AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCKING

[Wabujitsu]

I stand (temporarily) corrected, until I can check this out again.

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[Wabujitsu]

Weird, I've left my Wranglers (1st and 2nd) unlocked in my garage or driveway without them ever unexpectedly locking themselves. That could be pretty maddening, especially when doing things like loading or unloading.

That is exactly why I believed ours auto-lock - because I have left both of them unlocked, then walked back outside (without key fobs) and found them locked, minutes later.

It could be, I suppose, that my large junk slams into the pocket with the key fob as I’m walking, thus locking our Jeeps unknowingly…

 

[4-play]

If you unlock it with the key fob, and don’t open the door, it will lock automatically after a certain period of time. (Haven’t timed it)

 

[scootertoo]

Auto locking based on weak radio signal, such as walking away, has corner case issues. If you were ever in the condition with very low FOB battery voltage, this would most likely become problematic. The door may lock as soon as you closed it even though you may only be going to the back of the vehicle to open the tailgate.

Sure, software timers could be employed in the body controller, but then this would need to be calibrated. Your sweet-spot preference at a locking delay may not be someone else's. This may likely tend to piss-off more people than using an explicit on-demand locking signal.

Also, there may very well be reasons why someone may not want to lock the doors with the FOB not present. Packing for a trip is an example.

Recall, the automotive engineers are never trying to make just 'you' happy, their goal is to provide for the greatest practicality for the largest sales potential. Typically, they'll remain as neutral as possible for general overall behaviors.

Jay

Gee.........if I were packing for a trip, and was not yet done..........I'm pretty sure I would leave a door or the back compartment open until I had finished the packing.............thus your concern goes away.

 

[scootertoo]

That is exactly why I believed ours auto-lock - because I have left both of them unlocked, then walked back outside (without key fobs) and found them locked, minutes later.

It could be, I suppose, that my large junk slams into the pocket with the key fob as I’m walking, thus locking our Jeeps unknowingly…

Given my gripe, I was for sure hoping you had it right.........that after a while, it would auto lock itself.

So, I just left my fob on the desk in the house..........I believe far enough away that the fob would not communicate. Went out into the driveway and had no problem opening the door cause............it was still UN locked.

 

[2nd 392]

That is exactly why I believe
It could be, I suppose, that my large junk slams into the pocket with the key fob as I’m walking, thus locking our Jeeps unknowingly…

Thank god and Z-automotive for the Tazer. I had a similar problem prior to it with my junk slamming the panic button.

 

[wrang_stang]

There are craploads of vehicles that lack it. Maybe some people think Wranglers should strive to be more luxurious?

I’m addressing the point made earlier in the thread that it’s difficult for Jeep to implement or that it will never be to everyone’s liking, therefore it’s not worth the effort. Note I said that every other *automaker* has achieved proper implementation of this feature, so the proper excuse is not that it’s not a good feature or impossible to do well, it’s that Jeep just doesn’t want to do it.

 

[Ratbert]

I’m addressing the point made earlier in the thread that it’s difficult for Jeep to implement or that it will never be to everyone’s liking, therefore it’s not worth the effort. Note I said that every other *automaker* has achieved proper implementation of this feature, so the proper excuse is not that it’s not a good feature or impossible to do well, it’s that Jeep just doesn’t want to do it.

I'm pretty sure Subaru lacks that feature too. It's something that I've never wished I'd had.

I'm guessing lots of people frequently forget to lock their doors? Most likely the same people that forget to turn their turn signal off and forget that their kid / dog is in the back of the vehicle?

 

[2nd 392]

Demand auto lock, auto windshield wipers, auto temp controlled heated seats and steering wheel auto lights, auto settings defaulting to factory settings not yours, auto up/down windows, of course auto park, and bring back auto seatbelts. I recall someone wanting the door to pop open without touching it like his luxury car did.
I’ll keep the auto temp, you can keep the rest of the change….. Then complain about the price.

 

[4-play]

They can keep auto park.

 

[Wabujitsu]

Demand auto lock, auto windshield wipers, auto temp controlled heated seats and steering wheel auto lights, auto settings defaulting to factory settings not yours, auto up/down windows, of course auto park, and bring back auto seatbelts. I recall someone wanting the door to pop open without touching it like his luxury car did.
I’ll keep the auto temp, you can keep the rest of the change….. Then complain about the price.

