New Owner- Question about auto unlocking doors

[Lurch72]

Just took delivery on a new Mineral Silver 2011 Sportage SX FWD. So far so good and its more fun that I thought it would be to drive. However, one thing is bothering me about it. The automatic unlock of the doors when I put it in park. I stopped by the dealer and was told by a service dept. employee that if we turn that function off then the keyless entry will cease to function. I call BS on this.

I read on this forum, I believe, that the dealer could indeed turn this function off. My question though is can this be done by the owner? In other cars I have owned you could do it your self.

Thanks
Lurch

[Pogo]

Regarding this "feature" I just found the following on another site:

2011 Kia Sportage EX FWD

Cons:
Safety concern: All the doors unlock when vehicle is placed in park – Quick Fix: Ask your KIA Service Department to reset this safety feature. They can reset it so all the doors remain locked or the driver’s door will automatically unlock only when placed in park – Now when I shift into park all the doors remain locked (just like my Yukon did). I can now safely sit in a Houston jam with my KIA in park or open my door e.g. at the gas station to pump gas safely and all the other doors remain locked - Ladies no one will open the passenger door and steel your purse from the passenger front seat. FYI: Remember to take your keys with you; the doors lock automatically after a short while.

[Cactii]

1. Excellent question. I've been wondering this myself.

2. Congrats on your color pick. Mineral Silver wasn't available anywhere w/in 500 miles of me. Black has definitely grown on me though!

[Lurch72]

Update: I called some of the dealerships that are 3+ hours away, all of them said it was no problem to turn off the auto unlock on park feature. I called my local service department and they still say it's not possible. Same with the next closest dealership. Can anyone confirm this either way? Im pretty sure some of the other Kia's allow you to do this on your own.

Lurch

[Pogo]

Originally Posted by Lurch72

Update: I called some of the dealerships that are 3+ hours away, all of them said it was no problem to turn off the auto unlock on park feature. I called my local service department and they still say it's not possible. Same with the next closest dealership. Can anyone confirm this either way? Im pretty sure some of the other Kia's allow you to do this on your own.

Lurch

I'm wondering if you might get the effect you want by enabling two-stage unlock. You apparently can do this by pressing the lock and unlock button (on your fob) simultaneously for 4+ seconds. Not sure if this will work or not but, apparently, this will change the manner in which your fob will work wrt unlocking doors. If this doesn't work and you want to return the fob to its previous state then simply repeat this procedure.

Good luck and please let us know if this works.

Oh, and by the way, the following statement appears in the Owner's Manual:

✽ NOTICE
An authorized KIA dealer can activate or deactivate some auto door lock/ unlock features. If you want to activate or deactivate some door lock/unlock feature, consult an authorized KIA dealer.

[jdl30]

I'm noticing that not all Kia dealers are created equal. I had to abandon the one where I bought my car because they couldn't/wouldn't fix an issue with my brake light. I took it to another dealer who said "we've seen this and have a fix". If I were you I'd call around to see if one can give you direction over the phone to reprogram your locks.

[randomcdn]

Just in case it helps anyone I have found that if you open a door before putting the car in park auto unlock will not function.

by open I mean pulling the handle to release the lock. after that it doesnt matter how far you actually open the door.

can use as a work around if you cant get your dealer to fix it.

[Spyde]

It's out a bit of the subject but when i purchase my Sportage i'm almost sure she told me that after exiting all door lock automatically, but it's not doing it. Was she wrong or is it suppose to lock by itself ?

[Pogo]

Originally Posted by Spyde

It's out a bit of the subject but when i purchase my Sportage i'm almost sure she told me that after exiting all door lock automatically, but it's not doing it. Was she wrong or is it suppose to lock by itself ?

She was wrong.

[Tom_D]

Has anyone been able to get the auto door unlock changed by a dealer?

I just purchased a 2012 Sportage LX and the dealer service center is checking with Kia but is not aware of a way to disable the auto unlock "feature".