Misbehaving Central Locking System

[Glyn]

Hi everybody, can anyone help?

In the summer of 2015 on a site in France got up one morning opened the side door with the handle so leaving all the other doors locked (I had locked the doors the previous night with the button on the drivers door). My wife followed me with two cups of coffee and shut the door. The van locked itself with the key fob inside, Volkswagen say this can’t happen! It did!! The mechanic sent by the European Breakdown cover broke the passenger window to get in the vehicle. This happened again later that week but this time I had the key fob in my pocket so no more broken windows.

This year on a site in Germany I had opened the vehicle using the button on the drivers door, we both got out of the side door and I shut the door behind us. Sat having coffee with the key fob on the table in front of me the van locked itself. The indicators flashed as they would when you lock it using the button on the fob but the fob was on the table. This happened about half a dozen times on this years holiday. Again Volkswagen are saying it can’t happen. Again I am saying it did.

Has anyone else had the same experience or similar with the central locking system misbehaving on their van. It can’t just be one van with this problem.

Thanks.

 

[Loz]

Do the interior lights work when you open that door?
(just thinking that the door switch might be sticking and the car does not see you open iy from an electrical point of view)

 

[Ajspicer]

Check the display between the dials to see if it shows each door open (one by one). If the drivers door doesn't show as open on the graphic it's probably the door switch which I understand is a pain to change. Why can't we just have simple pin switches in the A pillar like we had for years.

 

[Glyn]

Do the interior lights work when you open that door?
(just thinking that the door switch might be sticking and the car does not see you open iy from an electrical point of view)

Hi Loz, just been out to double check and the interior lights do come on when opening the side door. Also it has happened circa 6 times this year with all doors unlocked and definately occurring more this year than last. It was very hot on every occasion.

 

[Glyn]

Check the display between the dials to see if it shows each door open (one by one). If the drivers door doesn't show as open on the graphic it's probably the door switch which I understand is a pain to change. Why can't we just have simple pin switches in the A pillar like we had for years.

Just been out and checked and yes the display shows each door as you open it. It is a strange problem!

 

[Bibs]

I've had the same problem. The van locks itself automatically on occasions. It's just been in to VW Van centre Preston but I think that they thought I was imagining it. Next time it's in for a service or warranty work I'm going to get them to have another look at it

 

[Meoncoast]

We have been caught out with the doors locking have not tried to replicate it but have had the van locked and unlocking the sliding door by pulling the handle twice from the inside getting out and shutting it ---click it locks. We had the key so not locked out.

 

[Loz]

What you might need to do is be careful with your key and start checking that the light or display works every time you open it in case it is the switch intermittently sticking.

 

[Glyn]

I've had the same problem. The van locks itself automatically on occasions. It's just been in to VW Van centre Preston but I think that they thought I was imagining it. Next time it's in for a service or warranty work I'm going to get them to have another look at it

It's never happened to me in the UK, only abroad and when it's been really hot.

 

[Loz]

So until you can make it happen to order you will just end up paying for dealer diagnostic time without them finding anything.

So every time you open the door check for lights and also you can randomly open and close the door and see if it locks.

Also, it might be worth getting a VCDS scan and see if it reports the door switch misbehaving.

 

[Glyn]

We have been caught out with the doors locking have not tried to replicate it but have had the van locked and unlocking the sliding door by pulling the handle twice from the inside getting out and shutting it ---click it locks. We had the key so not locked out.

That's exactly what happened the first time but this year it's been locking itself when ALL the doors were unlocked.

 

[Kmann]

My cali locks the Doors after a short moment when the key is not in the ignition lock. My Former T5 cali and Touran did the same.

 

[Loz]

It is a normal function for the central locking to automatically re-lock the doors if you blip it open but don't open a door. So if the door switch does not register, the central locking thinks you didn't open the door so just locks them again.

The challenge is to try and prove one way or the other if the door switch is the cause.

 

[Glyn]

It is a normal function for the central locking to automatically re-lock the doors if you blip it open but don't open a door. So if the door switch does not register, the central locking thinks you didn't open the door so just locks them again.

The challenge is to try and prove one way or the other if the door switch is the cause.

Most if not all central locking systems work that way now, if you blip the fob but don't open a door for 60 seconds or so it will re lock. That's not what,s happening here though.

 

[Loz]

Okay I've reread your original post and this seems to be the same behaviour I had on a previous Golf if you open the boot you can throw in some bags and your keys by accident close the boot and it locks. It was designed that way apparently.
This only happened on the boot and not the passenger doors.
When we got the Touareg this can't happen as it has kessy and the car can sense the keys are in range and won't lock.(possibly what your VW man was thinking of)

But if this only happens occasionally it must be a door switch problem or it works like the Golf if you have the doors locked with the button on the inside?

 

[Glyn]

Okay I've reread your original post and this seems to be the same behaviour I had on a previous Golf if you open the boot you can throw in some bags and your keys by accident close the boot and it locks. It was designed that way apparently.
This only happened on the boot and not the passenger doors.
When we got the Touareg this can't happen as it has kessy and the car can sense the keys are in range and won't lock.(possibly what your VW man was thinking of)

But if this only happens occasionally it must be a door switch problem or it works like the Golf if you have the doors locked with the button on the inside?

