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Doors Lock when I Put Key in the Ignition

17 years ago

When I put the car keys in the ignition and move the ignition switch forward the doors lock. Also when I move the ignition switch back and take out the keys the doors inside my car open.

I don't think this feature was enabled in my car before. Do you guys know what I can do so that my doors won't lock or unlock when I move the ignition switch with my keys.

Thanks

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Comments (13)

ggalv
Original Author
17 years ago
Oh, I also have a Tazor II Alarm, but I did not find anything regarding the doors locking or unlocking when I put the key in the ignition switch, so I don't think it has to do with the Alarm, but I am not positive about that.
akastj_northern_ca
17 years ago
Check your Owner's Manual. Although you didn't mention what make/model/year you're referring to, it's somewhat common on US autos...

TJ
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ggalv
Original Author
17 years ago
My car is a 1996, Honda Accord LX - 4 door. I don't have an owners manual - but I do have the Haynes Repar Manual though. Appreciate your help, in trying to solve this.

Thanks
earthworm
17 years ago
This horrible occurrence of having the car doors lock automatically can be fixed at the dealer using OBD Tech II.
It is a software "adjustment", but I am surprised that a ten year old Honda has it - I thought this so-called "safety" feature was for the newer cars..
Best of luck...
jemdandy
17 years ago
A number of Dodge cars have had some form of automatic door locking feature since at least 1989. Usually, after a front door has been opened, all four door locks are activated upon passing through 15 mph. This doesn't hamper the front passengers since their doors will unlock upon moving the inside door handle, however, the rear passengers may find themselves locked in depending on the setting of the rear door child locks. Even when the child lock has not been set, the rear passengers may find that they have to manually move the lock button to the unlock position before the door handle will unlatch the door. There are many variations on this theme.

For Dodges, there is a routine of on-off-on cycles executed through the ignition switch that can activate or de-activate the auto-locking feature. I suspect you vehicle also has a similar method that won't require a trip to the dealer. However, I have never de-activated this feature in my car since it does not cause an inconvenience and the procedure is not intuitive; 6 mo later, I won't remember the sequence and would have to look it up again.

However, in your case, unlocking all doors upon key removal could get to be a nusiance.

If you can't find the arm/disarm procedure in your 3rd party repair manual, you may be able to find it on-line at your local library.
christopherh
17 years ago
In 1988 we bought a new 740GLE Volvo. The owner's manual discussed the idea of locked doors. It discouraged the practice of driving with locked doors in the event of a crash. If the doors are locked, emergency help cannot open the doors from the outside. And if the battery is damaged in the crash the unlocking system is unavailable. Therefore it would take longer to assist the occupants. That stuck with me. So on all subsequent cars and trucks I disabled the automatic locking system. The owner's manual shows how to do this. Now the only time I lock the doors while driving is when I pass through an urban area.
steve_o
17 years ago
In 1988 we bought a new 740GLE Volvo. The owner's manual discussed the idea of locked doors. It discouraged the practice of driving with locked doors in the event of a crash. If the doors are locked, emergency help cannot open the doors from the outside.

I think cars have gotten "smarter" since then. If my 2003 VW Jetta is involved in a crash serious enough to deploy the airbags, the fuel pump is shut off and the doors are unlocked. This happens regardless of the state of the battery. If I had OnStar (the brand of telemetry [sp?] that Volkswagen uses), it would call for help as well.

Surviving a crash is a matter of staying with the strongest system available. Open doors do not contribute to the strength of a unibody car. You really want them to stay closed in the event of a crash, and keeping them closed (for most cars) requires locking them. Volvo's advice may have been appropriate for that car in 1988, but I'd be surprised if that's still their advice 15 years later. Locked doors simply means they bring out the Hurst tool a little sooner.
RandomSD
17 years ago
***You really want them to stay closed in the event of a crash, and keeping them closed (for most cars) requires locking them.***

I don't know where this idea comes from, but it's wrong. The door locks simply disengage the door handle mechanism, and have nothing to do with the strength of the door or its ability to stay closed in a crash. That is determined by the latches, and is the same whether the door is locked or not.
earthworm
17 years ago
I'd say it is best to either buy the owners manual or go to the dealer for this problem....
The Haynes is a cheap publication of limited value..( I have one for the '96 Saab)
The owners manual for the '97 SE Accord says nothing of automatic locking doors, but, just maybe if the master lock control by the drivers door handle is, and stays ON, then maybe automatic locking could occur..
Is is far too cold for me to go outside and test this...
ggalv
Original Author
17 years ago
I called the honda dealer service department and they told me that the doors locking when you turn on the car has to do with the Alarm, but I haven't been able to find that feature in the Alarm Manual.

I guess my problem right now, is when I get insdie the car and turn it on to warm it up, I always have the passengers on my car knocking on the doors trying to get in since the doors are lock. And I don't remeber having to do that in the past.
airforceguy
17 years ago
Since you now know its the alarm, do a google search for that type of alarm, or contact the installer, or a dealer that installs that type of alarm, or find the home web page of the make of your alarm, and email them for a solution. Seems the Tazor is made by clifford alarms.
http://www.clifford.com/guides/ogs/tazor2_owners.pdf
http://www.clifford.com/main.asp
cheers
sdello
17 years ago
The car is a '96. Did you just buy it? Did you just have the alarm installed? I'm surprised that an alarm system would incoporate a feature to lock the doors with the ignition on. I suspect the Honda guy just blew you off.

I'm with Jem that there is likely a "ritual" dance of off/on's of the key switch, etc. that can be done to disable this feature.

Have you tried locating a Honda Accord web forum and posting the question there?

Good luck.
airforceguy
17 years ago
I have a viper car alarm, and as I recall it can do exactly what your car is doing. When the installer was going over the options that was one of them, but I said for him to disable that option, which he did. Im sure its in the books somewhere on how to do it,might be in that above link I gave you. Cheers

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