A woman believed her Toyota did not have a remote start function. Then she says she learned a cheat code on her fob that changed everything. But was she just misinformed? TikTok creator @kentuckygirljp recently posted a video explaining her discovery. "Toyota owners: If y’all got a Toyota, I don’t care what kind it is… if you think you don’t have push-start, try this little hack and see if it works," she says to start the video. Next, she demonstrates the hack. "All right, so what you’re supposed to do is hit the lock three times," she says. "But you do it twice and then hold it on the third until the lights flash on the front of the car." A few seconds after the Toyota’s lights flash, the engine powers up. As of this writing, her video has been viewed nearly 400,000 times. Viewers React To The Toyota Remote Start Hack In the comments section, a viewer who says they have experience working at Toyota gently corrected @kentuckygirljp’s remote start tip. "I work for Toyota and what you’re explaining isn’t a hack," the person wrote. "If the vehicle is installed with factory remote start, this is how you start the vehicle. Not all Toyotas have factory remote start (mainly the lower trim levels won’t have this option) and in this case you can only start the vehicle remotely with the Toyota app." The viewer continued, "Starting the vehicle with the app is free for the first year you own your new car, then it becomes a paid subscription. You get this free year with or without the vehicle having the factory remote start. I have a 2025 Tacoma SR5 4X3 and I do not have the remote start with key option." A second person agreed, "This only works when you have a subscription and the car will die when you open the door." Some were impressed by her "hack," however. "I just tried it on my Highlander and it works!!! I wish I would have known this sooner!" wrote Carolina. Anthony shared a similar experience, writing, "It worked on my 2023 Camry XSE!" Owners of older Toyotas also weighed in with a few jokes. "I own two but I don’t think it’ll work on my 1979 Toyota pickup," wrote one person. G Rodriguez chimed in, "I can't seem to get mine to work, I must be doing it wrong." Rodriguez included a photo of a metal car key. The Toyota Connected Services Trial According to Toyota, the commenter is correct. New Toyota vehicles typically come with up to a year of Connected Services, which may include up to three years of Remote Connect access. The Remote Connect feature allows drivers to start their vehicle through the Toyota app, as well as lock and unlock the doors, check fuel level and battery status, and receive maintenance alerts. And, yes, drivers can also use the trick @kentuckygirljp demonstrated, but it won’t work if the driver hasn’t paid for Connected Services. Depending on the plan selected, this feature should cost between $15 and $25 per month. Some Toyota owners are upset by this, but others say they simply use the fob the old-fashioned way and avoid the fee altogether. Motor1 contacted @kentuckygirljp via TikTok comment and direct message for comment. We also contacted Toyota via press email for comment. We will update this story if either party responds. We want your opinion! What would you like to see on Motor1.com? Take our 3 minute survey. - The Motor1.com Team