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Weird issue where my vehicle remains unlocked (I have it set to autolock and I verify I hear the locking beep and locks click after exiting and closing door) but I first noticed when using Acuralink inside my house it says my car was unlocked. My key fob, when I'm home, sits in an alcove window about 40-50 feet away from the car in the driveway so I'm wondering if it's too close? I have verified that the car is indeed unlocked, if I leave the fob in the alcove window and walk out to the car it's unlocked, but weirdly I cannot start it. This has been going on since I purchased the car, but I never really had the time to research it. It's a 2022.
Is this normal behavior? Is 40-50 feet not enough to register I'm not getting into the car? I'm at work and my vehicle is probably a couple hundred feet away in a parking lot and it's properly showing in Acuralink as locked.
These cars will not unlock even if the fob is held inches from the door. They will not unlock until you place your fingers under the handle. You need to be within 3 feet of the door you are attempting to open before it will unlock. So lifting the handle while the fob is 40-50 feet away would not unlock it.
Your first step is to determine if your doors are locking in the first place, or are they unlocking sometime later. If you have folding mirrors, you can confirm the doors are locked, if the mirrors are folded in. Without folding mirrors you will need to walk away from the car at least 10 feet, while listening for a single beep which indicates a successful locking. Then leave the fob at that distance, then walk back to the car and confirm it is locked.
It is more likely that the door never locked in the first place. If you have autolock enabled, and walk away from the car before the last door/hatch is closed, you would hear a double beep indicating a failure to lock. This situation happens frequently if you walk away while your passengers are still exiting and a door is still open.
Your doors could also unlock if the UNLOCK button on the fob was accidentally pushed. However if this occurs, and the door is not opened in about 30-60 seconds, it would automatically relock.
Agree with Rick - my key fob when not in use is half the distance you mentioned at my house and it stays locked. Is there a 2nd fob in your RDX somewhere??
These cars will not unlock even if the fob is held inches from the door. They will not unlock until you place your fingers under the handle. You need to be within 3 feet of the door you are attempting to open before it will unlock. So lifting the handle while the fob is 40-50 feet away would not unlock it.
Your first step is to determine if your doors are locking in the first place, or are they unlocking sometime later. If you have folding mirrors, you can confirm the doors are locked, if the mirrors are folded in. Without folding mirrors you will need to walk away from the car at least 10 feet, while listening for a single beep which indicates a successful locking. Then leave the fob at that distance, then walk back to the car and confirm it is locked.
It is more likely that the door never locked in the first place. If you have autolock enabled, and walk away from the car before the last door/hatch is closed, you would hear a double beep indicating a failure to lock. This situation happens frequently if you walk away while your passengers are still exiting and a door is still open.
Your doors could also unlock if the UNLOCK button on the fob was accidentally pushed. However if this occurs, and the door is not opened in about 30-60 seconds, it would automatically relock.
The first thing I wrote was that I had auto lock enabled and I hear both the beep and the door locks click. The car is locked when I walk away. The fob isn't being accidentally pushed.
Agree with Rick - my key fob when not in use is half the distance you mentioned at my house and it stays locked. Is there a 2nd fob in your RDX somewhere??
2nd fob is in a drawer in my kitchen even farther away.
2nd fob is in a drawer in my kitchen even farther away.
Sounds good, but you mentioned this has been going on since you purchased it. It's possible, though not sure how likely, there is a third fob in your RDX. Perhaps a salesperson or lot attendant dropped/lost one somewhere within the vehicle? Between the center console and one of the front seats? In the center console? Glovebox? Under one of the covers in the cargo area? Just a thought. Does it stay locked when you are out shopping or at work?
Sounds good, but you mentioned this has been going on since you purchased it. It's possible, though not sure how likely, there is a third fob in your RDX. Perhaps a salesperson or lot attendant dropped/lost one somewhere within the vehicle? Between the center console and one of the front seats? In the center console? Glovebox? Under one of the covers in the cargo area? Just a thought. Does it stay locked when you are out shopping or at work?
