Key FOB Doesn't Lock Doors (2023 CX-5)

[StylingSequ]

Has anyone had issues with their key fob’s not locking their car?

I purchase my 2023 CX-5 about 3 months ago. And this has been happening right from the start. I’ll turn off the car and walk away. Sometimes, the door doesn’t lock, and when I come back, the door is unlocked. This doesn’t happen every time but fairly often. It’s hard to tell since I haven’t intentionally measured it. I would guess it happens about half of the time?

I’ve changed the key fob’s batteries with an Energizer CR2025. Since it still happens, I’ve measured the battery's voltage with a multimeter and the battery is fine. This problem is worrisome because I park this car in a public place. So there is a chance that someone might come along and take my stuff left in the car.

Has anyone encountered this and what have they done to fix it? I read one post which suggested that I just always make sure my car is locked when I walk away. But I would really like to fix this. It would be nice to just walk away instead of looking for my keys every time I park my car in a public area. It would be a nice convenience to not think about it.

 

[murky]

Not very helpful for your question, but I press the button on the door handle to lock my car every time. I wouldn't trust walk away and hope.

 

[HyFlyer]

You have to be fairly close to the car when the door closes. Say, if you push the door and walk away immediately as the door is closing, you'll be too far away when the door closes and it does not lock. Close the door while standing close, you'll hear a single beep tone (armed) and when you walk away all of the turn signals flash once indicating the car locked.

Same with the rear hatch. If you're not close when it actually closes, the car does not lock.

 

[Conrad 16.5]

I don't understand.

You know that your car seems to be having issues with locking and yet, you still walk away without checking to see if the doors are locked or not?

I know that these cars have some sort of walk away locking but I don't use it. I either lock the door from the inside just before closing the driver's door or I use the button on the outside door handle. No need to get the fob out of my pocket at all.

 

[StylingSequ]

I don't understand.

You know that your car seems to be having issues with locking and yet, you still walk away without checking to see if the doors are locked or not?

I know that these cars have some sort of walk away locking but I don't use it. I either lock the door from the inside just before closing the driver's door or I use the button on the outside door handle. No need to get the fob out of my pocket at all.

Autolocking is a standard feature on cars these days. I have a 2018 Honda CRV and all you have to do is just walk away. You don't have to worry. All cars do these now. And this Mazda car is supposed to do this. It does do this about half of the time.

You don't find it a bit annoying that this feature doesn't work when it works on all other cars? My CRV is 6 years old and it works perfectly.

 

[StylingSequ]

Not very helpful for your question, but I press the button on the door handle to lock my car every time. I wouldn't trust walk away and hope.

Kinda' sucks that we have to do wait to see if the car locks or not. I posted this on Reddit as well and apparently, this has been an issue since 2016. How in the world hasn't this been fixed yet?

I have a 2016 CRV and autolock works perfectly. You don't have to think about locking it. Just walk away and it locks automatically.

 

[StylingSequ]

You have to be fairly close to the car when the door closes. Say, if you push the door and walk away immediately as the door is closing, you'll be too far away when the door closes and it does not lock. Close the door while standing close, you'll hear a single beep tone (armed) and when you walk away all of the turn signals flash once indicating the car locked.

Same with the rear hatch. If you're not close when it actually closes, the car does not lock.

I'll check again tonight. I tested to see if it was an issue of distance or timing. It doesn't seem to be the case. Maybe you're right; you have to stand really close to make it work 100% of the time. I do know that it works most of the time when you just stand at a normal distance. I'll try to stand right next to the handle and see if that makes a difference.

 

[wlong01]

First world problems.
Just press the lock button on the door handle when you exit. Works every time.

 

[Conrad 16.5]

Autolocking is a standard feature on cars these days. I have a 2018 Honda CRV and all you have to do is just walk away. You don't have to worry. All cars do these now. And this Mazda car is supposed to do this. It does do this about half of the time.

You don't find it a bit annoying that this feature doesn't work when it works on all other cars? My CRV is 6 years old and it works perfectly.

I know that walk away locking is fairly standard these days. My point was/is, you know that your system is acting up and yet you are surprised when you come back to the car and find it unlocked.

Since you know that there's an issue, wouldn't it be a good idea to check on the status of the doors before you walk away? I understand that the system should work but until you get it resolved, you had better start checking the doors, otherwise you might not be the only one to find out that your doors are unlocked, then you might have a real surprise waiting for you.

 

[Conrad 16.5]

Kinda' sucks that we have to do wait to see if the car locks or not. I posted this on Reddit as well and apparently, this has been an issue since 2016. How in the world hasn't this been fixed yet?

I have a 2016 CRV and autolock works perfectly. You don't have to think about locking it. Just walk away and it locks automatically.

