2011 Toyota Camry, V6, 138,000 miles, automatic, push to start… I got the car in March of this year (2022) and from March-August I’ve never had this problem.. since august I’ve changed jobs and now I am on the road most of the day working doing app based jobs to make a living and it has happened twice to me since august… once I turn car off it will go completely dead, dead as a door knob, it will not start back up, headlights don’t work, horn don’t work, interior lights don’t work, windows won’t roll down, lights on dashboard will not pop show, doors won’t lock, nothing works…. And then after sitting there for 20+ minutes it will start back up on its own without me pushing the button to start the car, the lights on dashboard will come on and everything and it will work completely fine from there and will turn on and off normal.. I took to AutoZone and the said battery and alternator was perfectly fine… and Toyota dealership said they have never heard of it happening and wouldn’t be able to know what the issue is until it is dead and brought in then… I have no idea what it could be… faulty wiring, loose connectors, I don’t know.. but now I do not turn my car off until I have finished my work for the day and at home… have you heard of anything like this happening and what should my next steps of action be… I would like to figure out what the issue is and resolve quickly… like I said it has only happened twice since august and it was after I turned car off and different days and different weeks at that.. please help
it will start back up on its own without me pushing the button to start the car
So, it's possible that when this happens when you come home, or just gotten to work, your car will start up without you in it and be idling all night/day until you come back? Does it require the RF FOB?
I’m not familiar with what the RF FOB is, but if you’re talking about the key fob, it needs to be inside the car in order for it to start, but when the car shuts off and doesn’t come back on my first instinct Is to press the push to start button to try and turn it back on (but it doesn’t) but then after 20+ minutes it will turn on by itself, I think the reason it turns on by itself is because I initially tried to turn it on and once it regains power, there is some sort of delayed response to me pressing the push to start while it is completely dead… if it is completely dead and I do not attempt to turn it back on I don’t think it will restart immediately once it regains life since I never pressed the push to start button… hopefully that makes sense
The RF FOB is the key fob with RF chip. Sounds like you have that, so you need it close by to start the engine. If you walk away, it may not even crank.
Since it happens very seldom, I suggest you carry a volt meter in the car to check battery voltage when this happens again. Check the voltage on the battery posts, then on the cable clamps. Then check the voltage at the auxiliary power socket (cigarette lighter socket). Most likely, everything would measure normal.
If you say there is no lights at all when this happens, then there should be low voltage on the battery, or bad connections. That would be more of a common scenario. It sounds like yours may not be that simple. But at least verify it so you can eliminate a few things.
One other thing. When this happened, did you noticed if the "check engine" light came on? Next time, you might check the OBDII code to see if you get a message saying something like the battery was removed, or codes were erased. That means the computer lost power. You need to check this before driving too far.
I'm not familiar with your car's electrical system, but if the computer lost power, I might guess that it may control the lightings and windows as well as the ignition system, so no light may come on. If that is the case, you might check the power connection to the main computer and/or the fuse. I'm not sure how this explains the delayed starting of the engine on its own 20 minutes later, though.
Yes, if key is outside of car it will say, key not detected and won’t turn on… do you suggest I just order a regular volt meter from Amazon ? Or can I get from autozone or somewhere? /// no, check engine light did not come on while this happened.. nothing showed up… how do I check OBDII code? What do I need to check it? And how do I check power connection to main computer and/or fuse?
Even a $5 volt meter from Harbor Freights will do, to check rough voltages. You don't need precision. Autozone may do the OBDII check for free, or you can buy a cheap reader. Check the fuses in the fuse box. You'll have to find it (google is your friend). There may be more than one. Regarding the power to computer, you need to find it and disconnect the connectors (google is your friend). You may not know the pinout for the connectors, this may not be for you (google is your friend).. But you can check to see if the connectors are loose, or dirty.
But it's hard to believe that the computer controls everything electrical. The brakes and hazard lights should work without it. If the computer is not easily accessible, don't tear your car apart to access it. Check the codes first. If you did lose battery power completely, the computer should store a code saying that battery was disconnected.