Keyless entry - Car wouldn't lock

Tyre Tread · December 11, 2018

Bit of an odd one...

Drove to work this morning. When i set off the car doors unlocked as usual as soon as I touched the door handle.

I arrived at work and the doors wouldn't lock either using the rubber push pad or using the button on the key fob. I tried getting back in the car and starting it and turning it off again but it wouldn't lock.

I had to leave it as late for work.

Went back to the car at lunchtime and it locked and unlocked fine.

Any thoughts on what might be the issue in case it recurrs?

Linas.P · December 11, 2018

My only guess would be key Battery, pushing rubber button on the handle/touching sensor to unlock still needs to detect key (outside of the car). If it doesn't sense key, then handle buttons/sensors would not react. Did you try central locking?

This is guesswork at best... maybe key Battery got warmed-up in pocket or at work and then get enough power to trigger signal for locking unlocking later on the day...

Sometimes I as well get odd results when I have key in the same pocket with phone or coins i.e. sensor would not unlock on the first try, doors would not lock on the first press but that is rare...

johnatg · December 12, 2018

Possibly radio interference?

It's quite common with fobs with push buttons, but I didn't think it affected the button on the door or back of the handle. I guess no reason why it shouldn't, though.

normski2 · December 12, 2018

I had this a few years ago and put it down to radio interference. In my case it seems to have been a wireless doorbell ....weird huh!!

The only way I could get the car to respond was by removing the fob Battery and re-inserting it.

I've also heard of folk at places like boatyards or social clubs, where there is a wireless mast feeding a large area, having fob problems.

Tyre Tread · December 12, 2018

Definitely not fob related as I got back in the car and it started so it must have been recognising the key.

Unlikely to have been radio interference as I was in the middle of a very big car park, in the same place I park every day so nothing close by and no changes in the surroundings as far as I can tell.

johnatg · December 12, 2018

Once you are inside the car you are largely shielded from spurious radio signals so the fob can work there but not outside the car.

You can't detect radio waves except with a receiver - they can come out of the blue (or from some emergency vehicles, etc)!

Sent from my PSP7551DUO using Tapatalk

Hrky · December 17, 2018

I would say some 1s and 0s got mixed.

this happened to me long time ago, but the problem was the car was locked and i needed to get in. luckily I was at home and try to change Battery, but still didnt work, so I opened it manually with the key and the alarm started screaming.

After I entered the car, placed key near ignition button alarm stopped and car started normally. Tried to lock and unlock it few more times afterwords and everything was working fine.

After that when I went for regular service they said there is no error reporting, just probably some binary code mixed.

olliesgrandad · January 5, 2019

I have had similar issues caused by my key being in the same pocket as my mobile phone.

Hondaman · January 13, 2019

I'm having a issue that started a few days ago. Both my keyfobs wouldn't open the doors recently. After several attempts it finally opened. I can nearly always open the passenger door by pressing the sensor on the handle, but not the drivers side. After driving to work it's fine. Only seems to play up when parked in my driveway. No new wireless stuff in my house. Any ideas?

olliesgrandad · January 14, 2019

18 hours ago, Hondaman said:

I'm having a issue that started a few days ago. Both my keyfobs wouldn't open the doors recently. After several attempts it finally opened. I can nearly always open the passenger door by pressing the sensor on the handle, but not the drivers side. After driving to work it's fine. Only seems to play up when parked in my driveway. No new wireless stuff in my house. Any ideas?

Have your neighbours got any new wireless items?

I'm not familiar with what sort of frequencies the key fobs work on, but as I said in my earlier post the proximity of my mobile phone certainly causes an issue. What is the mobile phone signal like where you live. Could a neighbour have sort of booster?

rich1068 · January 14, 2019

Funny this should pop up again.

No keyless entry on my '06 RX but I can guarantee that if I park anywhere on Ecclesall Road Sheffield between Summerfield Street and Collegiate Crescent the remote locking will not work at all and I have to use the key to lock and unlock. Love to know what causes the interference.

Hondaman · January 14, 2019

Mobile signal is good where I live. Played up again this morning, but fine for the rest of the day, until I got home. Then it didn't want to lock!

olliesgrandad · January 15, 2019

10 hours ago, Hondaman said:

Mobile signal is good where I live. Played up again this morning, but fine for the rest of the day, until I got home. Then it didn't want to lock!

Just a thought Has a neighbour changed a car recently (security system or keyless affecting your signal) or had a cctv camera installed. We have a'hive' system and they now supply wireless cctv cameras which must get a signal from WiFi.

Hondaman · January 15, 2019

I will ask the neighbours if they have any new devices, but don't hold out much hope of getting a honest answer. No new cars in my neighbourhood though. It such a pain really.

royoftherovers · January 15, 2019

Happens to my Merc whenever I park in Torre del Mar in Andalucia. It is caused by the transmitters/receivers located on the roof of the nearby local Police Station.

rich1068 · January 15, 2019

#humblebrag

olliesgrandad · January 24, 2019

On 1/15/2019 at 8:10 AM, royoftherovers said:

Happens to my Merc whenever I park in Torre del Mar in Andalucia. It is caused by the transmitters/receivers located on the roof of the nearby local Police Station.

Many moons ago when I was in the police we found that if we drove past petrol stations and clicked the vhf handset it would make the forecourt loudspeakers howl.

Not that it was ever done deliberately of course😊

That was before elf and safety and when attending calls at the motorway services we used to do U turns through the plastic crossover bollards if we were on the wrong carriageway. Very scary...