That's the weird part, it doesn't do this at work where the fob is much farther away.
Sounds good, but you mentioned this has been going on since you purchased it. It's possible, though not sure how likely, there is a third fob in your RDX. Perhaps a salesperson or lot attendant dropped/lost one somewhere within the vehicle? Between the center console and one of the front seats? In the center console? Glovebox? Under one of the covers in the cargo area? Just a thought. Does it stay locked when you are out shopping or at work?
As far as I know, it is impossible to lock the doors if a fob remains inside. In fact the RDX will emit a beep sound if the drivers door is opened, and then closed, while the keys remain inside. The doors will not autolock, they cannot be locked by touching the exterior handle, and they cannot be locked by pushing the remote lock button on the fob. It might be possible to lock the doors using the metal key, but I can't confirm that.
The fact that the problem only occurs at home is useful in determining the problem.
If you lock with the fob does the app still say it is unlocked? Leave yhe fob in the house and does one of the doors still physically open if you try?
Possible one of the 4 lock actuators is broken and when you walk away you hear the other 3 locking.
I don't recall that the OP ever said if only a single door is found to be unlocked, or if it is all 5 doors. Because that information was lacking, I asked him to walk away from the RDX and allow the doors to autolock, then leave the fob at least 10 feet away before walking back and confirming the doors were ALL locked.
The OP dismissed my suggestion by pointing out that I had not read his post. in which he said that all the doors were locked when he walked away, so I guess we have to assume that he has already tested for this possibility.
Originally Posted by spinedoc777
The first thing I wrote was that I had auto lock enabled and I hear both the beep and the door locks click. The car is locked when I walk away. The fob isn't being accidentally pushed.
That's the weird part, it doesn't do this at work where the fob is much farther away.
Your fob is primarily a receiver, When you approach your car and put your fingers behind the handle, the car transmits a radio signal in the area of the door. When your FOB receives this signal, it will then transmit the code to the ECM in the car, which will command the doors to unlock.
If you are storing your fob next to your cell phone, or on top of a TV, or any other electrical device, the fob can pickup the stray electromagnetic radiation from the device. The fob isn't particularly smart, it just knows that it is close to a radio source and begins transmitting it's code. If the RDX is within radio range, the doors would unlock.
This is the method thieves use to steal vehicles. You may have seen the videos where a thief with radio equipment in a backpack, stands outside the door of your house holding an antenna, while his partner touches your car's door handle. This equipment is amplifying the radio signals which has the same effect of moving the fob within the 3 foot operating range of the door, causing it to unlock.
Having said this, even if your fob may is transmitting the unlock code because you store it close to equipment emitting RF signals, It is unlikely the fob signal would reach the RDX without any additional amplification. Another reason to rule out this possibility, is that the doors would relock after 30 seconds if they had not been physically opened. Another thing to consider is if your fob is transmitting continuously due to it's storage location, you would experience very short battery life in the fob.
Still, since the problem only occurs at home, it must have something to do with the electromagnetic spectrum ( i.e. Radio Frequency Interference or RFI) in the area of the car or of the fob location. As I said before, the distance between the fob and the car, should not be a factor in this problem, only RFI.
It would certainly be a good diagnostic test to relocate the fob to a different area of your home, far from any electrical devices like cordless/cell phones, TV's, Microwaves, lamp dimmers, etc.
It would also be a good idea to place the fob in a small metal box, like candies come in, in order to prove or disprove if it is actually your own fob unlocking the doors.
Your fob is primarily a receiver, When you approach your car and put your fingers behind the handle, the car transmits a radio signal in the area of the door. When your FOB receives this signal, it will then transmit the code to the ECM in the car, which will command the doors to unlock.
If you are storing your fob next to your cell phone, or on top of a TV, or any other electrical device, the fob can pickup the stray electromagnetic radiation from the device. The fob isn't particularly smart, it just knows that it is close to a radio source and begins transmitting it's code. If the RDX is within radio range, the doors would unlock.
