Why is my Jeep unlocking itself every 30 seconds?

November 18, 2015 4:13 PM

I have a 2004 Jeep Liberty. I was in my garage when it unlocked itself. I used my key fob to lock it back. A few seconds later the Jeep again unlocked itself. After several lockings and unlockings I decided to just leave it unlocked. However, even unlocked, the Jeep tries to unlock itself about every 30 seconds. Help?

I've turned the Jeep engine on and off to see if that would reset anything, but no luck. Eventually I'm sure it will drain the battery. Any idea what could possibly cause this and maybe fix it?

I did move my key fob far away from my jeep to make sure it wasn't the key fob acting up, and it wasn't. I would be okay with even bypassing the auto lock to stop and simply inserting my key into the lock to lock and unlock the door in the future.

Thanks for any advice.

posted by ratherbethedevil to Travel & Transportation (8 answers total)

Maybe Captain-Obvious, but starting at the start... cars normally come with at least two fobs, so track down the other one.

Also, check all the door unlock switches inside the car, in case one is stuck or has something jamming it closed. Check that they're not stuck, and also check that every single unlock system is working properly (ie the car instantly unlocks when you touch the button, as it should.) If hitting the switch does not instantly unlock the door, then (I'm guessing) the switch (or the wiring to it) might be shorted or damaged, which might be the problem.
posted by anonymisc at 4:15 PM on November 18, 2015 [3 favorites]

Happened to me with my partner's car when the battery inside the key fob was dying. Shortly after the phantom unlocking, it was completely kaput. Could have been coincidence, though, I guess.
posted by mudpuppie at 4:24 PM on November 18, 2015 [4 favorites]

(PS: I got a new battery at Ace Hardware.)
posted by mudpuppie at 4:24 PM on November 18, 2015 [1 favorite]

I don't believe it's the key fob because even when it's out of its range the unlocking continues.

Could it be as simple as finding the correct fuse and taking it out? Sorry, not great around cars.

My jeep is 2010 and it was the battery.
posted by justgary at 4:38 PM on November 18, 2015 [1 favorite]

How far away? 50 yards? A mile? Try wrapping it in foil to completely block the RF signals from the fob.
posted by JoeZydeco at 4:47 PM on November 18, 2015

Tossing you fob in your fridge will attenuate the signal sufficient to prevent it working. Make sure you do this with all the fobs you have. I had a similar problem caused by the spare fob for my car hanging on our key rack.

ratherbethedevil: " I would be okay with even bypassing the auto lock to stop and simply inserting my key into the lock to lock and unlock the door in the future. "

The number 4 fuse in your fuse panel is for power locks but it is also one of three fuses labeled body control module so pulling it might make other things not work. No real harm in trying it though.
posted by Mitheral at 4:53 PM on November 18, 2015

Response by poster: I thought I was out of range with the fob, but I'll wrap in in foil and throw it in the fridge to make sure.

Thanks for the fuse number! I'll give it a try as well.

I unhooked the battery until the morning when I'll try all these suggestions. Thanks for the help.
posted by ratherbethedevil at 5:05 PM on November 18, 2015

I have a 2001 VW that will sometimes lock the doors on its own. The culprit is the circuit board in the door that runs the electro-mechanical locking system. Essentially, the board fails in a way that makes the central locking system think the doors should be locked.

I suspect something similar is happening in your Jeep, only it thinks the doors should be unlocked.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:37 PM on November 18, 2015