Accidental lock in

[SoupDragon]

April 23rd I received my Fabia 1.2 Tsi 110 with DSG Estate. I have had no problems until now but yesterday, I was out with my wife shopping. I wanted to go to PC World and my wife did not so she stayed in the car. I closed the door, walked away from the car and blipped the remote locking as I do by habit. Ten minutes later my wife phoned me to tell me that 1) I had locked her in and she could find no way out 2) it was boiling hot and she could not open the windows 3) every time she blinked the alarm went off. She was really annoyed and so was I at myself. Is this really the intended default action of remote locking, to trap anyone inside the car with no physical way of escaping? I can hardly believe that it was so easy to do and I am worried that, even though I know how devastating the effect can be, I could easily do it again. Has any one else faced this situation and is there a way of opening the doors from inside the car when they are locked.

[Rustynuts]

You want your car to be secure I presume? That's the function of deadlocking it by pressing the remote button once.

If you want to leave your wife in the car either get her to lock the car from the inside with the button when you get out, or double press on the remote locks the car but disables the proximity alarm and the deadlocks.

[Hingysaid]

Does the fabia have the central lock / unlock button near the gear stick .... Assume that would still work?

Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk

[SoupDragon]

Hi Rustynuts, thanks for the info, I did not know the two modes of security, but that is my point. The default mode, one blip and walk away, is the double lock mode. Surely the less secure mode should be one blip and two blips for the  extra security. Have you ever seen a wild tiger trapped in a cage?

[SoupDragon]

Beware Hingysaid, the single blip lock mode overrides the lock/unlock button inside the car and it does not let you out. See Rustynuts information.

[gadgetman]

Does the fabia have the central lock / unlock button near the gear stick .... Assume that would still work?

Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk

No, only the remote will unlock deadlocked doors.

There's a button on the B pillar next to the seat you can press to lock people in the car.

[Rustynuts]

Hi Rustynuts, thanks for the info, I did not know the two modes of security, but that is my point. The default mode, one blip and walk away, is the double lock mode. Surely the less secure mode should be one blip and two blips for the  extra security. Have you ever seen a wild tiger trapped in a cage?

 

Yes, I did it with my wife as well....

[pfaff]

I had two keys, both with remote, for the car...

[rum4mo]

Well funnily enough I can equal that, I tend to leave the cars in the locked garage unlocked, so one day, I got into my S4 and must have reached over towards the passenger side and heard the car lock - I must have pressed the key which was in my pocket -  gave me a bit of a wake call when I discover that the only thing that can unlock the car is the key which I have maybe in "a" pocket somewhere!

[Rustynuts]

I can better that even. Many years ago with my Mk2 Escort which was kept in the barn on the farm, I was fitting new rear shocks one evening. The top bolts in the boot were proving a little hard to tighten at arms length so I squeezed a leg in and did one side. Then to the other side and I squeezed the other leg in... the weight of the boot spoiler dropped the boot shut - "Click" and I was in the dark... locked in the boot of the car... in a barn... about 1/4 of a mile from anyone else within possible earshot....

I laughed for a few minutes until I realised that no one can hear you scream in such circumstances. About 2 hours later I was heard by my brother and finally let out.

[rum4mo]

Ouch, okay you've beat me! (I had two MK2 Escort 1.6 Ghias - meant to get a purple 1.3E Escort but saw that the 1.6 Ghia made more sense)

[DGW]

This major safety issue is covered in detail in the Owners Manual (below) and a warning appears in the instrument display each time the ignition is switched off.

SafeLock

 Read and observe ! and ! on 50 first.

The door locks are locked automatically if the vehicle is locked from the out-side. The vehicle cannot now be opened from the inside.

This fact is pointed out by the following message on the display of the instrument cluster after switching off the ignition.

 Check SAFELOCK! Owner's Manual!

 CHECK SAFELOCK

Switching off

The SafeLock can be switched off in one of the following ways.

› By locking twice within 2 seconds.

› By disabling interior monitoring » page 55, Interior monitor and towing protection. If the vehicle is locked and the SafeLock system is switched off, the door can be opened separately from the inside by a single pull on the opening lever.

Switching on

The safelock switches on automatically the next time the vehicle is locked and unlocked.

Switch-off display

The warning icon in the driver door flashes for about 2 seconds fast, goes out and starts to flash regularly at longer intervals after about 30 seconds.

Switch-on display

The warning light flashes for around 2 seconds in quick succession, afterwards it begins to flash evenly at longer intervals.

WARNING

If the car is locked and the SafeLock system activated, no-one may remain in the car as it will then not be possible to either unlock a door or open a window from the inside. The locked doors make it more difficult for rescu- ers to get into the vehicle in an emergency – risk to life!

[stug45]

Why did you lock her in anyway?!

Hehe

[Phil-E]

If you're going to leave your wife unattended in a car you should make sure you leave the windows open to give her some fresh air and also leave some water for her.

 

I still can't believe people can be so cruel as to leave their wife in a hot car! Don't you realise how many die in hot cars?!

 

  :p

[alltorque]

A wife is for life, not just for shopping.

[pipsyp]

Yeah you have to be very very careful on VAG cars....on most it's first press lock, 2nd press deadlock but it's the reverse on these things.

Once deadlocked far short of kicking a window out or if you have manual rear windows and are very slim/bit of a contortionist you are not getting out.

In fairness the newer cars do warn you each time the ignition is turned off but it's not very clear.