How in the World Can a Car Lock Itself With the Key Still in the Car???

[Alan]

Slightly off-topic but when we picked up our new EV the other week it was late on an afternoon so the following morning I started exploring its features while it was on the drive. My wife was out that morning and at one point I decided that I'd sit in the back, explore the legroom then try putting down the seats etc.

You guessed it, when I came to get out I discovered that the child locks were on and I hadn't turned on the power so the power windows didn't work. I reached through and pressed the power button but got the message that I needed to have my foot on the brake as well. I didn't have anyone to call as they were all out or at work so I had to scramble through head first and get out via the front passenger door on hands and knees.

 

[scrabbler1]

sounds like a hassle. give me a "dumb" car with doors with actual key locks. i don't need or want most of the new comveniences or nanny features. i'm perfectly capable of locking and unlocking my doors, adjusting my seat and mirrors, etc. my buddy has a new Jeep Wrangler that has the silly auto start/stop "feature". we figured out a way to permanently disable that.

Same here. My 2007 car has key locks, window cranks, manual seat and mirror adjustments, etc.

My ladyfriend's old car, a 1997 Acura, had many of those conveniences but they sometimes turned on her in a big way. One time, the whole car just shut down while she was driving it, and in the middle of an intersection! Another time, similar to the OP, the car's security system went haywire on a very cold night and nearly trapped her inside her car. The car's alarm went off and all the doors locked while she was inside it, trying unsuccessfully to simply start the car with the key!

Years later, there was a problem with the wiring in the car's security system which caused the main fuse to blow. It would have cost over $1,000 to fix the wiring because a local dealer (this was too complex for our local mechanic) would have had to test each of the many wires related to the security system to find the one(s) which were faulty, and it wasn't possible to just disable the system. She just got rid of the 16-year-old car. If she had a "dumber" car, she could have kept it for a few more years.

 

[TrvlBug]

... ... the car's security system went haywire on a very cold night and nearly trapped her inside her car. The car's alarm went off and all the doors locked while she was inside it, trying unsuccessfully to simply start the car with the key!

The salesperson showed us how to escape the car in the event of inadvertent lock-in. Me thinks me should remember how to do that .

 

[tutan]

We were a few miles out of Bluff, UT, last month parked at a trailhead. Afraid I might drop the key fob on the trail, I put it in the backpack. After getting back, I threw the backpack in the trunk of the Hertz rental Ford SUV and just shut the tailgate. As soon as I did that, I knew we were locked out. I started to panic. It was late afternoon. I blamed the dumb design by Ford. Then, maybe it was my own fault really because the same could happen if I had shut the door on a physical key of an older car. That's just ol' "locking key in car".

I was relieved to find a cell signal and got ahold of AAA. But the location was somewhat remote. It was going to take some time for help to get there. Then I thought maybe Hertz could do a remote unlock. I called Hertz. And sure enough they were able to do it via cell signal/satellite. They charged $12 for that service.

With my own car, I am used to keeping the fob in my lap while driving and put in my pocket when I leave the car. My Mazda would beep if I leave the fob in the trunk and shut the trunk door.

 

[ivinsfan]

Regarding Ford there is an phone app that allows for remote starting and unlocking. Our Ford also has a touch pad entry systems. Fingers crossed....if u leave a key inside the car it won't lock and will do a quick double beep to let you know you F'd up.

 

[ExFlyBoy5]

Same here. My 2007 car has key locks, window cranks, manual seat and mirror adjustments, etc.

My ladyfriend's old car, a 1997 Acura, had many of those conveniences but they sometimes turned on her in a big way. One time, the whole car just shut down while she was driving it, and in the middle of an intersection! Another time, similar to the OP, the car's security system went haywire on a very cold night and nearly trapped her inside her car. The car's alarm went off and all the doors locked while she was inside it, trying unsuccessfully to simply start the car with the key!

Years later, there was a problem with the wiring in the car's security system which caused the main fuse to blow. It would have cost over $1,000 to fix the wiring because a local dealer (this was too complex for our local mechanic) would have had to test each of the many wires related to the security system to find the one(s) which were faulty, and it wasn't possible to just disable the system. She just got rid of the 16-year-old car. If she had a "dumber" car, she could have kept it for a few more years.

