Passive Door Locking Locks The Doors Of Your GM Vehicle Automatically: Feature Spotlight
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So, you arrive to your destination, park, shut off your car, and exit the vehicle. But since you still need to lock the doors, you’re not done yet… right? In a word, no.
With a little-known feature called Passive Locking available on most GM vehicles equipped with Keyless Access, the vehicle will lock its doors automatically after the following three conditions have been met:
- The vehicle has been turned off
- All of the doors have been closed
- At least one Remote Keyless Entry transmitter (key fob) has been removed from the vehicle
Passive Door Locking enables you to not even use use the lock button on the key fob or the button on the vehicle’s door handle to lock the vehicle. You simple park, turn the car off, get out, and walk away. And the vehicle does the rest (locks itself). How convenient is that?
For vehicles with Keyless Access, Passive Door locking can be enabled in the Settings menu of Chevy MyLink, Buick-GMC-Opel IntelliLink, or Cadillac CUE. Simply go to Settings > Vehicle > Remote Lock, Unlock, Start. From here, enable Passive Door Lock.
To note, if other electronic devices interfere with the key fob’s signal, the vehicle may not detect the key fob inside the vehicle. If passive locking is enabled, the doors may lock with the key fob inside the vehicle. And it’s probably not a good idea to leave the key fob in an unattended vehicle.
Do you use Passive Door Locking on your vehicle? Talk to us in the comments.
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The big IF is having access to a ”good ” dealer or a repairmen. If two no’s, then I’d rid myself of GM and drive something more user friendly .. An idea, and in some cases, if not all ,this works.. Find the source of the noise and wrap it in a rag to semi-mute it.. A shame that our manufacturers did not stand up to the bullies in Washington – many years ago ..
Yes it is nice however when wirking incar or around it. It is annoying when it also locking it would be nice if you could temporarily deable it.
Locking cars are usually bad. Thieves breaking the glass to steal small items is actually bad for the car. This feature should be OFF by default.
This ‘Feature’ has more chances of locking people out with keys in the car and sometimes even with kids in the car.
Leave the Vehicle “Locked”. Come out of the Supermarket, and about 50 meters away unlock the vehicle via the remote (Please note that the Auto Locking Feature has previously been deactivated) As you approach the vehicle, the doors automatically LOCK. What is going on. The vehicle has been back to the dealer 3 times, without a positive result. If the feature is turned off, then it should be OFF. Before you ask, I did not touch the wireless switch by mistake.
On my wife’s 2016 Suburban the automatic locks have worked amazingly perfect the few years. No one has ever locked themselves out. This is one of the reasons I purchased a GM car for my self (a used CTS) a few days ago. I’m on this site to quickly find out how to set it. I think it was a default on the Suburban. Also on the Suburban, both my wife and I have the app on our cell phones that has FOB feature that can unlock/lock or start the car from anywhere! (double passwords)
I had no idea about this feature until my keys locked in my car with my 9 month old still inside. Stupid stupid feature. We wedged the door open and hit the unlock button after failing to pull the actual lock up and it wouldn’t unlock. I guess this is another “feature” of GM/Chevrolet.
I have a Cruze LT 2012 and it doens’t have option to Autolock after engine is shut off. Many of times, me and my wife forgot to lock it manually using keyless remote, and had to rush to lock it. There is only one option namely passive lock, as driver door or all doors and not like on off….
I don’t find many functions in my car which are being told over internet.
My wife’s work car, (AUS),is a Holden equinox. It locked itself with the fob inside and the car running..
My wife and I have to leave our Camaro with the drivers door ajar (in our garage), so it doesn’t lock us out. It was doing it almost daily. How can I use the door lock setting to defeat the auto door locks. So irritating. We keep a spare fob in a drawer in the garage so we can get into the Camaro, if it locks itself with the key in it (IN OUR LOCKED GARAGE!
Man I always have auto lock engaged and it’s always perfect. Try downloading the MyChevrolet APP, you can unlock, even start or roll down windows. I use it all the time to send a route to my car from my phone the night before a trip. It has a lot of utility.
Since I have a C7 Corvette and I prefer to have my car lock automatically, I am not sure if the Camaro has the same way to leave the doors unlocked. I know with the Corvette the owners manual has directions of how to turn off automatic door locks. I would not suggest to leave the fob in the car at any time, but if you do just leave the window down and you will never be locked out. Keep in mind that the fob in the car is like leaving the keys in the car so if someone breaks into your home they can take your car also.