If this has been an issue since 2016, I'm surprised that there isn't more discussion of it here. Yes, it's been mentioned but not all that much I believe.

 

[SimpleCanuck]

Autolocking is a standard feature on cars these days.

Lower trims of CX-5 do not have it as standard. My '22 is one higher than base and it does not have auto-locking.

 

[sm1ke]

Autolock on 2018 Mazda CX-9

A slight change in behavior to ensure that the autolock function works 100% of the time.

www.youtube.com

It seems the detectable range between the keyfob and the proximity sensor may be wider on your CR-V than it is on most Mazdas. You don't necessarily have to walk alongside the car like I did in my video, just close the door and wait for the beep before walking away.

 

[Freedom55]

Has anyone had issues with their key fob’s not locking their car?

I purchase my 2023 CX-5 about 3 months ago. And this has been happening right from the start. I’ll turn off the car and walk away. Sometimes, the door doesn’t lock, and when I come back, the door is unlocked. This doesn’t happen every time but fairly often. It’s hard to tell since I haven’t intentionally measured it. I would guess it happens about half of the time?

I’ve changed the key fob’s batteries with an Energizer CR2025. Since it still happens, I’ve measured the battery's voltage with a multimeter and the battery is fine. This problem is worrisome because I park this car in a public place. So there is a chance that someone might come along and take my stuff left in the car.

Has anyone encountered this and what have they done to fix it? I read one post which suggested that I just always make sure my car is locked when I walk away. But I would really like to fix this. It would be nice to just walk away instead of looking for my keys every time I park my car in a public area. It would be a nice convenience to not think about it.

I believe 2020 and up use CR2032

 

[StylingSequ]

I believe 2020 and up use CR2032

You're right. The Mazda CX-5 key fob takes a CR3032. I found the following is from the manual.

I actually did purchase and use a CR2032; I just forgot when I posted my original comment. I don't think it would make a difference whether you use a CR2025 or CR2032. Both are 3V. The difference is the 2032 is thicker so it has a slightly higher capacity and lasts longer.

Nice catch.

 

[murky]

You're right. The Mazda CX-5 key fob takes a CR3032. I found the following is from the manual.

View attachment 324407

I actually did purchase and use a CR2032; I just forgot when I posted my original comment. I don't think it would make a difference whether you use a CR2025 or CR2032. Both are 3V. The difference is the 2032 is thicker so it has a slightly higher capacity and lasts longer.

Nice catch.

And makes higher pressure interface with electrical contacts.

 

[ceric]

Not sure if this matters, but try to avoid putting your fob in the same pocket as your cell phone. This used to be a problem in early years, but not sure if this remains an issue.
Interference is what I am getting at.

 

[Taraglen]

If you get out of your car and go to the boot/back of the car and do not walk back past a front door it does not auto lock. if you get the kids out or unload the boot and walk back past driver's door it will auto lock.

 

[GFrosty]

Has anyone had issues with their key fob’s not locking their car?

I’ll turn off the car and walk away. Sometimes, the door doesn’t lock, and when I come back, the door is unlocked. This doesn’t happen every time but fairly often.

@StylingSequ --

My 2016.5 CX-5 GT does this, now and then. But I'm convinced it's on me and my method of exiting the car.

So far as I've been able to determine, it's always tied to my rapidly exiting the car.

How I successfully get it to lock on its own when I exit the car:
1. Turn off the car; exit.
2. Close the door; hesitate for about half a second, by the door; then move away from the car.
3. It auto-locks every time. Always.

I've fiddled with the distance from the car and the speed of my moving away from the car, but generally speaking it seems to fail to auto-lock when I move too quickly away from the car as the door's closing or just after it has fully closed. Something about the Advanced Keyless Entry System's recognition of the key fob (in my pocket). Exit more slowly, it always recognizes it; but, exit too rapidly and move away from the car too rapidly, the system will frequently fail to recognize the fob's exited the car.

Of course, I'd wish the car would be speedy enough to recognize this under all conditions, but that's not the case. A minor adjustment in my method, and the problem's sidestepped.

I'd suggest simply slowing your exit from the car. Deliberately close the door, briefly wait by that door for a moment, then begin moving away. I'll bet you will start to see it always locking; else, slow down some more, giving it the time necessary to recognize the fob's outside the car.

 

[HyFlyer]

For me, knowing if I move away faster leaves the doors unlocked is a feature advantage when I don't want the doors to lock.

example: I'm unloading some equipment/stuff from the car and although I don't want to leave the door open, I don't want it to lock because I'm coming right back to get more, or someone (without my key) needs access.

Step away slow, car locks. Step away fast car doesn't lock. Brilliant I have control over what it does simple by the rate my feet ZoomZoom away. Love it.