You forgot to add the auto-pen.

 

[2nd 392]

You forgot to add the auto-pen.

There are so many I might have missed a couple. Anyway, my wife typically gets my physical auto pen on the checkbook upon demand. I sure wish there was a way to disable that auto “feature”.
BTW- why doesn’t the SOT auto open at 73,5 degrees if the auto wipers aren’t on ? add it to the list. Oh yeah, and auto heated gear shift knob, that one is unforgettable.

 

[rk911]

Because then they’d have to spend a buck or two on a pinch sensor. Remember power windows weren’t even standard until 2024.

Personally the lack of auto-lock doesn’t bother me, but there’s no reason not to have it. Every other automaker does it perfectly well so it cannot be hard.

My '23 Grand Cherokee has one-touch power windows up & down.

 

[BMorgan]

Auto locking based on weak radio signal, such as walking away, has corner case issues. If you were ever in the condition with very low FOB battery voltage, this would most likely become problematic. The door may lock as soon as you closed it even though you may only be going to the back of the vehicle to open the tailgate.

Sure, software timers could be employed in the body controller, but then this would need to be calibrated. Your sweet-spot preference at a locking delay may not be someone else's. This may likely tend to piss-off more people than using an explicit on-demand locking signal.

Also, there may very well be reasons why someone may not want to lock the doors with the FOB not present. Packing for a trip is an example.

Recall, the automotive engineers are never trying to make just 'you' happy, their goal is to provide for the greatest practicality for the largest sales potential. Typically, they'll remain as neutral as possible for general overall behaviors.

Jay

My 2014 Corvette has what they call “passive lock and unlock” - you walk away with the fob, and it will lock. If you come back, it will unlock. There is an option to disable, and to beep the horn or just flash the lights when it locks. It can also do three beeps on the horn if you walk away leaving the fob in the car.

None of the issues you mention has ever come up in eleven years of ownership. It doesn’t lock when you go to the trunk. It doesn’t use timers, just proximity. It uses multiple short-range LF antenna fields to determine proximity / inside-or-outside the car - which is not battery voltage sensitive - and then RF to authenticate the key for a match to make the lock/unlock decision. There is no such thing as “weak radio signals” being confused for the key walking away.

I wish every car we own would just do passive lock and unlock as well as the Corvette does. I don’t want to have to press something on the door handle to simply lock up.

ETA: clearly the Jeep and cars like my wife’s Macan have exterior detection, enabled by a “touch the handle” wake-up signal. And they need a press to lock rather than auto-lock when the fob walks away. Likely just design choices.

 

[scootertoo]

My 2014 Corvette has what they call “passive lock and unlock” - you walk away with the fob, and it will lock. If you come back, it will unlock. There is an option to disable, and to beep the horn or just flash the lights when it locks. It can also do three beeps on the horn if you walk away leaving the fob in the car.

None of the issues you mention has ever come up in eleven years of ownership. It doesn’t lock when you go to the trunk. It doesn’t use timers, just proximity. It uses multiple short-range LF antenna fields to determine proximity / inside-or-outside the car - which is not battery voltage sensitive - and then RF to authenticate the key for a match to make the lock/unlock decision. There is no such thing as “weak radio signals” being confused for the key walking away.

I wish every car we own would just do passive lock and unlock as well as the Corvette does. I don’t want to have to press something on the door handle to simply lock up.

ETA: clearly the Jeep and cars like my wife’s Macan have exterior detection, enabled by a “touch the handle” wake-up signal. And they need a press to lock rather than auto-lock when the fob walks away. Likely just design choices.

" My 2014 Corvette has what they call “passive lock and unlock” - you walk away with the fob, and it will lock. If you come back, it will unlock. "

Same setup was in my 2020 GMC Sierra. Very handy and convenience feature. If your at home and leaving it out in the driveway for the night, it's already locked and you don't have to dig out a fob and/or go out and push a door button to lock it up. Where ever you are and stop and park and get out to go somewhere..........bingo, it locks. Come back to it and it unlocks itself.

Wish my Jeep could do the same and for those that somehow don't want or like that as an option, they could set it up where you could delete that feature. Kinda like most have an option to toot the horn when it locks up (I hate that option, my neighbor has it and it's annoying to hear). My hearing is OK and I can hear the doors lock as I walk away without a horn toot telling me so.

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