Published:
08.03.2016
There are some components in a car that you can do without for at least some time. For example, the same cigarette lighter. You can’t say the same about the luggage compartment, since this part of the vehicle is used almost every day, especially if the car owner’s tools are stored in it. When access to this compartment is limited for various reasons, car owners begin to wonder how to open the trunk without a key. We know several solutions for this problem.
The trunk of the car can be opened without a key
Choosing the appropriate method for opening the luggage compartment in a car
The lock on the luggage compartment is vulnerable and prone to breakage. This is felt especially acutely by owners of creations in the domestic auto industry. Of course, the trunk closes with force. This leads to rapid wear of the locking mechanism. But the easiest way to open the luggage compartment is in the case of domestic cars. You don't even need to get inside the car to do this. You can use a regular screwdriver (pry it under the cover) or make a loop out of metal wire that will allow you to turn the tongue on the faulty lock.
But foreign cars, no matter how modern and expensive they are, are not free from this problem. You can easily open the trunk of a car if you know some rules and secrets:
- If the lock on the luggage compartment lid is faulty, carefully inspect the locking mechanism for the presence of foreign objects.
- Eliminate the possibility of the lock on the trunk freezing. In this case, you can use special means to defrost the locking mechanisms.
- The alarm system is not disabled and does not allow the trunk to be opened.
- If the electric lock does not open from the control panel, then it is worth checking the battery charge level.
There may be foreign objects in the lock
Method 2: Using Slim Jim
Slide the end of the thin jim hook between the window and trim
To open your car without keys, you will need a thin jim or locking tool. Place the sim jim tool against the passenger side window with the end of the hook facing down. Slide the tool down between the window and the window trim at the bottom of the door handle.
- You can purchase a slim jim at most auto parts stores.
- The slim jim will not work on a car with electronic locks. If your car is electronic and you don't have a key, fob or passcode, your best bet is to call a locksmith.
Press the thin jim into the door and find the locking rod
- Move the tool down so that it fits into the gap between the door and window. There is a locking rod in this area that connects the lock to the handle. Slide the thin clamp around the doorknob until you feel it engage the rod.
Pull the bar with a thin jam
- Once you have hooked the rod, carefully move the thin jim upward to open the door. You will know the door is unlocked when you hear the lock click.
Open the door and press the trunk release mechanism on the front seat
- Once the door is unlocked, you can climb inside the car. If the car still has power, you can simply use the release button or lever to open the trunk.
Tips for Jeep and Station Wagon Owners
The easiest way to get to the luggage compartment will be for owners of SUVs, station wagons and crossovers. In such cars, the rear seat can be easily folded, allowing access to the trunk from the inside. All that remains is to find a handle for emergency opening, which many modern cars are equipped with, but not all. If this handle is missing and the trunk does not open using the buttons or remote control, then you will need to perform the following steps:
- Remove the trim from the trunk door.
- Remove the plastic panel.
- Gain access to the locking mechanism.
- Using a wrench (a special tool familiar to motorists), open the trunk from the inside.
Ways to remove trunk lock
A car trunk is a specific space in the cabin that is intended for transporting goods. The lock that is part of the central locking system, although a reliable element, can sometimes fail. The method described above of getting into the trunk of a car through the interior and then opening a faulty lock is, of course, good. However, due to the design features of some cars, it is not always possible to use this method.
It is best suited for station wagon models where there are no dividing partitions. But owners of sedans were much less fortunate.
In any case, it is very important to determine the reason why the trunk lock is jammed. And as already noted, first of all, breakdowns are associated with dirt getting into the mechanism. In addition to this, foreign objects can get into the lock. If your own attempts to pull out a foreign object or clean the mechanism of dirt do not lead to anything, then you will have to sign up for one of the car service stations, where experienced specialists will perform a series of manipulations with the faulty lock to return the mechanism to normal operation.
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However, it is not uncommon for the problem of a malfunctioning luggage lock to be associated with temperature changes outside the window. This problem becomes especially relevant after visiting a car wash during the winter months. Moisture is not completely removed from the sealing rubber and, when frozen, leads to the fact that the luggage compartment lid does not open. Naturally, in order to solve the problem you do not need to go to the service center. It’s enough just to find a warm garage or box, drive the car into it for a few hours and, after thawing the rubber band, remove any remaining moisture from it.
It is important to remember that any work must be carried out without panic and with appropriate care. Only in this way can you get a high-quality result and save yourself from additional financial costs.
If the trunk lid lock is completely jammed and none of the possible solutions to the problem does not help, then you will have to open the door from the passenger compartment. This option is well suited for people with a medium or thin build. But what should a person whose height reaches two meters and whose weight exceeds a hundredweight do? Such people will have to ask for outside help. But, in any case, you also need to know how to open the trunk lock from the passenger compartment. In the first option, to independently carry out the measures that allow you to open the lock. In the second option, to correctly advise the person who will be doing this.
