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Doors (sometimes) unlock when I walk away .. FOBIK with me


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"I have had the 3 beep thing happen on occasion... Like Journey425 stated, it is usually because my wife's fob is in the car (either on her, or stowed in her purse under the seat)."

The times it happens to me is when I am alone and my wife's fob is miles away.

If more people experience this, I hope Chrysler can get it solved. It is a security issue.

CAS

Well, I guess in the mean time, at least it is beeping to let you know...

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I would get beeps when I got in the DJ and hadn't started it yet.

I eventually traced it down to the fact that I was unintentionally

hitting the lock button on the door panel when getting in and as

soon as I closed the door it would beep.

Yeah... That's what I was getting at when I said it doesn't seem to like to lock with the door open. Wondering if that is the issue. Does it when my kid takes his sweet time getting out and I lock it before he closes the door... I generally us the outside handle to lock the car after the door shuts. No issues and no honks that way.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 8 months later...

I joined this Forum for the specific purpose of finding a solution to our 2014 DJ unlocking itself and the horn chirping 3 time intermittently. I've determined what was causing this in our vehicle and can now make it do it anytime. As with others, our local Dodge Dealer could not recreate or solve this issue for us; and never any error codes. One person posted the possibility of some electronic devices interfering with the antenna. This got me to thinking, so I started to experiment. Turns out the culprit was our iPhones. I tried locking the DJ and walking away with the phone and FOB in the same hand. After several tries I was able to recreate the issue almost every time. Specifically, I had to hold the FOB over the face of the phone right over the "home" button. It happened in other configurations, but this was the most consistent. While holding the phone and FOB in this position, the signal from the FOB was completely blocked. I could neither lock or unlock the door using the handle button or the finger touch on the back of the handle.

My wife and I were so perplexed by this as it only happened every so often without an apparent pattern. My wife carries her iPhone in her purse along with her FOB. We figure the reason it was so intermittent was that the FOB was free to rattle around in the large compartment in her purse and seldom got in exactly the right position to block the signal. Also, when picking our son up from school she would often get out of the car leaving her purse in the car, but taking the FOB and her phone with her. Sometimes the FOB and phone would be in the same hand. We just never put two and two together until reading some of the other posts on this Forum. While we haven't tried to r-mecreate some of the other FOB issues we've read about (like vehicle not starting), but it's possible that if the FOB and phone were in just the right positions to each other, the signal might be blocked even inside the vehicle. It's worth noting that we are not sure what specific function of the phone is causing the blocked signal. It could be the GPS, built in battery, speakers, or just an electromagnetic field.

The good news is that now that we know what's causing our problem we can experiment with solutions to prevent the FOB from being in such close proximity to the phone. We haven't discussed this with our Dodge Dealer yet (it's been in 3 times for this), but unless they can adjust the sensitivity of the antennas in the vehicle, it sounds like we're going to have to solve this on our own. If you have this problem, let me know if this posting helped.

Thanks

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For me this only happens when I try to lock the car using the lock inside the drivers door as I'm getting out. It doesn't happen when I get out and either push the lock button on the fob or push the button outside the drivers door with the door closed.

same for me as aukfan33 has said. also i dont have a smart phone just a old flip phone that version keeps wanting me to upgrade.LOL

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mmcalhoun, I tested your method using my smart phone (Samsung) and could not get the unlock with three chirps to happen.

What is most interesting is that other people are now reporting this event when last year it seemed I was the only one.

This represents a security issue and I wish Chrysler would sort it out.

Thanks to all.

CAS

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For me this only happens when I try to lock the car using the lock inside the drivers door as I'm getting out. It doesn't happen when I get out and either push the lock button on the fob or push the button outside the drivers door with the door closed.

same for me as aukfan33 has said. also i dont have a smart phone just a old flip phone that version keeps wanting me to upgrade.LOL

This is because the fob is in the car when you lock it... It doesn't want to lock the keys in the vehicle, so when you close the door it unlocks and beeps to let you know that you tried to lock it with the keys in the vehicle.