My 2012 Accord did a weird thing with the alarm the other day at Wal Mart. I was sitting in it talking to my DW when the doors locked (car was off). When I went to start it (old school key) the alarm started going off. It still let me start the engine and I assume would have let me drive away with lights flashing and horn blaring. I eventually got it to stop (not sure how after pressing every key on the fob about 40 times) but not before 4 people were staring at me.

 

[ncbill]

Regarding Ford there is an phone app that allows for remote starting and unlocking. Our Ford also has a touch pad entry systems. Fingers crossed....if u leave a key inside the car it won't lock and will do a quick double beep to let you know you F'd up.

The driver';s door module (DDM) on my Lincoln Town Car failed so no power locks or keypad or electronic trunk release...have to use the key & manually lock/unlock every door & key to open the trunk.

And Ford doesn't make the DDM anymore...

 

[ivinsfan]

The driver';s door module (DDM) on my Lincoln Town Car failed so no power locks or keypad or electronic trunk release...have to use the key & manually lock/unlock every door & key to open the trunk.

And Ford doesn't make the DDM anymore...

How old was the car when it failed

 

[street]

Regarding Ford there is an phone app that allows for remote starting and unlocking. Our Ford also has a touch pad entry systems. Fingers crossed....if u leave a key inside the car it won't lock and will do a quick double beep to let you know you F'd up.

Exactly right. I find Ford to be far ahead of other brands, but you need to know how to use those tools given to you. I can lock or unlock my car from the Ford App on my phone also.

 

[audreyh1]

The salesperson showed us how to escape the car in the event of inadvertent lock-in. Me thinks me should remember how to do that .

I know where my door emergency release is!

 

[Koolau]

This locking of the car with key inside is a tradition by auto makers.

Around 1975, I was at a mall, nice summer day, left the car running and shut the door.
When I got back to the car, I realized I had locked the car, it allowed me to lock it while running.
It was a 2 mile walk/run/jog home, get the spare key and walk/run/jog back.

Yeah, I did that 30 miles from home on a more-or-less back road. The good news was that a good samaritan stopped and drove me to where I could call a lock smith. Think it cost $35 in 1990 dollars. Have not done anything similar since.

I'm not a big fan of all the keyless stuff and net based cars (like Tesla.) I see the advantages, but don't like the disadvantages. I'm just very careful now about keys though who knows what dumb thing I might do tomorrow.

 

[EastWest Gal]

I have a 2009 Prius and last spring we had some electrical problems, including the car locking itself, which it has never done before. It happens frequently now. It has happened when I unlock the car and sit in the driver's seat, even before I close the door. It happens while I am holding the key fob while sitting in the car. Once I put my purse in the car, got back out to move something from in front of the car, shut the door and it locked itself, with key and cell phone in the car. I was in a store parking lot and fortunately a store patron allowed me to borrow their cell phone to call DH who was at home at the time. The dealer blames not being able to detect the key fob, a bad key fob battery (not true-the battery was brand new).

We make sure the key fob is on our person when we step out of the car-in my hand, in a specific jacket pocket, etc. We have other sensors that are starting to fail too. With 210K miles on it, we have ordered a new car. It's a long wait (sigh).

 

[Keim]

Strange indeed. Neither of my cars, a 76 Chevy and a 93 Ford, have had this problem.

 

[Koolau]

Strange indeed. Neither of my cars, a 76 Chevy and a 93 Ford, have had this problem.

Yeah, the battery in the key fob for my 2000 Buick eventually starts to get weak and I have to get closer and closer to the car to open the doors. Eventually, I have to (wait for it) use the actual KEY to open the door. Oh, the humanity.

 

[Keim]

Yeah, the battery in the key fob for my 2000 Buick eventually starts to get weak and I have to get closer and closer to the car to open the doors. Eventually, I have to (wait for it) use the actual KEY to open the door. Oh, the humanity.

Think of the stories you can tell your grandkids!

 

[Koolau]

Think of the stories you can tell your grandkids!

Yeah, DW and I laugh when we think back to the kinds of cars we drove when we were the ages of our kids. Now, they have the latest vehicles with all the bells and whistles. I never owned an auto-trans car until inheriting my dad's car when I was 40. I was in my 50s before I owned a car with electric windows. Times change, I guess.