Here is a Youtube video of how to change it
Sorry I forgot to include the link to the Youtube: See my next comment
Dave Noble
Since I have a C7 Corvette and I prefer to have my car lock automatically, I am not sure if the Camaro has the same way to leave the doors unlocked. I know with the Corvette the owners manual has directions of how to turn off automatic door locks. I would not suggest to leave the fob in the car at any time, but if you do just leave the window down and you will never be locked out. Keep in mind that the fob in the car is like leaving the keys in the car so if someone breaks into your home they can take your car also.
Here is a Youtube video of how to change it
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=youtube+how+to+program+automatic+lock+setting+on+Camaro&docid=608053946155666632&mid=6AA82BCB6E4A72A4E6076AA82BCB6E4A72A4E607&view=detail&FORM=VIREHT
Take lesson from Ford with key pad on drivers door to be able to open locked door. Easy peasy.
I have a 2016 Equinox. Had problems with the radio console from the get go and now there have been numerous times I am sure I’ve locked the car only to find it unlocked in the morning and many times the seats are moved. Another glitch with the electronics!???!
Sounds more like an issue for a priest than GM.
RE: 2017 Buick LaCrosse. Can’t imagine how any engineer or marketing person allowed passive auto locking to be the default mode. This feature could not have been evaluated in the real world by a reasonable cross-section of the population. Also don’t understand removing the CD player.
I can envision Buick product design meetings in which heated debates go on for hours trying to figure out what features to include that will attract people between the ages of 30 and 70.
I actually LIKE the passive lock feature, however I think it should be programmed so that if ANY key FOB is sensed inside the vehicle, the doors should not lock. Our biggest frustration is when my wife is re-fueling the vehicle. She keeps her FOB in her purse, but when re-fueling, she has to remember to take her purse out of the vehicle with her, otherwise she will be locked out. This seems like an easy software fix, so not sure why GM has not implemented this as an option.
Passive locking does test for a key left inside the vehicle after the last door is closed. If detected, it should not lock. If it does there is a fix. Also, you can use the options to warn you when a key is left inside. If you keep your key in your pocket and your wife leaves her’s inside the vehicle, the test will know that a key is inside but it will also know a key is outside and will lock… as it should.
I keep my key in my pocket and when I gas and don’t want the doors to lock, I leave my door ajar.
How can I extend the distant from the vehicle before the passive locks activate. I would like to be 15 to 20 feet away before the passive locks lock the vehicles doors etc…. What a pain when parking in the garage and going in the house.
It’s not distance but time that determines when the passive locking occurs. Try getting out and just stand there. It will normally lock 8-10 seconds after closing the last door.
Believe this or not
I discovered that if you put the remote up to your head & then press the lock or unlock the distance that will allow the remote will be extended.
Also fresh batteries will help.
If you do both you will be amased.
I have done this and it works on all 6 of my cars.
Dave Noble
Simple solution on all these.. Stop buying GM….should solve all your future problems
NOT the solution. Other car-makers have a version of ”auto lock”. MAYBE a Japanese manufacturer has improved this to eliminate “auto lock out”. American manufacturers do not seem to care.
2016 Regal Premium II – Remote start via mybuick and then opened vehicle with key fob and drove home. When we started the vehicle again via key fob when we went to open the doors it did not recognize either key fob. We opened with the key and alarm sounded, stopped vehicle and then panic alarm sounded. Neither remote would recognize until we inserted into the key fob pocket under the cupholder. Then all worked again. Buick flaw and software bug which will never be resolved. Looking to sell vehicle asap… Buick Regal has so many software bugs that engineering will not address that we are no longer going to support GM and will sell off all our GM vehicles and buy Foreign since they seem to fix software issue and have fewer problems overall.
I did not know this was a feature. My husband started my car to defrost the window this morning. Guess what?!?! It is now locked AND running and the car dealer only gave us ONE key fob. Not loving this feature. Now I get to call pop a lock before 8 am to a rural address.
GM should admit responsibility and cover any costs that apply to this bug that exists with automatic door locking systems. Although doors are not supposed to self lock if fob is IN the vehicle, THEY DO. It happened to me while away from home. Luckily the 2nd key fob was close and available. Imagine if pet or CHILD is locked in!! Hint: do not fully close door if you are entering vehicle soon .(at home only).