Automatic Rear Hatch

[jestevens]

I have the technology package with the kick to open/close door and twice now it has almost "crushed" bystanders who were loading and unloading cargo into the back. 

 

Seems I was back there so my fob was close enough to the antenna that when they were moving around loading and unloading cargo the car thought I was triggering the sensor.  They look dumbfounded but I was able to recognize what was going on and hold the door open, wonderful grinding noise and now one seal on piston sounds squeaky when it closes but at least my friends weren't hurt.

[AZgman]

Yeah, that is bad. I also heard my car locking/unlocking as I sprayed water on it to wash it. I guess it thought it was my hand on the door handle. The technology is not perfect.

[raadsel]

I've been loading groceries and shuffled my feet, and had the rear liftgate try to close on me. I can't really complain too much about it, the system thought I kicked my foot under the bumper and I'd rather have it "too sensitive" than not sensitive enough. Looking at it from a design standpoint, I'm not sure what they could really do to "fix" the issue and still have the liftgate be responsive to most kicks; and they did design it to come down relatively slowly, to prevent injuries if it does come down on a person. Though that leads to another minor complaint, again with no real fix, that it seems to take forever to open/close when you are in a hurry. ;)

[AZgman]

I think they should have incorporated a light sensor that would prevent the door from coming down if the path is obstructed. You know, like garage door openers have worked for the last 20 years...

[jestevens]

Hmm, if it's a separate sensor under the bumper I bet it could be disconnected, but for now I'll just be more aware of it.  Maybe I'll stand away from the car if other folks are loading and unloading cargo..

[rjam]

Mine has always worked perfectly. When I use it I raise my foot with a slight swing. If I have the hatch open I have never had it come down. I have it open when I vac and clean with my feet moving deck and forth. I do not think any measure needs to be taken. Enjoy the convenience without worry.

[Bobby]

Two items. The rear liftgate on mine. Like all 4 of my windows.  Has a safety, bounce-back feature. That prevents anyone from geting in a pinch. Convenience wise. Having said that. Have tried and tried; to get the kick liftgate feature to work on mine. W/o success. Have checked most of the fuses. Front and rear. According to the owner's manual. There is (apperently) a fuse box, located under the glove box. That I've yet to find. Real reason I am posting is ;where do people think the bestplace to hide the spare key is? Not inside car I'd guess. Have been locked out a couple of times. When I had the liftgate open! Thanks for anyone's time...Bob

 

 

[David McC]

On 8/9/2022 at 1:48 PM, Bobby said:

Real reason I am posting is ;where do people think the best place to hide the spare key is? Not inside car I'd guess. Have been locked out a couple of times. When I had the liftgate open! Thanks for anyone's time...Bob

 

 

I don't think it's really possible, as with a key nearby you can unlock the car by grabbing the front door handle or opening the lift gate. If you want to risk having someone get in, you could probably hide it up in a fender well with a magnetic box. you could probably hide it somewhere inside the car, like in one of the bins in the rear foot well or in the rear compartment. I'm not sure if the car will lock with a key inside though. Personally, I wouldn't risk it. I keep my spare key in the house in a safe place.

 

 

Edited August 10, 2022 by David McC

[Bobby]

Was thinking that too. Not really too disgruntled. Had to climb in the back....but if that's what it takes ,easy enough....?

[nogoodbum]

The first few days I had my car I could not get my lift-gate to work regularly until I learned the trick of kick-step back. If I stayed too near the hatch, it would not open. As far as hiding the spare key fob goes, I believe as part of the passive anti-theft system the car is in alert mode 24/7 for when the correct key fob is in range & I don't think you can hide spare on or in car & keep it secure. My owners manual suggests not keeping both keys on the same key ring to guard against conflicting signals [I guess], & having spare around  car will result in the same [again I guess] Thanks for the read.

[cr08]

Yes, keeping the key (especially if yours is keyless) near the car in any way is a bad idea. It will not only cause increased consistent drain on the keyfob battery but also the car's own battery as systems remain awake when it sees the key nearby. You could possibly find a 'faraday cage' box for it. They exist. I know CarMax uses them pretty heavily as they keep the keys attached to the vehicle in one of these locked boxes. But I'd still recommend against it.

 

As far as the liftgate goes, you'll just have to try the different positions. If you haven't had any modifications to the rear bumper or an added hitch receiver, it should work just about anywhere. IF you've added a hitch for example, that will change things. In my experience with my '13 with a hitch added, I need to specifically stick the toe of my foot up in the bumper cavity just to the right of the hitch receiver for it to trigger. But it has been very consistent and reliable doing this. This may be worth a shot even if you don't have a hitch installed.