2016~2023 Is there a way to disable the CX-9 remote liftgate feature?

[Glaucus]

I added a hitch to my 2017 GT with the intent of using it for a bike rack. My big worry is that we'll accidentally hit the Hatch Open button on the remote and bam, I cause major damage to the liftgate (my wife accidentally triggered the liftgate when she came home late and bent over to plug the car in over night. The key was in her pocket with other stuff and must have been pinched. She didn't notice it and I found the car with the hatch wide open the next morning. Video survailance proved that that's what happened and also proved that no one walked by our car the entire night. What a close call!).

There doesn't seem to me an option in the infotainment settings sections. I know the firmware version is pretty old, wondering if newer firmware adds it as an option? Or perhaps there's a key fob button combo I can press to disable it?

For now what I've done is place copper pipe insulation around the bike carrier's vertical bar that would make first contact with the liftgate while opening. Not sure that would be enough to prevent damage though.

One other option would be to set the liftgate's lift height to be 2 inches. Not sure it would even accept that, but it might be worth a try.

Anyone out there with other suggestions?

 

[Trip CX90]

I was curious about this myself but from what I can tell, there is no way to turn it off through software. The hands-free, kick activation can be disabled in the system menu but not fully defeating any remote operation.

Best bet is to probably locate the fuse and pull it. But, the door will always stay locked since the release buttons are all electrical also. If you remove the bike rack want to use the rear liftgate, you’ll have to put the fuse back in.

 

[BigBear]

I was curious about this myself but from what I can tell, there is no way to turn it off through software. The hands-free, kick activation can be disabled in the system menu but not fully defeating any remote operation.

Best bet is to probably locate the fuse and pull it. But, the door will always stay locked since the release buttons are all electrical also. If you remove the bike rack want to use the rear liftgate, you’ll have to put the fuse back in.

Hi. When you added your hitch, did you notice that your lift gate wouldn't operate properly? For instance, I added a hitch to mine and since then the lift gate will initially open 1/3 to 1/2 way. Then I need to close it and re-open via the remote.

Also, where at did you find this setting "The hands-free, kick activation can be disabled in the system menu"?

 

[sm1ke]

I added a hitch to my 2017 GT with the intent of using it for a bike rack. My big worry is that we'll accidentally hit the Hatch Open button on the remote and bam, I cause major damage to the liftgate (my wife accidentally triggered the liftgate when she came home late and bent over to plug the car in over night. The key was in her pocket with other stuff and must have been pinched. She didn't notice it and I found the car with the hatch wide open the next morning. Video survailance proved that that's what happened and also proved that no one walked by our car the entire night. What a close call!).

There doesn't seem to me an option in the infotainment settings sections. I know the firmware version is pretty old, wondering if newer firmware adds it as an option? Or perhaps there's a key fob button combo I can press to disable it?

For now what I've done is place copper pipe insulation around the bike carrier's vertical bar that would make first contact with the liftgate while opening. Not sure that would be enough to prevent damage though.

One other option would be to set the liftgate's lift height to be 2 inches. Not sure it would even accept that, but it might be worth a try.

Anyone out there with other suggestions?

Two years too late, but the power liftgate operation can be disabled by pulling the fuse. With the fuse pulled (or blown), the car will simply beep three times instead of attempting to open the liftgate. The downside to this is that you may have to do a battery disconnect to reset the liftgate if you need to open it. But that can also be simplified by installing a battery disconnect switch on the battery itself.

 

[sm1ke]

Hi. When you added your hitch, did you notice that your lift gate wouldn't operate properly? For instance, I added a hitch to mine and since then the lift gate will initially open 1/3 to 1/2 way. Then I need to close it and re-open via the remote.

Also, where at did you find this setting "The hands-free, kick activation can be disabled in the system menu"?

For whatever reason, it doesn't seem to be detailed in the current Mazda Connect Owner's Manual, found here.

However, it does state that the setting should be found by choosing Settings from the home menu.