How To Deactivate Toyota Immobilizer? [5 Easy Steps]

Modern-day cars are equipped with advanced technologies. Immobilizer is a perfect example of that. It is designed to avoid car-theft. Toyota cars are well-famous around the world for the Toyota Immobilizer.

But sometimes, there can be situations when you may want to deactivate your Toyota Immobilizer. You need to deactivate the Immobilizer when it malfunctions and does not start your car. As you are here, you want to deactivate Toyota Immobilizer. Here we will guide you how to deactivate Toyota Immobilizer. 

Before that, let’s have a clear understanding of how the Toyota Immobilizer works.

How the Toyota Immobilizer Works?

Immobilizer is an electronic device installed in your car to prevent car theft. It consists of two parts. One, the transponder and antenna, integrated in your car-key or smart-key to send signals. Two, the immobilization control box, set in the ECU (Engine Control Unit) of your car which receives signals sent from the car-key.

So, the role of Immobilizer is to recognize the owner’s key to start the car. When the car-owner inputs the key into the ignition hole, the Immobilizer verifies it and starts the car. 

Otherwise, the Immobilizer prevents the car from starting. So, a car-thief cannot start the car with the wrong key. The thief will fail to start the car even with hot-wiring.

Now, the problem occurs for the car-owner when the Immobilizer malfunctions and cannot start the car with the original key. Let’s check out how to deactivate Toyota Immobilizer right below.

How to Deactivate Toyota Immobilizer? (Step By Step)

If the Toyota Immobilizer malfunctions, you should take the car to a Toyota service point. A flawed Immobilizer makes your car vulnerable to thieves. It is always a wise decision to fix your car with professional help.

But in emergency situations, you can deactivate or turn off the Immobilizer and start your car. We are here to guide you through the deactivation steps.

Step 1 – Rule Out Other Flaws

We know that your Toyota is not starting with the original key. Maybe it is due to the malfunction of the Immobilizer. But before deactivating the Immobilizer, you need to be sure that the Immobilizer is the culprit. 

You really don’t want to deactivate the Immobilizer when the problem is somewhere else. So, check the battery and other components of your car and rule out the other flaws.

Maybe the key of your car is to be blamed. So, try starting with the spare key if you have one. If the car is still not started, move on to the next steps of deactivating the Immobilizer.

Step 2 – Deactivate the Immobilizer with the Code

If you are the Toyota owner, you must have a ‘Code Card’ which includes the code for turning off the Toyota Immobilizer. So, if you encounter a malfunctioned Immobilizer, and the car-key can no longer start the car, input the code and turn off the Immobilizer.

You have to input the code manually by pressing the centralized ignition button of the car. First, turn on the ignition. Then, press the centralized ignition. 

If you want to input the digit 3, press the button three times quickly. Then, delay about 1 and a half second, and input the next digit by following the same method. In this way, input the whole code.

After that, the Immobilizer will be deactivated and you can start the car.

Step 3 – Repair the Key

We already know that the car key includes a transponder and antenna. If the key is faulty, it cannot send the proper signals to the Immobilizer. Hence, the Immobilizer cannot give access to start the car. 

In that case, if you repair the car-key, maybe you don’t have to deactivate the Immobilizer. You can repair the key at the official Toyota dealers. 

Step 4 – Bypass the Immobilizer

You can start your car bypassing the Immobilizer with the car-key. There is an Immobilizer light, usually a blue or red one, on your dashboard. If the light keeps blinking, the Immobilizer is unable to recognize the car-key. Hence, refusing to start the car.

To bypass the Immobilizer, turn on the ignition. It will start the accessory power of the car but not start the engine. Keep the key into the hole for 10 to 15 minutes.

Now, check for the Immobilizer light on the dashboard. If the light is solid, turn off the ignition. Do not remove the key. Let it rest for another 5 minutes. 

Hopefully, the Immobilizer is now bypassed, and you can start your car. Bypassing the Immobilizer is not a permanent solution. So, we recommend you to take professional help and fix the technology. Moreover, bypassing the Immobilizer can lead to permanent damage and be vulnerable to thieves.

Step 5 – Deactivate the Immobilizer Using the Door-Key

The door-key of your car can be used to deactivate the Immobilizer. You can try this step if you are in an emergency situation and the Immobilizer is not letting you start the car.

Input the door-key into the door but do not open the door. Let the key stay into the hole for half a minute. This will make the Immobilizer understand if you have the right key or not. 

Now open the door and keep it that way. Try starting the engine of the car while keeping the door opened. Hopefully, your car is now started.

Final Recommendation

Toyota Immobilizer is an advanced technology for preventing car-theft. This technology is very popular because of its effective role. But sometimes, it can be flawed.

Here in this article, we have covered some strategies to deactivate the Toyota Immobilizer in case of an emergency. But we did not recommend you to execute these  steps if it were not an emergency.

A faulty Immobilizer can make your car vulnerable to car-theft. If you force the Immobilizer to be deactivated, or if you bypass the Immobilizer and start the car, your Immobilizer can suffer more damage.

So, we recommend you to take the official help in terms of any faulty Toyota Immobilizer. It is not a bad idea to spend some bucks to fix your car, and keep it safe.

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