To solve the problem, you need to get into the car through the left rear door. We lay the backs of the rear row seats on this side. Through the resulting “window” we pull out all unnecessary objects from the trunk, which in the future may interfere with free access to the lock mechanism. To work, you will need to find a long flat-head screwdriver, a wrench, and an asterisk-shaped socket wrench. To gain access to the locking mechanism of the trunk door, you will have to move the decorative trim to the side. It is almost impossible to completely dismantle it with the tailgate closed.
The casing is secured using plastic latches and several screws that are screwed into the metal base. Both screws are located in the corners of the casing and several more fasteners must be found in the handle located on the panel. To remove fasteners, you will need the help of a wrench and an asterisk wrench. We will need a screwdriver to quickly and accurately remove the decorative panel from the door.
First of all, we unclip the fasteners that are located at the top of the casing. Now we carefully move down, disconnecting each latch. As soon as the panel is moved to the side, a wire lever will be revealed in all its glory, which is the main tool for unlocking the button and opening the lock mechanism.
This part is in a vertical position and very close to the windshield wiper motor. To finally unlock the button and open the tailgate, you need to simultaneously press the lever and push the door out. If the lever does not respond to the applied efforts, you can use a hammer with a wooden handle. It is with the handle that you need to press the lever and the door will open.
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The final stage of the work consists of completely dismantling the trim and searching for the reasons why the trunk lock could be jammed. If you can find the cause, then it will be possible to repair the faulty mechanism. Otherwise, the lock will have to be completely replaced.
As it becomes clear, the problem with a faulty trunk lid lock can be solved in the shortest possible time, and it does not require the help of specialists from the car owner. The most important thing is not to try to open the lock with excessive physical force or using improvised tools. In addition, in the process of dismantling the casing, great care is needed in your actions so as not to break the decorative element.
Tips for owners of sedans and coupes
You should proceed according to a slightly different scheme if the trunk lid does not open in sedan or coupe cars.
- Lower the backrest all the way or even remove the backrest.
- Determine the need to remove the inner lining (in some cases you can do without this step).
- Try to get into the trunk and use the crank we already know.
- If you cannot reach the locking mechanism, you can lengthen the knob using a stick or any other object of suitable design.
How to open the trunk with different types of locks?
Mechanical locks
Mechanics on hatchbacks and station wagons are the simplest case - if access to the interior is preserved: we are dealing with a breakdown, and not with a single set of keys forgotten inside. You need to recline the seats and remove the rear parcel shelf, if there is one, to gain access to the interior of the trunk. Structurally, two options are possible:
- when the rear of the trunk door is completely closed by the trim;
- or there is a separate hatch above the lock.
The second option is preferable - by opening only the hatch, we find the broken rod or, conversely, remove it if the cylinder does not turn. To open the trunk, we pull or push the rod, depending on the kinematics of the lock.
If the trim completely covers the door, then it is impossible to remove it when the trunk is closed. In this case, you will have to get to the lock mechanics by unscrewing the accessible fasteners or pulling out the open pistons, and then carefully bending the casing on top towards you. But this is not always required - look carefully at the lock, is there a forced release tab on it? It hides in a small groove; we pry it open with a key or a thin screwdriver. Sometimes it's even signed.
On sedans, access is difficult or impossible - the presence of a separate volume often pushes designers to place stiffening crossbars behind non-reclining seat backs, or there may be a gas tank there, as on the Mercedes-Benz W124. If the backrests recline or, at worst, there is a wide enough hatch for long cargo, then it will be possible to get into the trunk, otherwise this method will work when we unscrew the backrest from the passenger compartment and remove the cross member. A classic example of such a car is the Renault Logan already mentioned in the introduction: first we pull out the bottom cushion, then we unscrew the two bolts that secure the backrest from below. It is pushed up, after which, after unscrewing the four bolts securing the cross member, we climb into the trunk.
Pneumatic locks
The lock actuator does not necessarily have a mechanical drive - the trunk also opens pneumatically, which is known to owners of old German cars. If all pneumatics are controlled by a common compressor accessible from the cabin, we get to it (usually by removing the bottom cushion of the rear sofa) and blow into the desired tube. The reason the trunk lock fails in such cars is cracks in the tube, due to which there is not enough pressure to open the trunk. By using a tire compressor or pump, we are more likely to open the door if the tube has not completely burst.