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Thanks Lobitz68

"This is because the fob is in the car when you lock it"

Well, err, that's not the case. We always have our keys in our pockets when we are inside and lock doors using the inside door lock button. The point is, when we leave (with the keys in our pockets or purses) and walk a few feet away from the vehcile, the doors unlock and the horn chirps three times. (There is no key inside.)

If the driver did not hear the horn then it is a security problem, becuase the car would be unlocked possibly with valuables inside. I live in a safe and relatively crime-free area but I want my DJ locked especially if I have camera gear inside which I often do.

My dealer told me to lock the DJ by using the outside button, but this is an unsuitable work around because the locking beep is annoying, especially at night.

It is a fault that Chrysler needs to address and they do not seem interested.

CAS

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good point lobitz68. but it sometimes happened with me already out of the car and then the wife getting out her side and she is pushing the lock button and i am at the rear of the car probably couple of feet away from the vehicle. And she doesn't have her key with her.. oh well i am not worried about it as when it does it i always just use the key fob to lock it at least it is beeping to let me know it is unlocked. Cars are becoming like computers full of bugs and glitches and cant always be explained.....

Edited by 2late4u
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Thanks Lobitz68

"This is because the fob is in the car when you lock it"

Well, err, that's not the case. We always have our keys in our pockets when we are inside and lock doors using the inside door lock button. The point is, when we leave (with the keys in our pockets or purses) and walk a few feet away from the vehcile, the doors unlock and the horn chirps three times. (There is no key inside.)

If the driver did not hear the horn then it is a security problem, becuase the car would be unlocked possibly with valuables inside. I live in a safe and relatively crime-free area but I want my DJ locked especially if I have camera gear inside which I often do.

My dealer told me to lock the DJ by using the outside button, but this is an unsuitable work around because the locking beep is annoying, especially at night.

It is a fault that Chrysler needs to address and they do not seem interested.

CAS

Right, so when you actually push the lock button, you are still in the car with your keys. Once the door shuts it should scan for the key and realize it is outside the vehicle. If you lock before this occurs, the vehicle thinks the keys are still inside. The lock on the handle (or on the fob) is designed for locking the vehicle from the exterior, the inside locks are for locking when you are remaining in the vehicle...

good point lobitz68. but it sometimes happened with me already out of the car and then the wife getting out her side and she is pushing the lock button and i am at the rear of the car probably couple of feet away from the vehicle. And she doesn't have her key with her.. oh well i am not worried about it as when it does it i always just use the key fob to lock it at least it is beeping to let me know it is unlocked. Cars are becoming like computers full of bugs and glitches and cant always be explained.....

As noted above, wait until the doors are closed. See if that helps.

Edited by Lobitz68
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Oh gosh this will sound argumentive...not meant to be. It is great people are thinking about this. Thanks to all.

"the inside locks are for locking when you are remaining in the vehicle..." That is not stated anywhere in the manual and the dealer service poeple do not say this. In addition, the car has to have a way to be locked without the horn beeping. At odd hours etc etc locking the car so it beeps is annoying and disrespectful of people (say in a condop complex) who are tring to sleep.

Service people have told me to disable the horn chirping which is the last thing we want...we need to be alerted when the doors erroneously unlock. If I have thousands of $$ of camera gear in my DJ, I want to know of the doors are unlocking.

It is a flaw in the sensors and not because people are not following protocol.

CAS

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Oh gosh this will sound argumentive...not meant to be. It is great people are thinking about this. Thanks to all.

"the inside locks are for locking when you are remaining in the vehicle..." That is not stated anywhere in the manual and the dealer service poeple do not say this. In addition, the car has to have a way to be locked without the horn beeping. At odd hours etc etc locking the car so it beeps is annoying and disrespectful of people (say in a condop complex) who are tring to sleep.

Service people have told me to disable the horn chirping which is the last thing we want...we need to be alerted when the doors erroneously unlock. If I have thousands of $$ of camera gear in my DJ, I want to know of the doors are unlocking.

It is a flaw in the sensors and not because people are not following protocol.

