Intelligent Access Became Less Intelligent for 2015?

[stevedebi]

That's what the manual says (see my post 6 above) but touching the rear door handles unlocks all doors on my 2013 SEL.

Looks like they made a change to the Job 2 or Job 3 2013 C-Max. Not surprising, since the sensor would be expensive, and deleting it would same money and complexity.

[fbov]

I've got a 2013 and you definitely can't unlock the doors by pulling the rear passenger door handles. 

 

With FOB in pocket I can unlock my 2013 SEL by the front and rear door handles ... Build date is Nov. 2012.

Porter's build date is 29092013. All driver's side door handles will unlock the car intermittently. They seem to know when it's cold and windy. (Can't say about passenger side.)

 

There's a TSB on the driver's door, but it's been done twice to no effect. Third time, it didn't malfunction for the tech, even though I demonstrated the problem to the SA. When the driver's door malfunctioned, I got used to grabbing the back door handle to unlock.

 

Then the back door started malfunctioning... intermittently, of course.

 

Have fun,

Frank

Edited September 9, 2015 by fbov

[raadsel]

From the '13 Manual:

 

Intelligent Access (If Equipped)

The system uses a radio frequency signal to communicate with your

vehicle and authorize your vehicle to unlock when one of the following

conditions is met:

•

You touch the inside of the front exterior door handle.

•

You press the luggage compartment button.

•

You press a button on the transmitter.

 

I don't believe the rear door handles have sensors.

 

As I stated, the rear passenger doors do have the sensor to unlock on my 2013 C-Max. My build date per Etis is 02.06.2013 (2 Jun 2013), not sure when Job 1 production ended.

Edited September 9, 2015 by raadsel

[Adrian_L]

You sure you have a '13?  A build date of June '13 would be a '14 model, no?

[raadsel]

You sure you have a '13?  A build date of June '13 would be a '14 model, no?

 

I have no idea when they switched from building 2013s to 2014s but mine is a 2013. I suppose it could be another of those strange etis issues. Additionally, I can unlock the doors by touching a rear door handle -- which the 2014s couldn't do.

 

Wasn't the 2014 C-Max not available until late in the year (November or December)? It is possible that they didn't switch over to building the 2014 C-Max until later in the summer.

[Adrian_L]

My '13 SEL was built in November of '12 which would suggest the rear handle sensors were added in later '13 models but then dropped in the '14 models. 

Very strange....

[Bill-N]

Maybe not in Canada.  :)

 

With FOB in pocket I can unlock my 2013 SEL by the front and rear door handles and by pushing the release latch under the hatch handle, the rear hatch unlocks but not the doors.  Build date is Nov. 2012.

 

Agreed.

 

I think part of the problem is semantics.  In my view, the rear hatch doesn't really have a lock as do the doors.  Ii's more of an electric latch which is activated from under the hatch handle.

 

As an aside, this is why having jumper cables stored in the rear is a bad idea.  The rear hatch cannot be opened when the 12V battery is dead.  At least not on 2013 models.

 

 

Cheers.

[raadsel]

Agreed.

 

I think part of the problem is semantics.  In my view, the rear hatch doesn't really have a lock as do the doors.  Ii's more of an electric latch which is activated from under the hatch handle.

 

As an aside, this is why having jumper cables stored in the rear is a bad idea.  The rear hatch cannot be opened when the 12V battery is dead.  At least not on 2013 models.

 

 

Cheers.

 

It seems like jumper cables would fit well under the driver's seat, in the compartment where the charging cable is stored in the Energi.

[Adrian_L]

What about in that cavern under the armrest?   You could probably fit a small dog in there.

 

But seriously......with a dead battery, you can't open the hatch with the metal key in the FOB?  Doesn't the NHTSA insist on a manual unlock option in the rare event that kids/animals/your mother-in-law gets locked in there?

 

[Bill-N]

But seriously......with a dead battery, you can't open the hatch with the metal key in the FOB?

 

 

Correct.

[plus 3 golfer]

It seems like jumper cables would fit well under the driver's seat, in the compartment where the charging cable is stored in the Energi.

That's where I store them in my Hybrid.

[fbov]

My '13 SEL was built in November of '12 which would suggest the rear handle sensors were added in later '13 models but then dropped in the '14 models. 

 

Very strange....

No, you just have intermittent or non-functional sensors in your rear handles.

 

I assure you they were present in at least one car built 19.9.2012. Intermittent operation, as I've reported, is far more likely than random feature deletion. Like I said, it's the backup to the front handle that's always malfunctioning half of the year (been fine the last few months... wait, it's summertime!)

 

Have fun,

Frank

[Adrian_L]

Sacre bleu----I got the year wrong.  Car was born in November, 2013.

 

I can assure you, as I sit here living and breathing, and having inspected the car in the bright September sunshine, that the driver's handle has a sensor, about 1/2" x 1/2", and the rear passenger door has none. 

Edited September 14, 2015 by Adrian_L

[plus 3 golfer]

Here's the control diagram for the keyless entry with push button start and a pic of the rear door handle showing the electrical circuit to the handle (front handle is similar) from the 2013 workshop manual.  Also, I can't visually see sensors under any of the door handles but obviously the sensors are there as touching the door handles unlock the car.  The RF antenna enable the keyless entry key FOB to be validated.  The hatch unlock evidently does not have a sensor.

 

 

[ArizonaEnergi]

Sacre bleu----I got the year wrong.  Car was born in November, 2013.

