Mystery button on liftgate

H

Horton

Member
:
Mazda CX-9
There appears to be a second button on the outside of the liftgate, on the right side (the liftgate open/close is in the center.)

The button beeps when pressed but does nothing else that I can tell.

Owners's manual comes up empty, but I may be not looking in right place.

Any ideas?
 
Owner's Manual:

Locking, Unlocking with Request
Switch (With the advanced keyless
function)
All doors and the liftgate can be locked/
unlocked by pressing the request switch
on the front doors while the key is being
carried.

The request switch on the liftgate can only
be used to lock all doors and the liftgate.
 
rsvinylgraphics said:
Owner's Manual:

Locking, Unlocking with Request
Switch (With the advanced keyless
function)
All doors and the liftgate can be locked/
unlocked by pressing the request switch
on the front doors while the key is being
carried.

The request switch on the liftgate can only
be used to lock all doors and the liftgate.
Click to expand...

Mine unlocks and locks just like the front door request switches. Seems odd.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
RobCX9 said:
Mine unlocks and locks just like the front door request switches. Seems odd.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Why is it odd that you can lock/unlock your car from the rear hatch? My '12 has the same thing. This is no different that my previous '04 Honda which had a physical lock, that I could unlock with a key. If you need to load groceries or whatever into the rear, do you really want to (a) have to physically use the fob, even though it's a proximity key designed not to have to do that, or (b) go to the driver or passenger door and unlock the car, and then go to the hatch? Of course you don't. It makes perfect sense.
 
tex2670 said:
Why is it odd that you can lock/unlock your car from the rear hatch? My '12 has the same thing. This is no different that my previous '04 Honda which had a physical lock, that I could unlock with a key. If you need to load groceries or whatever into the rear, do you really want to (a) have to physically use the fob, even though it's a proximity key designed not to have to do that, or (b) go to the driver or passenger door and unlock the car, and then go to the hatch? Of course you don't. It makes perfect sense.
Click to expand...

I don't think it is odd. I meant that it seems odd that the owners manual would say that it only locks as rsvinylgraphics said in the post that I quoted. Their post said that the hatch request switch only locks. That's what I thought was odd.
 
According to the manual, it only LOCKS the passenger doors.

It does not UNLOCK them.

Only the key FOB or front driver/passenger buttons will lock and unlock.
 
Last edited:
tex2670 said:
Why is it odd that you can lock/unlock your car from the rear hatch? My '12 has the same thing. This is no different that my previous '04 Honda which had a physical lock, that I could unlock with a key. If you need to load groceries or whatever into the rear, do you really want to (a) have to physically use the fob, even though it's a proximity key designed not to have to do that, or (b) go to the driver or passenger door and unlock the car, and then go to the hatch? Of course you don't. It makes perfect sense.
Click to expand...

Here's why it's odd to me.

First, it only locks, not unlocks the other doors (I just tested, it does not unlock doors). I could see the value if it unlocked the doors.

Second, there an auto-lock feature already with the car, so the value to lock the doors from tailgate seems moot.

Third, if you are going to put any locking/unlock function, why not put it on all doors, not just front and hatch? I constantly get stuff from back seat, but have to go to front door to unlock back door (with fob in pocket; obviously, I can pull out fob and unlock they way)

Re: loading groceries, I nearly alway use the fob as I am approaching the vehicle so I do no have to wait for it to open.

So unless I am missing a use case(s), it make imperfect sense :)
 
Makes sense to me. Go to the rear of the car, grab your skis, press the lock button, press the close button, and off you go.

What am I missing here?

Edit: Should have been press the close button, wait for the hatchback to close, press the lock button, and off you go.
 
Last edited:
Koert said:
Makes sense to me. Go to the rear of the car, grab your skis, press the lock button, press the close button, and off you go.

What am I missing here?
Click to expand...

Not if what the above posts say are true--lock only. Come back to car with a cart full of groceries to put in the rear. Can't unlock car with rear request button; must either pull fob out of pocket or go around to the driver or passenger door. That IS odd if that's how it works.
 
My wife's Nissan Rogue unlock and opens when I'm close to the SUV with hands full of bags and boxes but are able to put something near the sensor on the back like the bags, etc.

Enviado desde mi SM-G935F mediante Tapatalk
 
You open the rear hatch using the open button on the tailgate (fob in pocket), get your stuff, press the close button on the inside of the tailgate, and walk away.

