Stop locking the doors!

[frictioncircle]

My 2014 i3 BEV would lock all doors when driving away, and it drove me nuts. Fortunately I was able to add the "disable" option by coding with E-SYS:

HU_NBT

Disable auto door locking
3000 HMI, 98 DOOR_LOCK_AFTER_DRIVING_AWAY aktiv
This puts the choice to enable / disable the drive-away locking into iDrive Doors/Keys settings

Having had my 2021 i3s BEV for a few months, I was able to locate DOOR_LOCK_AFTER_DRIVING_AWAY using Bimmercode in Expert Mode and enable the menu option for use in iDrive.

The "Lock after starting to drive" option is now shown under "Vehicle Settings > Doors/Key" but regardless of whether I have the box checked or not, my car still automatically locks all doors once vehicle speed is above 5mph or so.

Even if I manually unlock all doors following an auto-lock cycle, the car will again lock all doors.

Effectively (even with coding), it does not seem possible to keep my doors unlocked while driving.

Any suggestions?

 

[Anonymous]

May not be possible since it is a mandated safety feature.

 

[frictioncircle]

MKH –

Your posts are always spot-on. That said, after a bit of searching I cannot find a link stating that automatic door-locking is mandated in the US.

Could you please share a link to a supporting page?

Thanks!

 

[Anonymous]

It's to meet the Federal (and Global Harmonized) safety standards for front, rear, and side impact, and rollover protection. In each, to meet the standard, one of the criteria is that the car's doors must stay closed through the crash test (to keep the car's passenger compartment intact and prevent driver/passenger being ejected or partially ejected from the car during a collision). When testing showed that locked doors stay closed where unlocked doors often didn't' during the crash tests, manufacturers developed the auto lock system, which locks the doors of moving vehicles, and then unlocks them after the seat belt retention system and/or airbag is deployed, to allow emergency services vehicle access after a crash.

Doubly important in an i3, which has no center pillar - the (closed) rear door supports the roof and keeps it from being crushed in, in the event of a rollover

 

[frictioncircle]

MKH –

Could you share a link that shows this being a mandated safety feature in the US?

I've done some searching of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and can't find anything regarding automatic door locking.

Thanks!

 

[BLINGMW]

The reason no-one's posted it is because it doesn't exist. For example our 2018 Metris has an option in a very user accessible menu that lets you choose auto lock or not. Why BMW forced it, I have no clue. Drives me nuts every day in the kid pick-up line.

 

[emgroff]

Yes, as a person with a kid, this feature is frustrating. I also tried disabled it through Bimmercode with no luck. I've just trained myself to press the "unlock" button whenever I open the door, no matter what.

(Back in the day, I had a 1991 Honda Civic that didn't make any sound if you left the headlights on. After killing my battery a couple times, I took to putting a clothespin on the door handle whenever I turned the lights on. Gotta do what you gotta do.)

 

[frictioncircle]

The reason no-one's posted it is because it doesn't exist. For example our 2018 Metris has an option in a very user accessible menu that lets you choose auto lock or not. Why BMW forced it, I have no clue. Drives me nuts every day in the kid pick-up line.

It even auto-locks when driving in reverse! Ugh I can't stand it!

 

[frictioncircle]

I've just trained myself to press the "unlock" button whenever I open the door, no matter what.

There is an option in iDrive's Settings, under the "Locks" heading, that will unlock all doors and hatch when the car is switched off via the Start/Stop button.

It helps a little bit but I'd much rather it work the way it used to... just leave the locking to me, thanks.

 

[eNate]

I have to say this topic perplexes me.

I give that we all have our own proclivities, so I'm not asking for justification, I'm accepting that this is a real annoyance...

...but may I ask why?

The door opens from the inside without having to hit Unlock. If picking up a passenger who is expected to open their own door, I'm not grasping why it's such an annoyance to press Unlock.

I kind of get it -- I submit to a vehicle search where I park at work. If I'm the first car pulling up at my in-the-mountain secret underwater nuclear submarine base, as I'm pulling up I press Unlock, and let the guard do their thing. But if I'm in the queue, if I unlock but then stop and have to pull forward 20 feet following the car ahead of me, the doors re-lock and I have to press Unlock again. So yeah, a tiny bit annoying, I wish there was a distance or speed threshold to re-lock, but whatever, no biggie.

On my previous car, an Audi allroad, I had a similar minor annoyance -- I could open, but not ~close~ the tailgate from the switch at the drivers seat. One of the guards at work is so short she had to jump to try to press the Close button. So for her -- just for her -- I bought a Kufatech module for too much money, tore open my tailgate compartment, snipped into the wiring harness, and installed this damned thing.

 

[BLINGMW]

...pulling up at my in-the-mountain secret underwater nuclear submarine base...