 

I can assure you, as I sit here living and breathing, and having inspected the car in the bright September sunshine, that the driver's handle has a sensor, about 1/2" x 1/2", and the rear passenger door has none. 

 

Didn't "Build 2" start in about August 2013?  That may be why yours is missing this function.  Mine built Jan 2013 has the rear door sensors.

Edited September 14, 2015 by ArizonaEnergi

[raadsel]

Didn't "Build 2" start in about August 2013?  That may be why yours is missing this function.  Mine built Jan 2013 has the rear door sensors.

 

I've been wondering when "Job 2" started. I saw it stated elsewhere, though not from an official source, that the 2013 C-Max was built until Dec 2013; I found this after it was suggested my build date, as shown on etis.ford.com, was after they stopped building the 2013s. With Adrian reporting his build date was Nov 2013, that would support 2013 production ending in December -- but the lack of sensors on the rear door handles suggests that it was a Job 2 build.

[fbov]

Sacre bleu----I got the year wrong.  Car was born in November, 2013.

 

I can assure you, as I sit here living and breathing, and having inspected the car in the bright September sunshine, that the driver's handle has a sensor, about 1/2" x 1/2", and the rear passenger door has none. 

Sorry, Adrian, the black thing is a locking sensor.

 

The front doors have a black locking sensor, and it's not what we're talking about. The black one allows me to lock the car after closing the door, as with a key.

 

Behind it (and on the back door) is a second sensor that unlocks the door. This one is not externally visible, but the door unlocks... intermittently, of course.

 

Frank

[Adrian_L]

I stand corrected.  My rear doors won't open from the inside (child lock off) so that might be two things for the dealership to look at, when I get around to taking the car in for overdue recalls.

[Redshift]

You grab the lock on the back door and it unlocks the hatch? I'm not sure what that means, did you mean the rear passenger door handle?

 

Did you mean that, or did you mean you can grab the hatch button with the FOB and the hatch opens, or did you mean you can unlock the rear doors by grabbing the handle?

 

The thread is about the rear passenger doors unlocking (or not) when the front door handles are grabbed.

Sorry. I misread the post. I was talking about the hatch, not the back doors. There are no sensors on the back doors so to unlock them you have to use the key fob or unlock a front door.

[nsteblay]

I have a 2013 SEL and I can open the locked rear hatch by touching the back hatch handle if my key fob is present.  It does not unlock all the doors.  I like the feature because I can lock the car when I exit and then open the hatch to get my back pack for work.  I would be surprised if Ford changed this but apparently they did.

[stevedebi]

I have a 2013 SEL and I can open the locked rear hatch by touching the back hatch handle if my key fob is present.  It does not unlock all the doors.  I like the feature because I can lock the car when I exit and then open the hatch to get my back pack for work.  I would be surprised if Ford changed this but apparently they did.

Actually I find it useful that the back doors don't unlock. I often don't hear the doors lock when I press the button on the front handle. I can pull the rear handle to make sure the car is locked!

[fbov]

... There are no sensors on the back doors so to unlock them you have to use the key fob or unlock a front door.

You don't see a sensor, so you've assumed there is none present. The unlock sensors are not visible on either front or rear doors. That's a locking sensor you see up front.

 

Actually I find it useful that the back doors don't unlock. I often don't hear the doors lock when I press the button on the front handle. I can pull the rear handle to make sure the car is locked!

When I do that, the car unlocks and the rear door opens.

 

Since I have an intermittent front door unlock sensor, I very often use the rear door to unlock the vehicle. It doesn't always work, evidence the rear sensor is also intermittent. TSB's been applied twice, third time, they "couldn't find the problem" despite a demonstration. If this were a reliable system...

 

Frank

[raadsel]

You don't see a sensor, so you've assumed there is none present. The unlock sensors are not visible on either front or rear doors. That's a locking sensor you see up front.

 

When I do that, the car unlocks and the rear door opens.

 

Since I have an intermittent front door unlock sensor, I very often use the rear door to unlock the vehicle. It doesn't always work, evidence the rear sensor is also intermittent. TSB's been applied twice, third time, they "couldn't find the problem" despite a demonstration. If this were a reliable system...

 

Frank

 

This does appear to be a feature only on the 2013 C-Max, it appears the rear door sensors were removed starting with the 2014 C-Max. I do agree, though, they are nice to have. 

 

I drove a 2014 C-Max for a weekend and, like stevedebi, I made sure I had locked the car by using the rear door handles. Since I purchased my 2013, I merely make sure I can see the light on the center console that shows the doors are locked.

[BIG ROCCO]

Our 2013 SEL rear door handles did seem to have the sensors, our 2015 identically equipped (even paint color) SEL does not appear to have the sensors... so I think that is a vote for: yes, LESS intelligent

[C-MaxSea]

This does appear to be a feature only on the 2013 C-Max, it appears the rear door sensors were removed starting with the 2014 C-Max. I do agree, though, they are nice to have. 

 

I drove a 2014 C-Max for a weekend and, like stevedebi, I made sure I had locked the car by using the rear door handles. Since I purchased my 2013, I merely make sure I can see the light on the center console that shows the doors are locked.

 

We always watch the light on the door mirror flash when locking (in case of noise interference) - no need for rechecking to see if it is locked.

 

:dance: :dance: :dance: so glad we got one of those magic 2013's with the any door unlock feature - we use the back doors a lot.

 

Nick

Edited October 7, 2015 by C-MaxSea