2022 CX-5 Key fob question regarding car camping

[Ess925]

Hello, 2022 CX-5 Sport questions. I will be car camping this winter in the southwest. For safety reasons, I will need to be able to lock my vehicle from the inside (while I am in it). As I understand it, my key fob and vehicle "communicate" when in close proximity; will this activity drain my battery? It has been suggested that I need to put my fob in a Faraday pouch. Is this something I need to be concerned about?


Also, is there a way for me to open and close the back hatch while I am in the car?


Any advisement or thoughts will be appreciated. This is my first go at this; my camping gear is all in order, but I want to be sure that I am clear on all the vehicle related items that will need to be considered. Thank you!

 

[sm1ke]

Yes, I believe if the keyfob is inside the cabin, the vehicle will not completely power down and may drain the battery. A Faraday pouch or box would be a good idea, but a test should be done first to make sure it works. And carry a portable battery booster just in case, if you don't already plan to keep one in the car.

You can open the rear hatch from the inside by removing the trim cover above the latch and manually releasing the lever. Be sure that you unlock the car before you do this to avoid triggering an alarm. The process should be detailed in your owner's manual, in the "When Liftgate Cannot be Opened" section.

 

[stickerbush]

Unless you are camping in an urban area I don't see why you'd need to lock doors. You wouldn't be able to lock a tent if you were using one.

You will need to keep some of the windows open a bit, else the moisture you create when breathing will make the interior quite wet. If it's cold outside, moisture may condense on the inside of the metal body panels.

 

[Ess925]

Yes, I believe if the keyfob is inside the cabin, the vehicle will not completely power down and may drain the battery. A Faraday pouch or box would be a good idea, but a test should be done first to make sure it works. And carry a portable battery booster just in case, if you don't already plan to keep one in the car.

You can open the rear hatch from the inside by removing the trim cover above the latch and manually releasing the lever. Be sure that you unlock the car before you do this to avoid triggering an alarm. The process should be detailed in your owner's manual, in the "When Liftgate Cannot be Opened" section.

Yes, I will have a battery booster with me. Hmmmm, it sounds like it may be easier to use the rear doors instead of the hatch. Thank you!

 

[Ess925]

Unless you are camping in an urban area I don't see why you'd need to lock doors. You wouldn't be able to lock a tent if you were using one.

You will need to keep some of the windows open a bit, else the moisture you create when breathing will make the interior quite wet. If it's cold outside, moisture may condense on the inside of the metal body panels.

I will be sleeping in a variety of situations, e.g. Hipcamp, campgrounds, Walmart, etc. As a woman traveling alone, well with 2 dogs, locking the doors is a basic safety precaution, as is bear spray.
Yes, I will be keeping all the windows open a few inches, enough for air flow but not enough for anyone to get their hand through. Thank you!

 

[youri]

Does anyone have the reference for the vehicle not powering down when the key is inside ? I am not sure that is truly the case (but don’t really have proof that it will or will not either).

Note that with keyless entry the vehicle is never fully off and is always looking for that battery signal even when the battery are kor in the car.

But better safe than sorry, using a faraday pouch should prevent it and is not hard to do. Make sure to test the pouch (put the key in it and try to start the car) to confirm it works well.

 

[youri]

Also, if your car has a power liftgate, there is a button on the front to open the hatch, or you might be able to use the car keyfob to open it (you need to test it first to see if it works from inside the vehicle).

 

[RedBaron]

When we went to Disney, I got a spare (non-RFID) key cut to lock the door with, then left the fob in the back trunk in one of the two rear-side 'cubbies'. Worked well. The fob was far enough away from the front that you couldn't unlock the door with the button. Now this was our 2019, so not sure if the same applies to a '22, but you could always test it.

 

[ctbale]

When we went to Disney, I got a spare (non-RFID) key cut to lock the door with, then left the fob in the back trunk in one of the two rear-side 'cubbies'. Worked well. The fob was far enough away from the front that you couldn't unlock the door with the button. Now this was our 2019, so not sure if the same applies to a '22, but you could always test it.

Wow, that's interesting. I have a cx-9 which is even longer then a cx5. I have a spare plain shank key. So the car can't see the fob if it's all the way in the back? That's interesting. Thanks for that info

 

[Ess925]

When we went to Disney, I got a spare (non-RFID) key cut to lock the door with, then left the fob in the back trunk in one of the two rear-side 'cubbies'. Worked well. The fob was far enough away from the front that you couldn't unlock the door with the button. Now this was our 2019, so not sure if the same applies to a '22, but you could always test it.

Interesting. I will get a spare made and give it a try. Thanks!

 

[7eregrine]

The fob does not constantly actively communicate with the car. Source: I've left my fobs in my car countless times and my batteries last forever, literally years. I have no doubt this hasn't changed in the newer cars.

 

[ceric]

A faraday box is cheap on Amazon.
Problem solved. $20.
I got one to store my keys at home.
Tested it and it worked as expected.

 

[youri]

When a keyfob is left in the vehicle and the car is locked from the outside (i.e. you leave the car). The car recognize that key is left in the car and deactivates it. You wouldn’t be able to unlock the car door without another fob from outside the car.

So you don’t need to stash the fob in the rear of the car, you can leave it anywhere inside.

 

[Conrad 16.5]

Yes, I believe if the keyfob is inside the cabin, the vehicle will not completely power down and may drain the battery. A Faraday pouch or box would be a good idea, but a test should be done first to make sure it works. And carry a portable battery booster just in case, if you don't already plan to keep one in the car.

You can open the rear hatch from the inside by removing the trim cover above the latch and manually releasing the lever. Be sure that you unlock the car before you do this to avoid triggering an alarm. The process should be detailed in your owner's manual, in the "When Liftgate Cannot be Opened" section.

