odd experience with sks key

i would test the 12 volt battery. is it original? 5 years is about average. the cold could make the voltage drop a little and funny things can happen. and test the fob battery or just replace.

 

Any chance the lock had frozen and the heat from the defrosters thawed it?

 

It's more likely the door/hatch froze and wouldn't allow you to open it. I've seen people break off their hatch handles pulling to try and open them.

By you waiting 15 minutes, that area defrosted and allowed the hatch to open.

 

you would think if it was frozen, you would still hear a cicking sound from the hatch lock actuator?

 

His ear muffs were keeping his ears warm and blocked out those noises.

 

I don't think the remote works when the car is on. The SKS button on the hatch does work. It's the larger rectangular one. The small round one locks the car.

 

I believe you are right.......

 

good point david, o/p, didn't you try to open with the hatch release button? wait, there's no hatch button on the remote. now i'm really confused."pressed twice on the 'open'." is this one door sks?

 

i've never had the one door. when you press the fob, does it unlatch completely, or just unlock, then unlatch when you put your hand on the hatch handle and press the rubber underneath?

 

I've never had the one door either, but here's my guess at what might've happened...
You pressed unlock once on the fob, got into the driver's door. The other 4 doors are still locked. Start the car (so it's probably not the 12V battery - the voltage is 13-something once the car is actually on), go to the hatch. Press unlock twice on the fob, expecting it to unlock all doors. As David Beale noted, the fob lock/unlock doesn't work when the car is running. Then you touch the latch button on the hatch... and it's still locked, and won't open.

I would be willing to bet that if you try to reproduce this exact sequence, it'll be the same.

On the other hand, you've certainly not had problems unlocking the hatch before. In those cases, I would bet that one or more of the following is true:
You had been driving, and shifted to park.
You unlocked all doors with two presses on unlock *before* the car was running.
You unlocked the doors with the button on the armrest.
You turned the car off before pressing the fob's unlock button to unlock the hatch.
In all those cases (and probably some others I haven't thought of), the above actions will result in unlocking all the car's doors, including the hatch.

 

I know the OP want's to avoid a reoccurrence.

But the best approach here, might be to consider it an unknown anomaly (as to why and how it happened) and just continue on..

If it's either the fob batteries, or the 12 volt....the symptom(s) WILL reoccur and at least you will know where to start.

At that point it's pretty cheap to change the fob batteries. And cheap enough to test the 12 volt. Which if it happens again would be what I would do.

It's been 2010-2015, changing the fob batteries, as well as having the 12 volt battery tested isn't a waste of time or money in any case.

 

are you the original owner and original keys?

 

i don't think the one door has the sensors in the car, because someone (craigsj)? opened everything up and added sensors for the hatch and passenger door. maybe you have a loose connection that expands if the temp is just so. it will be interesting if it works again in the spring.

 

i don't think it was my advice, but happy to take the credit.