This is the method thieves use to steal vehicles. You may have seen the videos where a thief with radio equipment in a backpack, stands outside the door of your house holding an antenna, while his partner touches your car's door handle. This equipment is amplifying the radio signals which has the same effect of moving the fob within the 3 foot operating range of the door, causing it to unlock.
Having said this, even if your fob may is transmitting the unlock code because you store it close to equipment emitting RF signals, It is unlikely the fob signal would reach the RDX without any additional amplification. Another reason to rule out this possibility, is that the doors would relock after 30 seconds if they had not been physically opened. Another thing to consider is if your fob is transmitting continuously due to it's storage location, you would experience very short battery life in the fob.
Still, since the problem only occurs at home, it must have something to do with the electromagnetic spectrum ( i.e. Radio Frequency Interference or RFI) in the area of the car or of the fob location. As I said before, the distance between the fob and the car, should not be a factor in this problem, only RFI.
It would certainly be a good diagnostic test to relocate the fob to a different area of your home, far from any electrical devices like cordless/cell phones, TV's, Microwaves, lamp dimmers, etc.
It would also be a good idea to place the fob in a small metal box, like candies come in, in order to prove or disprove if it is actually your own fob unlocking the doors.
A very long time ago, I was buddies with a mechanic in a gas station. (remember when they all had service bays?) Anyway, he had a customer who complained about poor gas mileage. They sold him a carb overhaul. After that, every night, the mechanic would go add a bit of gas to the guy's gas tank. After a few week, the customer came in and told him he was getting great gas mileage, and it was the best carb overhaul he had ever had. LOL
Your fob is primarily a receiver, When you approach your car and put your fingers behind the handle, the car transmits a radio signal in the area of the door. When your FOB receives this signal, it will then transmit the code to the ECM in the car, which will command the doors to unlock.
If you are storing your fob next to your cell phone, or on top of a TV, or any other electrical device, the fob can pickup the stray electromagnetic radiation from the device. The fob isn't particularly smart, it just knows that it is close to a radio source and begins transmitting it's code. If the RDX is within radio range, the doors would unlock.
This is the method thieves use to steal vehicles. You may have seen the videos where a thief with radio equipment in a backpack, stands outside the door of your house holding an antenna, while his partner touches your car's door handle. This equipment is amplifying the radio signals which has the same effect of moving the fob within the 3 foot operating range of the door, causing it to unlock.
Having said this, even if your fob may is transmitting the unlock code because you store it close to equipment emitting RF signals, It is unlikely the fob signal would reach the RDX without any additional amplification. Another reason to rule out this possibility, is that the doors would relock after 30 seconds if they had not been physically opened. Another thing to consider is if your fob is transmitting continuously due to it's storage location, you would experience very short battery life in the fob.
Still, since the problem only occurs at home, it must have something to do with the electromagnetic spectrum ( i.e. Radio Frequency Interference or RFI) in the area of the car or of the fob location. As I said before, the distance between the fob and the car, should not be a factor in this problem, only RFI.
It would certainly be a good diagnostic test to relocate the fob to a different area of your home, far from any electrical devices like cordless/cell phones, TV's, Microwaves, lamp dimmers, etc.
It would also be a good idea to place the fob in a small metal box, like candies come in, in order to prove or disprove if it is actually your own fob unlocking the doors.
Great info, thanks. The fob is placed on my dining room bay window, without any other electronics around it or near it. I'll definitely try some different locations or even a faraday box to rule that out.
Just to add, this is definitely a sporadic issue so hard to track down. I'm wondering if Acuralink has anything to do with it, as that's when I primarily notice it. I open my app to remote start my car and when Acuralink connects and updates the status it says unlocked (and no I'm not hitting unlock by accident).
11-30-2022, 02:08 PM
Vehicle stays unlocked?