Well we might have *slightly* different day to day routines! :lol:
For me it's a daily annoyance, the only thing that has me regularly cursing the car 2-4 times per day. Today for example:
Drop off and pick up kid at elementary school, a teacher's there to open the door, so instead of looking out for kids to not run over, I'm getting a hand ready for that unlock button.
Then I go to a client's house, get out, walk around to other side to get something out of the passenger side, it's locked.
Then I'm home, go out to get something out of the car, it's locked. :x

 

[frictioncircle]

I kind of get it -- I submit to a vehicle search where I park at work. If I'm the first car pulling up at my in-the-mountain secret underwater nuclear submarine base, as I'm pulling up I press Unlock, and let the guard do their thing.

Ah, so you're an Idaho Man then!
https://www.navsea.navy.mil/Home/Warfare-Centers/NSWC-Carderock/Who-We-Are/Bayview-Idaho/

 

[frictioncircle]

I have to say this topic perplexes me.

I give that we all have our own proclivities, so I'm not asking for justification, I'm accepting that this is a real annoyance...

...but may I ask why?

Of course you may ask!

I was able to code my 2014 BEV so I could control my car's auto-locking behavior. Move ahead seven years and my 2021 BEV i3s is the first car I've ever owned that forces auto-locking, despite my attempts to code around it.

My biggest complaint is that, having stopped the car and opened the driver's door, along with setting the parking brake, the passenger door and cargo hatch remain locked. So many times I've walked around to the passenger door or cargo hatch (pulling on the door handle or release button) only to realize that, ah yes, the rest of the car has remained locked.

A trip back to the driver's door for a press of the Doors Unlock button solves the situation, but this is very unfriendly to the user.

 

[websterize]

My biggest complaint is that, having stopped the car and opened the driver's door, along with setting the parking brake, the passenger door and cargo hatch remain locked. So many times I've walked around to the passenger door or cargo hatch (pulling on the door handle or release button) only to realize that, ah yes, the rest of the car has remained locked.

But doesn't checking the "Unlock at end of trip" box solve this UX issue?

In my 2018 (above), after unchecking "Lock automatically", the doors still auto-lock once the car reaches 3 mph. So I re-checked it, surrendering this battle.

EDIT: I misidentified the "Lock automatically" option above. The description to the right on the iDrive screen: "Doors lock automatically after a brief time if no doors are opened." So if I unlock the car with the keyfob, then realize I forgot something in the store and don't open any of the doors, the car will re-lock the door(s) after a few minutes. This has nothing to do with auto-locking the doors while under way. Fairly sure BMW has offered "lock automatically" across the fleet for decades.

 

[eNate]

I guess I'm not following exactly because the way mine works (I have "unlock at end of drive" checked)...

If I shut down normally, the car shifts to Park by itself and all doors unlock instantly.

If I "leave the car running" and get out, manually unlocking the drivers door, the pax door & liftgate remain locked, but since the key is in my pocket, the liftgate unlocks instantly, and the passenger door handle requires a momentary touch before unlocking.

If I purposefully leave the key in the car, then I get the scenario you're describing.

 

[frictioncircle]

EDIT: I misidentified the "Lock automatically" option above. The description to the right on the iDrive screen: "Doors lock automatically after a brief time if no doors are opened." So if I unlock the car with the keyfob, then realize I forgot something in the store and don't open any of the doors, the car will re-lock the door(s) after a few minutes. This has nothing to do with auto-locking the doors while under way. Fairly sure BMW has offered "lock automatically" across the fleet for decades.

Agreed, "Lock Automatically" has been in BMWs for ages. I think they could have worded that description better, though – the first time I saw it I thought it it was the solution to my problem, quickly realized it wasn't, and then had to re-read it a few more times to figure out a use case for it.

I think your scenario makes it very clear!

 

[frictioncircle]

If I purposefully leave the key in the car, then I get the scenario you're describing.

My key is always in the center console (until I leave the car and lock it) so Comfort Access can't do its thing for my hatch or passenger door locks. :-(

 

[SLParry]

a few years ago I had two gypsy travellers pull me out of my e46 330Ci and give me a beating because they felt I'd not moved out of their way quickly enough on dual carriageway. Since then I've ensured all of my cars autolock the doors

 

[Redryder18]

I guess I'm not following exactly because the way mine works (I have "unlock at end of drive" checked)...

If I shut down normally, the car shifts to Park by itself and all doors unlock instantly.

If I "leave the car running" and get out, manually unlocking the drivers door, the pax door & liftgate remain locked, but since the key is in my pocket, the liftgate unlocks instantly, and the passenger door handle requires a momentary touch before unlocking.

If I purposefully leave the key in the car, then I get the scenario you're describing.

My 2018 Tera REX doors unlock at a touch of the inside of the handle, rear hatch also. I'm carrying the fob on my belt.
DCR