A bug leaves your car unlocked

[Aquar33f]

If the car is unlocked it will open without a fob or PaaK. This is the way cars have been since the lock button pop-up thingy next to the window when I was a child.

My 2021 Audi is the same. If I leave it unlocked no key is needed to open it.

A few people here have commented on this before and they say that they have a habit of hitting the lock toggle on the door when exiting the car. I have folding mirrors on so I just walk away and look for the mirrors to be folded.

I'm not sure it's a bug. What do you want the car to do? I know some mfgs have auto-lock but many do not. Audi has 2 buttons on the trunk close, one with a lock and one without.

Lastly, many of us would like better notifications in FP, including the ability to see the vehicle lock status. My previous EV would notify in the app if the vehicle was left unlocked, which was nice, but it also was wrong 50% of the time.

If you have iOS get the scriptable widget

Sponsored

 

[DevSecOps]

If you have iOS get the scriptable widget

iOS ... no thanks! But I can do that and more with HA. But the point is that we shouldn't have to look to third party platforms to accomplish something as simple as "locked or unlocked".

 

[jhalkias]

Wouldn't you agree that the basic operation should be locked at all times when the key is not detected? The car should lock all the doors as soon as they are closed. Why would anybody want anything different? Anything different is a security failure exposing your car to unauthorized access.

I turned off walk away lock the first week I had the car. I use the button on the door, the fob, or the pillar. I see the mirrors fold or the lights blink (I have mirror fold turned off here in the winter because they can get stuck with moisture and freezing). I also have a widget on my phone that tells me if the car is locked or unlocked (among other things) and the FordPass app if I need it.

I turned it off because it was so annoying when washing my car to have the constant lock and unlock happening.

Why would anyone want anything different? I wash my own car. I don't want to have to unlock it every time the doors are closed and it locks itself when I am washing the car. That's just one reason.

 

[RedStallion]

Why would anyone want anything different? I wash my own car. I don't want to have to unlock it every time the doors are closed and it locks itself when I am washing the car. That's just one reason.

Did you think of having a fob in your pocket? That works for everybody else. ?

 

[RedStallion]

I find it interesting (read: frustrating) that most of the "solutions" to the walk-away lock behavior are to manually lock the car. (I.E. To not use walk-away lock).
"Dude, walk-away lock works just fine if you use one of the other methods of locking your car instead."

None of the other methods of locking the doors require all of the doors to be closed. Is it a wonder that the assumption is that walk-away lock would behave the same?
I get why it works the way it does, but if you don't realize that's how it works, you might expect your car to be locked when it's not. And let's face it, most people don't RTFM, and even so, that section is kind of confusing. It looks like it was written by the programmer (source: am a programmer).

Not only it's unintuitive behavior, it's also error prone because it relies on attention only -- bad software design in more than one way.
The efforts of fixing the software is low, the cost of stolen property from unlocked cars can be high. The difference is that the software cost is born by the company, and the cost of stolen property on the customers, so the company obviously doesn't have an incentive to fix it.

 

[Kabish]

But the point is that we shouldn't have to look to third party platforms to accomplish something as simple as "locked or unlocked".

100% that annoys me greatly.

I always use the walk away lock. Recently it has been a little buggy. Yesterday it did not lock so I used my watch to lock it. Said it sent the request but I did not see my lights flash. So I got out my phone, same thing said it sent but no flash. Sent it again for good measure and left it be.

Walking back to the car I noticed the mirrors were still out. I put my phone in airplane and walked up to the car, opened right up.

We need a lock/unlock indicator!

 

[jhalkias]

Did you think of having a fob in your pocket? That works for everybody else. ?

So it works for you?

Sounds like problem solved!

 

[RedStallion]

So it works for you?

Sounds like problem solved!

Maybe you should read messages before replying, it might help.

 

[jhalkias]

Maybe you should read messages before replying, it might help.

I think I’ll take a pass on that.

 

[KevinS]

Maybe you should read messages before replying, it might help.

This has been a Masterclass in how to win friends and influence people.

 

[generaltso]

the cost of stolen property from unlocked cars can be high.

Then lock your car. Problem solved.

Sponsored