Doors auto-lock without needing to press any extra buttons.

So why the extra button?
 
tex2670 said:
Not if what the above posts say are true--lock only. Come back to car with a cart full of groceries to put in the rear. Can't unlock car with rear request button; must either pull fob out of pocket or go around to the driver or passenger door. That IS odd if that's how it works.
Click to expand...

Yes, that is how it works - only locks.

I'm curious because so much engineering and thought goes into this and other vehicles, there must be a good reason?
 
Horton said:
... Doors auto-lock without needing to press any extra buttons.

So why the extra button?
Click to expand...

You got me curious, so I went outside to check. If I start with the doors open, as if I had just arrived somewhere, open the hatch to take out whatever I need to use (luggage, tools, skis, surfboard, bike) and then close the hatch using the center button, my doors don't lock. If I want to lock the whole car without walking back to the door button, the extra hatch button allows me to do that from the back.

The extra button is only useful when unloading an unlocked car. It's not of any use when loading a locked car, but that's okay because after you load you're either going to walk away (and everything remains locked) or you're going to unlock the car as you open the door.

Let me know if I got this wrong. It seems like every time I drive this thing, I discover something new.
 
Koert said:
You got me curious, so I went outside to check. If I start with the doors open, as if I had just arrived somewhere, open the hatch to take out whatever I need to use (luggage, tools, skis, surfboard, bike) and then close the hatch using the center button, my doors don't lock. If I want to lock the whole car without walking back to the door button, the extra hatch button allows me to do that from the back.

The extra button is only useful when unloading an unlocked car. It's not of any use when loading a locked car, but that's okay because after you load you're either going to walk away (and everything remains locked) or you're going to unlock the car as you open the door.

Let me know if I got this wrong. It seems like every time I drive this thing, I discover something new.
Click to expand...

Ok, I guess I can see that use case. Thanks. It just seems redundant as doors will auto-lock anyway after you walk away via the timer.

Still, I think having it unlock doors as well would be much more helpful (approach car, press button, people pile in while you load stuff in the back).
 
Great to know what that button is for finally.

On a separate thought, is it possible to disable the power liftgate (the power part)?
 
Maybe different year models work differently, or the programming can be changed (I don't know). For my 2012 GT, if I have my key fob with me, I can both lock and unlock all doors from the rear by pressing the button on the lift gate, the front passenger door request button or by double pressing the unlock button on the fob. Pressing the request button on the driver's door, or single pressing the unlock button on fob, unlocks the driver's door only. I prefer to press the door buttons so that I am not transmitting the unlock code all over the neighborhood for the criddlers to capture. Being able to unlock all the doors with one gesture is useful if you have a group of people, to load up. Similarly, it's useful to be able to unlock only the driver's door if you have the fob - I think the idea is to prevent carjacking (I am opening the driver's door, some meth head can't open the passenger door as I enter the vehicle).
 
Matthew PDX said:
Maybe different year models work differently, or the programming can be changed (I don't know). For my 2012 GT, if I have my key fob with me, I can both lock and unlock all doors from the rear by pressing the button on the lift gate, the front passenger door request button or by double pressing the unlock button on the fob. Pressing the request button on the driver's door, or single pressing the unlock button on fob, unlocks the driver's door only. I prefer to press the door buttons so that I am not transmitting the unlock code all over the neighborhood for the criddlers to capture. Being able to unlock all the doors with one gesture is useful if you have a group of people, to load up. Similarly, it's useful to be able to unlock only the driver's door if you have the fob - I think the idea is to prevent carjacking (I am opening the driver's door, some meth head can't open the passenger door as I enter the vehicle).
Click to expand...

You are mistaken about how the proximity key works. The key is constantly putting out a signal; when you press the button on the door or the hatch, the transmitter in the door/hatch senses the signal from your fob, determines it is the correct fob, and then unlocks the car. So if you are paranoid about thieves capturing the signal from your fob, you are not defeating them by using it the way it is intended. However, although articles have been published showing this technology *could* be used to defeat your key, it's pretty challenging in practice to actually use it. For example, your key fob needs to be 1-2 feet away from the door handle when you press the unlock button because the signal doens't transmit very far. Put the key fob in your pocket, stand by the driver's door, and have a passenger press the passenger side unlock button to test this.
 
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