Okay, twice in the last two days, I go out to the car just to find the power lift gate wide open!!!

Not good.

I've only had the car a few months. I don't know if one of the key fobs is getting pressed to cause the issue, or if there is something else going on.

Either way, the car is locked before the incident.

How can I prevent this from happening!? Can I disable the key fob lift gate activation? I can only expect that the issue is happening from the key fob, although I really don't know.

Is there a way to determine what is causing the lift gate to open? Like, can I identify which one of the key fobs is causing the open? Maybe a short in the key fob or something?




TAGS: Lift Gate, liftgate, rx350, rx 350, tailgate, tail gate, rear hatch

 

There is a button in the glove box to deactivate the auto rear door. Try that first.

EDIT. I mean turn it off for a while to see if it still opens on its own. That might help narrow down the problem (short in open button, FOB issue, etc.)

 

OP, mhumack's suggestion of turning off the rear hatch is a good one. That will just turn off the possibility.

I doubt there is a short or something like that in the FOB itself. Have not seen a report of that here on the forum - ever - that I can remember. To your specific question, there is no way to tell which FOB is doing the deed. The other consideration is perhaps do you have multiple things in your pocket with that FOB? Other keys, change, cell phone? If so, chances are you are pressing that button by accident as you move around... I myself set my Lexus and former BMW buttons off on their FOBs when I used to carry loose keys in the same pocket as my FOB -- on it's key ring or another one. My suggestion is think about what you are carrying with the FOB and perhaps place other keys in their own key holder (that's what I do) so they are flat and won't set something off, and if you've not already done it, put some sort of case around your FOB to help make the buttons a bit more recessed opposed to it's overall surface area. That will help a lot. Lexus has a nice tight fitting leather FOB case and you'll find a zillion varieties on eBay and other sites to choose from. Good luck.

 

Not something you want to happen in your garage............................... could damage the hatch by hitting something above your truck.

 

Yup like what mshumack said. if i were you i'd press the de-activation button located on the left side of the glove box after you open the glove box to de-activate the remote lift gate, and have the remote or car checked out at the dealer or a mechanics shop.

 

Also try a new battery in your fob, can't hurt to try something that's relatively cheap to try.

 

So here's my fix...

First I tried to turn off the electric door with the switch you guys mentioned -- worked great! Until I had a pile of stuff in my arms and wanted to close the door with the button in the back. Then... not so good. The switch disables the electric motor.

So then I figured, wait... all I want to do is make it more difficult to push the remote button. Here goes...

I took card stock (a business card), cut two half inch squares to double it up, and taped it under the leather key fob protector.

Works perfectly!

I'm still able to use the electric door button on the hatch, and best of all I'm still able to use the button on the key fob if I really want to. But the double card stock makes it difficult enough to not accidentally occur.

Here's a picture of it...

https://www.marksatterfield.com

 

My hatchback went up twice without me opening it in my garage

 

This usually happens when someone presses the trunk button on the key in range. Were are your keys stored when this happens? Do you have them in your pocket? Are they in a drawer, among other objects? Any small kids running around that love pressing buttons and fiddling with keys?

You can disable this feature via a button on the upper left corner in the glove box.

 

Yes, it was in someone's pocket. But... the paper card stock taped to the Open button fixed it!