[Packard V8]

Be aware the latest, greatest electronics and software can seriously f*ck your day. The only not-bad thing was this happened at home, rather than in some dark and sketchy part of the world. Could have been a VERY BAD THING if it happened in bad weather, bad area or a rest stop 100 miles from home.

Leaving to attend a meeting, my wife locked the house, placed her purse on the rear seat, closed the rear door and went forward to unplug the charge cable. Not known for certain, but it's possible but she brushed against the driver's door handle; in any case, the locks activated and when she unplugged the cable, the theft alarm activated.

When she plugged in the charge cable, the alarm ceased, but the display showed "Theft Attempt". My guess is the software is dumb enough to sense the key in the back seat is far enough from the receiver, so it must be outside. So if the sensor thought the key was outside, and she meant to lock the car, what triggered the theft alarm? Will the Bolt always think it's being stolen if the charge cable is removed while the doors are locked? If it thought the key was inside, why would it lock the door from the outside?

The larger problem was when leaving, she had locked the house; the house key and phone both were in her purse in the now locked Bolt - so no phone, no keys. She was able to go next door, ask the neighbor to call our daughter, who was fortunately available, to bring over a house key and fortunately my Bolt key was on the rack inside.

(And yes, we've since replaced the normally available hidden house key. When we added the Bolt, my wife wanted a house key on the Bolt fob and I just grabbed the hideout key and hadn't had a replacement cut.) But as mentioned, a house key wouldn't have fixed anything if the above sequence had occurred 100 miles from home.

Anyone else had his Bolt lock him out? Is there any possible work-around to get into a locked Bolt when the key is inside?

jack vines

 

[surgeonFWW]

I think you put it together correctly, but I have to press the door button with intent (to lock OR unlock) rather than "brush against the door".

Were you charging with a Level 2 charger or the Level 1 unit provided with the car? I watched a YouTube video which stated (and reiterated) that the alarm works ONLY with Level 1 charging (with the Chevy supplied EVSE) and NOT with Level 2. I now have three specific instances where I forgot to unlock before disconnecting (once at home with my VersiCharge and at two separate Level 2 EVSE away from home). The alarm blared loudly!! I put a comment on his YT video and he replied that I was wrong and that the alarm functions ONLY with Level 1 charging. I did not start a back-and-forth match, but let it go.

 

[NY-Rob]

You can call Onstar- provide them with your PIN code and they will unlock the Bolt for you.

Using the Onstar App or log in to the mychevrolet.com site and self unlock the Bolt from there.

 

[surgeonFWW]

You can call Onstar- provide them with your PIN code and they will unlock the Bolt for you.

Using the Onstar App or log in to the mychevrolet.com site and self unlock the Bolt from there.

What great advice. I had forgotten this, but will now be more likely to remember. Thanks, Rob

 

[NY-Rob]

^ Hopefully you'll never need it, but it's a great backup plan just in case.

Make sure you set up your PIN with Onstar in advance!

 

[Packard V8]

What great advice. I had forgotten this, but will now be more likely to remember. Thanks, Rob

^ Hopefully you'll never need it, but it's a great backup plan just in case.

Make sure you set up your PIN with Onstar in advance!

Thanks for the reminder. On our other vehicles, I decided OnStar was an overpriced anachronism and never paid for the service after the trial; thus, I didn't even think of it being currently operable on the Bolt. But those other vehicles never locked me out, either. The paranoid amongst us might with some validity think this Bolt software glitch is a ploy to make continued OnStar subscription a necessity.

Of course, since her phone was locked in the Bolt, OnStar would only have been available through the kindness of strangers.

jack vines

 

[borkbork]

i think you can use the keypass feature of the chevrolet app and unlock it via bluetooth too, but i haven' tried that.

 

[TotaledJetta]

I think you put it together correctly, but I have to press the door button with intent (to lock OR unlock) rather than "brush against the door".

Were you charging with a Level 2 charger or the Level 1 unit provided with the car? I watched a YouTube video which stated (and reiterated) that the alarm works ONLY with Level 1 charging (with the Chevy supplied EVSE) and NOT with Level 2. I now have three specific instances where I forgot to unlock before disconnecting (once at home with my VersiCharge and at two separate Level 2 EVSE away from home). The alarm blared loudly!! I put a comment on his YT video and he replied that I was wrong and that the alarm functions ONLY with Level 1 charging. I did not start a back-and-forth match, but let it go.

I have had the alarm go off, when disconnecting the EVSE, but not consistently. I always have the fob with me and assumed that if you are close to the car with the fob, it won't trigger the alarm. I use a charge point level 2. I guess more testing will be needed.

 

[Sean Nelson]

Anyone else had his Bolt lock him out? Is there any possible work-around to get into a locked Bolt when the key is inside?

Haven't been able to get a Bolt here in Canada yet - but I'm an old school guy who's locked himself out of "dumb" cars in the past. I've always made a point of having a second key hidden somewhere under the vehicle so that I can get back into the car when that happens - it's saved my bacon on a few occasions, including on a trip when I was thousands miles away from home. When I get my Bolt I will do the same thing. I expect to have to store the fob with the battery removed to prevent it from being recognized by the car.

