Auto unlock options?

greggmischenko said:

And now that our first newborn has arrived I'm running into the same issue where the doors automatically lock when walking around the car to get something from the other side. At the very least, this problem could be solved with updated firmware/programming from Mazda but I doubt they care enough to spend time/money/resources addressing it.

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greggmischenko said:

Even my VW (that cost $15k less than my CX-9) unlocks when you put your hand on either of the front door handles (as long as fingers are behind the handle...or you can simply slide/wave your hand behind the handle) and it's much preferred to having to find Mazda's little black button.

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tex2670 said:

I'm not sure how this can be. The transmitter in the door handle has a very short range--as do all proximity key systems. If you step a few feet away from the door handle, and have someone else press the lock request button, the car won't unlock--try this with any car with a proximity key. So when you walk away, and the key is no longer detected within that 2-3 foot range, the car locks. The car doesn't know you are walking around the other side to put your kid in the car--all it knows is that the key fob is no longer detected. The only solution is to turn off the auto lock feature.

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colnago1331 said:

What VW model is this?

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tekz said:

Some manufacturers are like that (ex. Toyota/Lexus) where you just slide your hand/fingers on the door handle and it unlocks but Mazda and other manufacturers like Hyundai are push button. I personally have no issues with it so why Mazda did it that way I don't know but not every glove fits all hands right?

Now with regard to the auto unlock feature that would be nice but most manufacturers I believe stick to more of the safety and cautious approach as it could be a safety issue in the event that someone is able to get in your vehicle even before you could. I haven't heard of a vehicle with that auto unlock feature and if there are then these could be the high-end brands. I like the lock away feature of Mazda and have never experienced that having owned other brands but I personally don't have an issue with not having the auto unlock.

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greggmischenko said:

If that were really the case then Mazda (or any other manufacturer) would not allow you to unlock all doors using the keyfob because someone could get in the car before you.

The real reason/issue is that to have a feature like MattGoose is looking for would cost additional money and Mazda does not deem it important enough to justify spending money to include this feature. It's not exactly a dealbreaker or game-changing feature so they know that they can leave it out and still sell the car at the current price.


MattGoose: FWIW, I agree with you. Don't let some other peoples' harsh responses get you down. This is a poor/outdated/cheap implementation of the key-free unlock feature. Even my VW (that cost $15k less than my CX-9) unlocks when you put your hand on either of the front door handles (as long as fingers are behind the handle...or you can simply slide/wave your hand behind the handle) and it's much preferred to having to find Mazda's little black button.

And now that our first newborn has arrived I'm running into the same issue where the doors automatically lock when walking around the car to get something from the other side. At the very least, this problem could be solved with updated firmware/programming from Mazda but I doubt they care enough to spend time/money/resources addressing it.

Click to expand...