked everything out again afterwards. Tech, manager and I all seem to agree that wrong battery is a great suspect for what may have been causing the issue. We agreed that I am going to pick the truck up tomorrow and drive it again until my next 6-month service. What is so weird about this is the truck has only been outside of my control once in June/2021 when I dropped it off at a different dealer for 6-month service. So the consensus is it was shipped with the wrong battery to begin with. Hopefully, problem solved!

 

For what it's worth...I think I remember someone else on here who was having Key Fob issues and it wound up being the sensor for the FOB antenna that needed replacement and I think it was found under the headliner by the third brake light if I remember correctly??? I could be wrong....but for some reason this comes to mind.

Also another thing your could check (as I am not sure how Toyota does this) but....I had a 2007 Altima with push to start and found that the little pin switch behind the brake pedal (the one that needed to be pressed down to start the car) when it got dirty (about every 4-5 years) would stop working and only about 1 out of every 5 tries the car would start. Maybe have them check the pin switch for the push to start part behind the brake pedal???

Just some thoughts hope they help you to find your issue.

 

Excellent information, thank you. I would love to hear from this other forum member. Hopefully they will find this post as I did some pretty extensive searching and couldn't find any posts where the same issue came up. I do remember that module above the headliner from when I did my dynamat. It is a bitch to get to if it has to be replaced.

I picked the truck up today with the new battery and unfortunately the problem still persists. Checking the brake switch is certainly easy enough but I'm not thinking that's what's going on in my case because even if the vehicle sensed that the brake was not pressed, it would still flip to the accessory position if it detected that the key was in the cabin. Still worth investigating though - will crawl under there and get a look at it.

 

Did the dealer charge you for the battery or any work? Didn’t they test it before they said it was ready? Are you planning on taking it back to them or another dealer?

 

Did you install LED bulbs in the interior lights or cargo lights?

 

It's an intermittent problem. They could not get it to fail at all while it was there, before or after the battery. But yes they did replace the battery under warranty.

Yes, I did, and I have heard of that interfering with the lock/unlock range. I did run the truck for several weeks with interior lights switched off just to check though and continued to experience the same problem.