CAS

I was speculating when I made that statement, based on my own personal experiences. This is how I have addressed the issue and it works 100% of the time. I never actually use the fob, pushing the button after the door shuts is actually easier than using the inside lock and the fob in my opinion and it doesn't bother me at all (I prefer that locking method).

Hope you get it worked out.

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I doubt it turns off the horn in this instance as it is warning you that the lock sequence failed... That, and the actual issue isn't the honking, it is that the doors are unlocking.

Correct. Regardless of the customer preference setting for the horn, if the car detects a FOBIK inside the vehicle after depressing the inside door lock switch as the manual states, the horn will still chirp three times to alert you to the FOBIK inside the car. Or not, in this case. Sounds to me like a faulty antenna (there are four) or the RF Hub itself.

I did actually have this happen to me once a couple of months ago. Both FOBIKS were in our camper about 30' away. I locked the door using the inside driver door switch and walked away. A few seconds later, the horn chirped three times and the doors unlocked. I re-locked the car and it stayed locked and has never happened since. There may have been a phone or two inside the car, charging (we were on our camping trip; normally the phones are not left in the car) I wonder if one of them broadcast a signal which mimics that of the FOBIK itself. That is the only time it ever happened.

I checked for new STAR cases tonight, but there are none. I have not had any customers complain of this problem with any other Chrysler vehicle which uses Keyless Enter -N- Go.

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I have decided that it's a software "feature", ha ha. The sensor is detecting the fob as being inside while the door is still open. So it unlocks to let you retrieve the fob. The sequence should be for the sensor to "look" for the fob after the door closes. Have found that if I get out and pivot so the fob, in my right pocket, is away from the interior of the door, then press the interior lock button with left hand it always works properly. Still, this "feature" should be addressed by Chrysler as it is very annoying.

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  • 5 months later...
  • 1 year later...

I am about to take my 2015 Journey into the dealership for the same thing that has been happening with our vehicle. Its been doing it since new, now more often. It did it today with only myself waking away from the vehicle. My wife wasn't with me, so only 1 Fob near the vehicle. I keep the horn activated, so you know when it does it you have to lock the vehicle via the Fob for security. Do you know which forum member stated they have not had the problem since the dealership changed out the Drivers Door Master Switch.

Edited by trooper
WRONG YEAR
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On 3/31/2017 at 11:59 AM, trooper said:

I am about to take my 2015 Journey into the dealership for the same thing that has been happening with our vehicle. Its been doing it since new, now more often. It did it today with only myself waking away from the vehicle. My wife wasn't with me, so only 1 Fob near the vehicle. I keep the horn activated, so you know when it does it you have to lock the vehicle via the Fob for security. Do you know which forum member stated they have not had the problem since the dealership changed out the Drivers Door Master Switch.

Update: Took it to the dealer today and they found nothing wrong with the Drivers Master Door Switch or the Key Fob. Also advised me about having the 2nd fob in the vehicle or a cell phone left in it. Also told me a ATM nearby can cause problems also. They asked me if it happens again to note the location in case it is near were I have parked and had problems before. I have 5 yrs or 100,000 km warranty on it anyways (extended Warranty). Just a annoyance at this stage.  If it keeps up I will return to them. If anybody gets to the bottom of this problem, please let us all know.

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Hi again

 

Well as the original poster with 3½ years of experience with this problem....;) Same old ... same old. It is a random occasional flaw and there is no fix according to Dodge. That's what I've been told. So I live with it.

 

My DJ still does this on occasion after all this time. Maybe once per month. It annoys me, but life goes on. Fortunately we are warned with the three chirps. What I wrote some time ago still applies " It is a flaw in the sensors and not because people are not following protocol." It has nada to do with cell phones or ATMs. It ONLY happens when the doors are locked using the inside lock button. And as I said before I want to lock the doors silently so continue to use the inside lock. 

HA HA ... and some folks think we will all be riding about driverless cars in a few year. Okay fine.  :)      :soapbox:     :)

I will say other than this annoyance and few minor glitches, the DJ  has run well. Change the oil as directed and that's about it. (Touch wood.) 

 

Good luck

 

Clive

Edited by pontiac1940
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