 

[ncbill]

How old was the car when it failed

~15 years...but they made over a million of that generation.

I had my mechanic put in a used one & it failed as well...from what I read online water probably has gotten into the main wiring harness in the door via the side mirror & corroded/shorted wires.

so I will drop it off with my independent mechanic for inspection/repair of that wire harness...then have them put in another used DDM & hope for the best.

 

[TrvlBug]

I know where my door emergency release is!

I finally found it .

 

[dgalbraith100]

We were a few miles out of Bluff, UT, last month parked at a trailhead. Afraid I might drop the key fob on the trail, I put it in the backpack. After getting back, I threw the backpack in the trunk of the Hertz rental Ford SUV and just shut the tailgate. As soon as I did that, I knew we were locked out. I started to panic. It was late afternoon. I blamed the dumb design by Ford.
...
...

I did this exact thing with my Chevy Bolt, but amazingly it saved me. when I closed the back hatch with the backpack in it. The car beeped at me to tell me the key fob was left in the car. I was like oh crap... I'm locked out, but when I went to the front of the car to try the door it turns out it unlocked the front driver door when it detected the problem. Sometimes the smarts save you.

I still from now on always put the backpack in the front seat instead of the back just in case it doesn't catch it... but glad it saved me that time.

Laters,
David

 

[Dean56]

Well that sounds like a pain. I guess you have to figure out a protocol.

Our Tesla won’t automatically lock itself if there are wireless keys left in the car. A couple of times we had walked away and the car didn’t automatically lock and realized that one of us had left our phone behind.

This happened to us. My friend has a Model X and we went to a restaurant. We were walking across the parking lot and I said "is your car going to lock itself?" He said yes.....but it didn't. He forgot that his phone was sitting on the wireless charger inside the car. After he grabbed his phone, everything worked as it should. Nice car BTW.

 

[ERD50]

Back in the old days, I always carried a spare key in my wallet.

I'd shake my head when someone went through a big commotion because they locked their keys in the car. I mean, it can cause a really big and sometimes expensive problem to lock yourself out. Miss an important appointment, etc. It's so simple to keep a spare key, why not do that?

And I'd shake my head when a couple would say "do you have the car/house keys?" to their spouse. Why not each have a set, things happen, stuff gets lost. Have a backup.

But today, it's not always so easy to carry a spare car key. I could get in with a spare mechanical key, but I couldn't start the car - I need the fob for that, and that doesn't fit in my wallet. I know, you can use an app for that, but in many cases, you need to pay a monthly fee for the connection. No thanks.

-ERD50

 

[tutan]

I did this exact thing with my Chevy Bolt, but amazingly it saved me. when I closed the back hatch with the backpack in it. The car beeped at me to tell me the key fob was left in the car. I was like oh crap... I'm locked out, but when I went to the front of the car to try the door it turns out it unlocked the front driver door when it detected the problem. Sometimes the smarts save you.
...

Yah I thought Ford could have designed the system better. Or product testing should have uncovered the issue. Oh well.

 

[W2R]

I have been carrying a purse for 62 years, since I was 12 years old. It is impossible for me to leave the house or car without it. So, I bought a purse with a small tether strap in it with a clip on the end, by which I attach both my wallet and key fob to my purse. I've had this arrangement for the past 10 years or so, and have not misplaced or lost my key fob or wallet since. Or left them in the car.

This was Frank's idea. He says, "They didn't pay me all those big engineering bucks for nothing!"

 

[DayDreaming]

...But today, it's not always so easy to carry a spare car key. I could get in with a spare mechanical key, but I couldn't start the car - I need the fob for that, and that doesn't fit in my wallet. I know, you can use an app for that, but in many cases, you need to pay a monthly fee for the connection. No thanks.

-ERD50

A Tesla's spare key is a credit card thingy which opens the doors and starts the car, so I always keep one in my wallet. My phone acts as the primary key. So far this has worked really well.

 

[indiajust]

Hmm... my 98 Jetta hasn't been locked since about 2001. As the rust encroaches, I will try to avoid the key problem in the next ride. I wonder what the last model VW was with a true ignition key? That's my year.