Prado Central Locking

John,
Try the following web site. http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/90series/. Post your questions to these guys. I two have a 98 Prado and have found this user group has all the info required to answer any Prado specific questions. Give them a go. I did and they helped me with my issues. Hope this helps.

Nick

Yes I have heard of problems with some central locking (ford does come to mind). I know the ford problem was somehow heat related, once saw a falcon's boot pop open at the beech with no one else around for 100m. Just quietly went over and closed it for the poor bstrd. I know some central locking systems actually switch the earth/ground instead of the + power. (don't ask me why) VS commodores were like that. Thats why the ol' screw driver through the lock opened them as it earthed the contacts and whamo. Could be heat expanding some metal somewhere in the door and causing an earth to short hence operating the solinoids. But just a stab in the dark, I really have know idea how the prado lecy's work. I've just finished doing a heap of electrical work on my Surf similar stuff to Prado and yeah, woha way to much crap to go wrong in there! ;-)

Don't know if this will help but we were having a problem with our Prado's remote locking, basically it beeped when using the remote but didn't unlock or lock.
After many visits to electricians and Toyota, neither of who could help us except telling us to book it in and they would look at the wiring "Cost?" I asked. "Hard to say depends on how long it takes and what needs to be fixed"
On the was home we thought when the computer locks up at home we turn it off and on, let try that. Disconnected the battery, reconnected and it started working perfectly and has ever since.

Good luck

I seem to remember someone on this forum complaining of a similar problem (can't recall if it was a Prado) The central locking would lock/unlock at random but mostly when changing gears. Turned out to be a chaffed wire on the locking circuit rubbing on the clutch pedal.

I fitted an after market central locking kit to my 4Runner and if the throw on the rod coupling between the central locking unit and the door lock was not adjusted properly, it would lock/unlock at random, usually just after you slam/close the door.

Hope this helps.

P.S Sorry Jeff M, I posted to the wrong place...

Our Jackaroo used to do that at home ... or we thought it did.

Eventually figured out that the remote could operate it from as much as 30m away, so if we happened to accidentaly bump the unlock button on the remote from anywhere in the house or even where my wife works, if the car is 30m or less away in a straight line, it would unlock.

As the car sits in the front of the driveway overnight, we now have a habit of pressing the lock button just before going to bed at night.

Is there any chance that this may be the same situation for you?

Hi John,

Is it only happening when the vehicle is at work ?
If so somebody nearby may have the same code as you and is accidently unlocking your vehicle.
Not sure how the Prado ones work but on some other Toyota's if you unlock from the remote and do not open the doors within a certain period the doors will relock automatically. This covers the eventuality that someone has the same code and opens the wrong vehicle or that you have accidently pressed the remote button.
Might be worth talking to your work mates and see if one of them can open your vehicle with their remote.

Regards,
Mark

John,
Central locking on a Prado is in two parts. One part is the central locking system, and the other part is the Remote Control.

Not all Prado's come with the Remote Control, as it is an option at the time of purchase.

Does your Prado have Remote Control ? ie Key Fob. If so, is it a Genuine Toyota accessory ?

If it does have the Genuine Toyota accessory, this can be disconnected to see if the problem is within the Remote Control or the Central Locking System.

The Remote Control Unit is located under the left hand side front passenger Kick Plate. Removing the kick plate requires removing the plastic finisher at the floor first.

The remote Control unit, is a black box, about the size of a small cigarette packet. It has a single wire (antenna) and a set of control wires which plug into a socket nearby. You can unplug the control wires to disable the control unit. If the problem still happens, then you most likley have a fault in the wiring for the central locking, if the fault doesn't happen, then there may be a problem in the Remote Control Unit.

I note some other comments about accidently pressing the remote control, if you do this, and you don't open the doors for about 3 minutes, then the Genuine Prado system is smart enough to relock the doors.

I have noted with my Prado, that some times with the remote control, that occasionaly it gets a "bit out of sequence". If you lock the Prado by pressing the lock button on the drivers door, and then shut the door, the next time you press the remote, it attempts to open the doors, but they remain locked. If you press it again, then it unlocks the doors.

I hope this helps.

Cheers Mal58

Wow, thanks for all the responses. I should have mentioned that I don't have the remote, it all works just from the key locks, so rogue "radar" messages from pacemakers etc cannot be the culprit I assume.

Good idea about checking the connecting rods for adjustment though, as it does seem to be worse when the weather is hot. Expansion of the rod maybe. Day of over 40 degrees here in Perth not so long back and the doors just unlocked continuously all the way home.

Cheers

John