Hi Loz,
The van is going in to the centre next week to have the wiring checked and they are going to try to recreate the problem. I will mention the possibility of it being the door switch to them. I don't have any confidence in them finding the fault as it has never occurred in the UK, only abroad when it has been exceptionally hot.
When I picked the van up I have a vague recollection (it was 2.5 years ago and there was a lot to take in) of the salesman mentioning that the only way to lock the keys in was to open the boot with the key, all other doors would remain locked, and if you closed the boot it would lock itself so if the keys were inside you would lock yourself out.
It really is quite bizarre, sat having a coffee and the van indicator lights flashing and locking itself. A friend suggested an exorcist, not very helpful!

 

[Kmann]

When I picked the van up I have a vague recollection (it was 2.5 years ago and there was a lot to take in) of the salesman mentioning that the only way to lock the keys in was to open the boot with the key, all other doors would remain locked, and if you closed the boot it would lock itself so if the keys were inside you would lock yourself out.

Exactly that has happen on my Touran. A friend of mine, pushed the button on the key opend the tailgate to grab something. And then closed again with the keys inside! The car locked down. We had to break a glass to get inside for the keys. Not even pulling a handle with a wire (thru the closed door and the frame) opend the door.

Put I can see the behavior you discover is slightly different.

 

[Strong]

Hey @Glyn

Did you get this problem nailed down ever? I only ask because the EXACT same thing happened to us this weekend on our brand new T6. Locked on button on drivers door; OH got out of the side door in the night to go to the loo and safely got back in, relocked the side door by pushing its own locking switch. We both got out of the van in the morning closed the door, I then went back to re-enter ... locked!

TIP: turns out VW Assist, while making you wait for four hours, are excellent lock pickers!

I'm going to report this to our supplying stealer tomorrow but I'd be interested if you ever got an answer from yours ...

Chris

 

[Glyn]

Hey @Glyn

Did you get this problem nailed down ever? I only ask because the EXACT same thing happened to us this weekend on our brand new T6. Locked on button on drivers door; OH got out of the side door in the night to go to the loo and safely got back in, relocked the side door by pushing its own locking switch. We both got out of the van in the morning closed the door, I then went back to re-enter ... locked!

TIP: turns out VW Assist, while making you wait for four hours, are excellent lock pickers!

I'm going to report this to our supplying stealer tomorrow but I'd be interested if you ever got an answer from yours ...

Chris

Hi Chris
Sorry for the delay in replying. No I never did get to the bottom of this. The dealer took the van twice keeping it overnight trying to replicate it but they where stumped, and no faults recorded on the on board memory they plug a laptop into.

Glad they didn't break the glass on yours, we where in France and the mechanic who arrived used pliers on the door frame to break the glass. This damaged the door slightly and Volkswagen replaced the door with a brand new one! What a palaver!!

If you manage to get to the bottom of it I'd be really interested to hear.

Glyn

 

[DM]

supplying stealer

Harsh

 

[DM]

This happened to us a couple of weeks ago. Mrs DM went to the loo and came back to find herself locked out. Fortunately I was still in the van.

Now you've reminded me it's another for the list when it goes in for a service in a couple of weeks.

 

[Glyn]

Very

 

[Malcamp]

Having been locked out of Cali at an almost deserted campsite in the Jura at 11pm when my wife and I had gone for a shower (wrapped in towels!) and having to hunt round the campsite for someone with a pair of scissors so we could cut into the front mesh window, climb through and unlock, I thought I should investigate the problem. This what I found:

(i) If you're sitting in the rotated driver's seat with your elbow on the 'shelf' below the window (on which the electric buttons reside), it's possible to accidentally press down the old fashioned locking pin. This initiates the locking system which locks everything. Now, if at this time the sliding door is open (unlocked), The next time you close it, it locks - hey presto, you're locked out! Incidentally, the passenger side locking pin doesn't lock everything.

(ii) If you use the interior lock/unlock button to lock the doors from the inside (either deliberately, or by accident) when the sliding door is closed (it won't activate if the door is open), and then go out of the sliding door (by double action of the door release handle - once to unlock, second time to open) and then close it behind you, you won't be locked out. However, if you do this and don't do a full unlock and for whatever reason the black 'block' button below the sliding door handle gets pushed down (into what is the locked position) whilst the door is open (kids maybe?) and you then go out and close the door behind you - hey presto, you're locked out again!

The only solutions I can think of (apart from hiding a spare key on the outside of the vehicle) are:-
(a) to saw off the drivers side locking pin whilst it's in the unlocked position so that it doesn't protrude and can't be inadvertently pushed down, and
b) to build an enclosure around the sliding door locking button so that it can never be operated manually.

Or maybe there's a software solution that someone already knows?

Malcamp

 

[Meoncoast]

Malcamp

I discovered the same as your examples 1 & 2 so fully agree with how our van operates re locking. Being aware were operate last one out takes the key lanyard from off the gear stick before shutting the door not been caught out so far. It works for us.