Power locks
What to do if there is no cylinder or pull system on the door, but only a button? Moreover, it is the corrosion of the contacts of these buttons that prevents the trunk from opening. In such cars, the control of the electric trunk is controlled by the on-board switching module - BCM. To force open the trunk lock, we close the terminal to which the faulty button is connected to ground. On a Nissan Qashqai, the lock control circuit looks like this:
By closing pin 12 on the BCM, we will force the trunk to open. Naturally, there are also mechanical methods of opening: in this case, as with a mechanical lock, we will have to climb into the trunk. There are two options:
- with monoblock lock;
- or with an actuator connected to the lock through a rod.
In the first case, you will have to remove the cover from the lock to get to the mechanical part and manually release the locking tongue; in the second case, we disconnect the rod and use it to open the trunk.
Opening a power lock
There are cases when the trunk lock does not open using the key fob. Such mechanisms are often used in the production of modern car models. What to do if access to the luggage compartment becomes impossible:
- Open the cover of the key fob and examine its internal structure for the presence of a key blade. Found it? We use it for its intended purpose.
- If there is no key blade in the key fob, you need to contact the service support center or directly to the dealer who sold you the car.
Panic is not the best help if the car trunk does not open when using the key fob. Look inside the car, and suddenly there is a special button that is responsible for opening the luggage compartment.
As a last resort, you can turn to security guards for help. This method is expensive and involves a long wait. But it can be considered as one of the possible options. And remember that there are no hopeless situations, especially for visitors to our site.
Hacking the trunk lock
But what to do if you don’t get into the cabin, or you don’t get into the trunk from it? The larva will have to be rolled up. To do this, you will need a bayonet-type screwdriver, preferably with a square screwdriver at the end - drive it into the cylinder and turn it out until the locking plates inside the cylinder burst and it begins to rotate freely. This is an extreme method, after which the larva will have to be replaced.
If you have time, the tool for opening the cylinder is made from durable hexagons or “torxes” of a curved type: carefully, without overheating the metal, we grind one end until it gives it a shape similar to the shank of a key, after which we drive the resulting tool into the cylinder.
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The main problem when roughly opening the cylinder is that it is often not the cylinder that rotates, but the metal of the trunk lid itself, the grooves of which hold the base of the cylinder in place. On a VAZ of the “classic” family, you will most likely turn the lock on the door rather than roll the cylinder. After this, it is problematic to install a new one - the way out to restore functionality would be to install a plug in the deformed hole, and electromechanical drives with 5-10 kilograms of force on the locking and opening rods.
If gentle measures do not help
When it is impossible to open the trunk using the methods described above, the keys are not found, a duplicate was not made in advance, there is only one way left - it is also called non-returnable. To implement it, you will need a flat screwdriver - its tip is inserted instead of the original key into the lock, and with the help of pliers, the cylinder is turned. It, of course, breaks, and in the future you will have to replace the entire lock with a new one. The cost of the lock, as a rule, is not so high, so if the need to open the lid exceeds the financial costs, this method can be used.
The procedure for subsequent lock replacement is no different and is completed within 10-15 minutes. You will need to do the following:
- unscrew the fastening bolts securing the lock to the lid;
- the lock is removed, and the plastic sleeve along with the sealing ring is also removed;
- a new one is installed, firmly fixed with nuts.
When installing a new device, it is important not to screw it in tightly right away. First, it is baited, several test openings/closings of the lid are made, and only after that the fasteners are fully tightened. To avoid getting into such an unpleasant situation, it makes sense to make duplicates of all car keys in advance, and each car owner will decide where to store them.
Used vehicles mean not only freedom of movement, but also constant unpleasant surprises presented by the car to its owner at the most inopportune times. One of these troubles is the failure of the luggage compartment lock, when the locked lid cannot be opened. The main thing in such a situation is to be concentrated and not to use everything that comes to hand to open the trunk. It’s better to gather your thoughts and try to remember if you’ve encountered a similar situation with your neighbors in the garage or if someone you know told you what to do if the tailgate doesn’t open.
The main reason that the trunk does not open is that the locking mechanism is clogged with dirt flying out from under the wheels of the vehicle while it is moving. In the rear part of the body, this creates a certain turbulence that picks up water, snow and dust from the road. And even despite the fact that the lock is protected by a special screen, miniature particles penetrate inside, rendering it unusable.
Some cars are equipped with a central locking system, which is responsible for simultaneously closing all doors. Often the reason for the inability to open the luggage compartment lid is a breakdown of the electric drive responsible for activating the latch of the locking mechanism. In such a situation, the problem can be solved with a simple key, which is inserted into the keyhole and turned clockwise while pressing the button. But if the key cannot be inserted all the way due to the accumulation of a large amount of dirt in the locking mechanism, you will have to get to the luggage compartment through the passenger compartment.
In addition, it will not be possible to open the trunk of a car if the lock itself simply fails. In such a situation, all attempts to open the lid from the outside of the machine will fail. For this purpose, you need to learn how to unlock the luggage compartment from inside the vehicle.