The OP is talking about fob batteries, and you suggest having a battery booster, 'just in case'. Are you saying that because the fob is in the cabin that the cars 12v battery is going to go dead?

I don't believe that's the case at all. That would be a serious design flaw, IMO.

 

[Conrad 16.5]

Are 'we' worried about the cars 12v battery or the fobs battery?

If you're worried about the fobs battery why not have an extra in the car, just in case?

Of course, we ALL know that if the fobs battery is dead there is still a method to start the car, right?

We all know this right?

 

[sm1ke]

When we went to Disney, I got a spare (non-RFID) key cut to lock the door with, then left the fob in the back trunk in one of the two rear-side 'cubbies'. Worked well. The fob was far enough away from the front that you couldn't unlock the door with the button. Now this was our 2019, so not sure if the same applies to a '22, but you could always test it.

How long were you away from the car during that time?

When a keyfob is left in the vehicle and the car is locked from the outside (i.e. you leave the car). The car recognize that key is left in the car and deactivates it. You wouldn’t be able to unlock the car door without another fob from outside the car.

So you don’t need to stash the fob in the rear of the car, you can leave it anywhere inside.

You tested this on your car? I'm about to test mine while I'm at work, just to satisfy my curiosity lol

The OP is talking about fob batteries, and you suggest having a battery booster, 'just in case'. Are you saying that because the fob is in the cabin that the cars 12v battery is going to go dead?

I don't believe that's the case at all. That would be a serious design flaw, IMO.

That's an assumption on your part. My post assumes that @Ess925 is referencing the car's battery, not the keyfob, but it is written in a way that could apply to either the car battery or the keyfob battery. The portable battery booster recommendation was due to the car's battery drain concerns, but it's also just good sense to carry a portable battery booster in the car.

It could be the case, which is probably why the OP posed the question in the first place. "Smart" keyless systems work on a process of check and verify. The keyfob is always "on", sending out a weak signal. When the keyfob is close enough, the car interprets that signal (the check) and waits for a request from the keyfob to verify an action (engine start, unlock door, etc.). If there is no request made, the check times out, and the process repeats. This is what drains the car battery, if the car doesn't have a system in place to deactivate a keyfob in close proximity. Some new cars have this system in place, and some don't.

 

[Ess925]

Are 'we' worried about the cars 12v battery or the fobs battery?

If you're worried about the fobs battery why not have an extra in the car, just in case?

Of course, we ALL know that if the fobs battery is dead there is still a method to start the car, right?

We all know this right?

Whoops, I see that I wasn't clear. I was concerned that the "communication" between the fob and the vehicle would drain the vehicle's battery.
Mmmm, no, I didn't know that there is a way to start the vehicle if the fob's battery is dead. Wouldn't that mean that the car could also be started without the fob? Please explain to someone who isn't a car person (me)

 

[Ess925]

"Smart" keyless systems work on a process of check and verify. The keyfob is always "on", sending out a weak signal. When the keyfob is close enough, the car interprets that signal (the check) and waits for a request from the keyfob to verify an action (engine start, unlock door, etc.). If there is no request made, the check times out, and the process repeats. This is what drains the car battery, if the car doesn't have a system in place to deactivate a keyfob in close proximity. Some new cars have this system in place, and some don't.

Ok, that makes sense. So it sounds like I need to check with the Mazda dealership to see how my keyless system works and whether it will deactivate the key fob when it is inside the car.

 

[sm1ke]

@Ess925, if you want, you could test your use case right now.

Turn the car off and leave your keyfob in the cupholder, then lock all the doors. The car should beep a bunch of times to remind you that they keyfob is inside the car - ignore this and make sure all the doors are locked. Ensure your other keyfob is well out of range of the car.

Wait an hour or two inside the car, ensuring that you don't touch the keyfob at all. Now try to start the car without touching the keyfob. If the car doesn't respond, or you get a key error, pick up the key and drop it in the cup holder to "wake" it.

Try to start the car again. If the car starts, you have a keyfob that will sleep and not drain the battery if it's left in the car. If the car starts on the first push, before touching the key, don't leave your key in or near the vehicle because it doesn't have a “sleep” mode.

If you don't want to wait in the car, you can also do this test by leaving the driver's side window open all the way. Just make sure you can park it in a safe place (like a locked garage) and that you can reach the engine start button without opening the door. When you come back to the car later, press the engine start button. If the instrument cluster says "No key detected", you're good to go. But if it says "depress the brake and push the start button" or something like that, the keyfob doesn't go to sleep and you would need to use a Faraday box to block the signal.

 

[Ess925]

@Ess925, if you want, you could test your use case right now.

Turn the car off and leave your keyfob in the cupholder, then lock all the doors. The car should beep a bunch of times to remind you that they keyfob is inside the car - ignore this and make sure all the doors are locked. Ensure your other keyfob is well out of range of the car.

Wait an hour or two inside the car, ensuring that you don't touch the keyfob at all. Now try to start the car without touching the keyfob. If the car doesn't respond, or you get a key error, pick up the key and drop it in the cup holder to "wake" it.

Try to start the car again. If the car starts, you have a keyfob that will sleep and not drain the battery if it's left in the car. If the car starts on the first push, before touching the key, don't leave your key in or near the vehicle because it doesn't have a “sleep” mode.

If you don't want to wait in the car, you can also do this test by leaving the driver's side window open all the way. Just make sure you can park it in a safe place (like a locked garage) and that you can reach the engine start button without opening the door. When you come back to the car later, press the engine start button. If the instrument cluster says "No key detected", you're good to go. But if it says "depress the brake and push the start button" or something like that, the keyfob doesn't go to sleep and you would need to use a Faraday box to block the signal.

I will do this later today. Thank you!