Door Locks & Trunk Lock Malfunctions

[Bob Brooks]

My 2007 997 coupe has developed a mysterious syndrome. While parked in the garage with the door close it will periodically (really pretty regularly) lock the doors, or pop open the trunk, or unlock the doors....all without any use of the remote.

First trip to the dealer involved a reprogramming of that system and the two keys. No improvement.

Has anyone else experienced this? What was the fix?

[PAULSPEED]

Most people push the button in their pocket. One fix

is to cover the trunk button with tin foil so it does not work.

Look in the 996 section.

Paul

[Loren]

My 2007 997 coupe has developed a mysterious syndrome. While parked in the garage with the door close it will periodically (really pretty regularly) lock the doors, or pop open the trunk, or unlock the doors....all without any use of the remote.

First trip to the dealer involved a reprogramming of that system and the two keys. No improvement.

Has anyone else experienced this? What was the fix?

The car needs to be checked with Durametric or a PIWIS tester for alarm faults.

Also it would be wise to replace the battery in the remote.

[RFM]

Let check the comfort settings as well, who would ever bother.

[number9ine]

My 2007 997 coupe has developed a mysterious syndrome. While parked in the garage with the door close it will periodically (really pretty regularly) lock the doors, or pop open the trunk, or unlock the doors....all without any use of the remote.

First trip to the dealer involved a reprogramming of that system and the two keys. No improvement.

Has anyone else experienced this? What was the fix?

If there are no fault codes present as Loren suggests, I would suggest removing the batteries from both your key heads for a week or so and manually locking/unlocking the doors, to eliminate them as a possible cause of the faults. As PAULSPEED mentioned, the key fobs are very sensitive to pressure, especially the trunk button. It could well be that one of the fobs is somehow damaged internally and periodically emitting the signal needed to lock or unlock the car.

If a week passes with no further evidence of the ghost in the machine, try putting a battery back in one key for a few days. If that's trouble-free then do the other key. Whichever key causes the issue is likely your problem. If the system still misbehaves with the remotes disabled, perhaps something near your car is causing radio interference. Does the problem only occur at home, or does it happen when you're out and about?

Mark

[Bob Brooks]

My 2007 997 coupe has developed a mysterious syndrome. While parked in the garage with the door close it will periodically (really pretty regularly) lock the doors, or pop open the trunk, or unlock the doors....all without any use of the remote.

First trip to the dealer involved a reprogramming of that system and the two keys. No improvement.

Has anyone else experienced this? What was the fix?

If there are no fault codes present as Loren suggests, I would suggest removing the batteries from both your key heads for a week or so and manually locking/unlocking the doors, to eliminate them as a possible cause of the faults. As PAULSPEED mentioned, the key fobs are very sensitive to pressure, especially the trunk button. It could well be that one of the fobs is somehow damaged internally and periodically emitting the signal needed to lock or unlock the car.

If a week passes with no further evidence of the ghost in the machine, try putting a battery back in one key for a few days. If that's trouble-free then do the other key. Whichever key causes the issue is likely your problem. If the system still misbehaves with the remotes disabled, perhaps something near your car is causing radio interference. Does the problem only occur at home, or does it happen when you're out and about?

Mark

Thus far the problem has only been noticed while the car is in the garage with the door down. It is not a function of the remote being activated while in the pocket of my jeans, because this happens when the keys are hanging on a hook or lying on my dresser.

The latest pattern is that I leave the car unlocked overnight in the closed garage, with the trunk shut. Next morning trunk has been popped and the car has been locked. This has occured twice in the past two days. Both keys were at least 40' away with lots of studs and drywall between the car and the key. Prior to this latest reoccurrence the car could be left locked,then I would go to start it in the morning and would find that it had been unlocked. Again, keys far away.

This car is still under warranty, so I am returning to the dealer for Round #2 next week. Don't know if this extends to the two expensive keys or not. I was fishing for some advice from the users since I like to know multiple viewpoints.

[number9ine]

Bob,

I can easily operate my 997's remote from 40 feet away in my living room, which is two rooms and a fire door away from my garage. I'm sorry I wasn't clearer--I was suggesting that one of your keys may be operating without your knowledge, transmitting with no button press at all. Since the issue has only occurred in your home environment, it stands to reason that it will be difficult for your dealer to reproduce at their shop.

Modern P-car dealers, just like every other dealer, will throw parts at any chronic issue on an in-warranty car until things go right. They do this to minimize return trips for the same issue (lemon law concerns), and because just about everything on your Porsche is considered a replacement item, not a repair item, by the factory. That means for a simple unlocking issue, your car may spend days or weeks at the dealer. My suggestion to remove the batteries for a spell is a simple troubleshooting step that doesn't cost you any time or effort.

One last thing to keep in mind. If any part of your car is unlocked (trunk or doors) and not opened in a short time (I believe it's 30-60 seconds), the car will automatically lock. So, an unlocked car that has its trunk "popped" by the remote and left unattended will lock its doors after the waiting period. That will leave you with what you describe, a popped trunk and locked doors.

Best of luck, let us know what happens.

Mark