 

[redpoint5]

The Prius has fob sensors all over, so it detects anywhere inside the vehicle. You can throw the key in the hatch area and it still detects. When washing the Prius, it will occasionally lock/unlock the doors when hitting the handles with a steady stream of water. The handle sensors are very sensitive.

Does the Bolt have a mechanical key of any sort?

I was once locked out of the house when I forgot to turn off the air compressor. It slowly leaks and kicks on the compressor. Well, while I was at work, the compressor kicked on and tripped the circuit breaker; the same one the garage door opener is on. My wife had just recently thrown away a outdoor plant, which is where my hidden key was. She was also out of state on a trip. Usually I have the 2nd floor windows unlocked, but for some reason they were all locked (probably my wife).

I ended up having to drive back to work, ask security if I could have one of their metal coat hangers, and then cut it so I could straighten it out with a hook at the end. After driving back home, it took me about 20 minutes in the rain to catch the garage door release handle with that hook. I had never attempted it before, so I didn't have a good sense for how it works.

Nowadays I don't even lock the front door. If thieves want in, they will get in. Instead I have a security camera.

 

[NY-Rob]

^ The Bolt has a mechanical key slot hidden under a pry-off cap on both front door handles, the key is recessed in the FOB.

 

[redpoint5]

I've always made a point of having a second key hidden somewhere under the vehicle so that I can get back into the car when that happens. When I get my Bolt I will do the same thing. I expect to have to store the fob with the battery removed to prevent it from being recognized by the car.

It sounds like you can just have a mechanical key cut, and hide that on the Bolt instead of an expensive fob.

 

[ElectricMonkey]

It sounds like you can just have a mechanical key cut, and hide that on the Bolt instead of an expensive fob.

It doesn't look like the kind of key you can duplicate. Plus, I don't think you can start the car without the entire remote present.

Today, my 1 month old Bolt locked me out while I had the remote in my pocket. It acted like the battery was dead, when it wasn't. It was weird, like someone had a signal jammer or something. Keyless entry wouldn't work, and neither would pressing the remote button. Anyway, I had to follow the manual entry and manual start procedure as per page 38 of the manual. I highly recommend that everyone become familiar with this procedure because if you have to read the manual (or figure it out on your own) while the alarm is going off, it's going to be stressful. Here's a summary.

1) pop the key out of the remote by pushing the side button.
2) use that key to pry off the plastic cover next to the door handle. Hint: there's a hole at the bottom.
3) use key in key slot that is now visible.
4) immediately open the center console, and remove the small, plastic bin on top.
5) put key and remote back together and place at bottom of center console, aligned with ridges that are shaped like the remote
6) press start button immediately, because by now your alarm will probably be going off.
7) post about it on form

 

[redpoint5]

It doesn't look like the kind of key you can duplicate. Plus, I don't think you can start the car without the entire remote present.

Is it the type that has a bar of metal with grooves cut into both sides? From the couple images I could find from a Google search, it looked standard to me. A locksmith should be able to produce a replica for a couple bucks.

I suggested hiding a replica mechanical key as a way of recovering the remote key if it gets locked in the car. That's much cheaper than spending a couple hundred on a remote fob, and hiding that outside the vehicle with the battery removed.

 

[Ipassgas]

I am a soon to be, not current Bolt owner. I am also an experienced expert at locking my key fob in the car. This was almost impossible to do on my Nissan Leaf. It would not lock and made a unique sound to tell you the key fob was still in the car. My question is... Will the My Chevrolet app let you unlock the doors when there is a key fob inside? I think the answer is no, you cannot rescue yourself if you and your phone are outside the car and the key fob is inside. Only another key fob/key or OnStar can. A hammer or large rock might also be useful.

 

[jostafew]

I have to report the opposite; today my Bolt saved me from stupidly locking myself out of the car. Car was locked, key fob in my bag. I opened the hatch, dropped my bag and some cargo in the hatch, and closed it. On close the horn beeped three times quickly and the doors unlocked. It recognized that the keys were inside the locked car when the hatch closed and opened the doors for the idiot that nearly locked himself out.

 

[drdiesel1]

Activate the anti-lockout feature in the vehicle settings
and it will work like the poster above :nerd:

 

[madmike]

get the onstar ap on your smartphone and use it to unlock works great

 

[BelleLeblanc]

This situation could possibly happen to everyone of us. At least, after joining this forum, there are great tips and advice here. Thanks guys for sharing your thoughts here. I think I will get onstar app now on my phone. This tips are great for new Bolt user! I will share this to my friend also who currently leased Chevy Bolt.

 

[jostafew]

get the onstar ap on your smartphone and use it to unlock works great

Good call. I have the app set up on my phone and probably would have thought about using had I managed to lock myself out. Fortunately my phone wasn't in my bag and it didn't come to that.