So when I turn off the engine, the trunk pops open. No. Honest.

[Orrex]

I drive a 2003 Impala that, overall, has been quite good to us. About two years ago I had to have that one device replaced, you know, the one that sucks $475 out of your wallet, allegedly sending a pulse through your ignition key in the name of security?

Isn't that how they justify any money-destroying scheme?

Anyway, when I got it back from the extortionist, I noticed that the trunk-release button was pushed in and stuck. I couldn't bring myself to return to the scene of the crime, and I figured it wasn't a big deal, since I can use my keyfob to pop the trunk.

Then about a month ago I noticed that the button was loose again. However, around that same time, I found that the trunk opens when I turn off the ignition. Not every time, but I'd say it's about one in six.

What the hell's going on here? How do I fix it?

[kentauros]

1. Take those decaying aliens out of the trunk.

If you survive

[Orrex]

2. Don't try to change me.

[kentauros]

4. Seems like your car is doing that job already

Do you build up much of a static charge? I do, and often have to ground myself, though my civic doesn't have any electrical devices like door locks, trunk latches and so on. Maybe you're building up a charge and when you ground it's tricking the system into thinking it's a command code.

[Orrex]

6. Maybe, but it seems too specific for that

And it happens so consistently that it just seems unlikely.

I'm betting that the car's been infected with nanobots.

[kentauros]

8. I'd say more like grembots

than nannybots.

[flying_wahini]

3. maybe a bad fuse?

I assume you have tried greasing it? Spray a little lube in it?
I would also check for any rusting and try to clean it before lubing it.....

[Orrex]

5. I was thinking that it's either a bad fuse or a crimped wire

The buffoons who did the last round of repairs could easily have messed something up like that by accident.

I'll check the fuses, once I figure out which one it is...


Thanks!

[Ikonoklast]

9. It's an automobile, fer crissakes, not a

...blow-up doll.

[HeiressofBickworth]

7. I lived in Australia in 1976

At that time, their repair work was just awful. After taking the car in for some minor repair (don't remember what it was), as I was driving it home after the repair, I noticed that every time I pushed on the brake pedal, the radio came on (this is an absolutely true story). When I got home, I called the rest of the family out to look at it. I of course took it right back to the repair shop and they told me that if I didn't like the repairs, I should move back to America. After sitting a couple of hours in the repair shop lobby with the rest of the family, it was finally repaired.

[elleng]

10. Ha! A family sit-in Down Under, eh???

[csziggy]

15. Repair shops don't like having crowds waiting for cars

Decades ago when I was a penniless college student some friends got me involved in SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism - people dress up in medieval costumes and have pretend wars, etc.). This was back in the early days of SCA so we were pretty much making it up as we went along.

One SCA group in Memphis decided to have a "war" so six of us decided to drive from Tallahassee for the weekend. On a Datsun station wagon. With $50 cash total for the lot of us, gas, food, and any incidentals. Not a credit card (or any credit) among us.

We got to Dothan and the Datsun broke down. 4 PM on a Saturday. Alabama in the mid 1970s was not a good place to try to get a Japanese car worked on. But we were in luck - Dothan actually had a Datsun dealership. I used the AAA membership my parents had given me to have the car towed to the dealership.

The service department did not want to start on the Datsun that late on a Friday and they would not be open on Saturday. We all politely explained to them that if they didn't get it fixed our only choice would be to camp out next to the building until it was fixed. In our patched together 'medieval' style tent. Dressed in our medieval costumes (since we had only brought one set of 'mundane' clothes each). Having mock battles with our fake swords and shields.

I've got to hand it to those mechanics - they fixed the Datsun in no time flat. They even fixed it good enough that we had no problem with it all the way to Memphis and back to Tallahassee - I'm pretty sure they did not want to get back to work on Monday and find us back in their parking lot.

[sharp_stick]

19. They were afraid

that if you had the weekend you'd have set up a full-on Renaissance Faire by Monday morning and they'd have to explain it to the rest of Dothan. It was an act of accidental genius to have everyone all dressed up like that so they'd have to do the work.

[csziggy]

20. I think it was the swords

They were just rattan wrapped with duct tape, but one of the guys tended to get an expression that conveyed a level of insanity and malevolence when he sparred.

[JoeyT]

11. Can you unlock your trunk

manually with a key? If so I'd disconnect the wires going to the release.

If not it might be a short in your wiring harness, or if your fob has a trunk release, it could be a short in the receiver.

The first thing I'd do is disconnect the back of the trunk release button and see if that's the problem. The 2nd would be to disconnect the release wires. If all else fails, you can always wire a toggle switch in and flip it up and back down to open the trunk.

It's really really hard to diagnose electrical problems with a car over the internet. Hell, sometimes it's hard to diagnose them when you're standing right over them.

[Kali]

12. eh, yer lucky they didn't charge you extra for the customization feature

[maria625]

13. thanks dear i like this post

thanks dear i like this post

[hrmjustin]

14. Welcome to DU!

[hobbit709]

16. That's what happens when everything goes through the computer.

A friend of mine had to take her week old car back to reset the computer so that the trunk light would come on. Why you need the computer to turn on the trunk light I don't know.

[sarge43]

17. Duct tape, Orrex. All problems can be solved with duct tape.

That and WD40. The Big Hammer is optional.

If that doesn't work, you'll have to do what I did -- marry a mechanic.

[boston bean]

18. are you accidentally hitting the keyfob button for the trunk?

[ChromeFoundry]

21. Could it be...

Your trunk release button will not work unless your car is in Park... You mentioned that the trunk release button was stuck in the inward position... I believe it is in the glove box on this model year. Anyway, could it be that the slight vibration of putting the car into Park, or turning off the engine could be enough of a vibration to close the circuit of this busted switch?

Maybe try disconnecting the wires on the switch and see if that solves the problem. If so, point your browser over to RockAuto.com.

[Orrex]

22. That's an interesting thought

The switch is actually below and to the left of the steering wheel, but I suppose it's still possible that the vibration might be tripping it.

A coworker suggested that I disconnect the switch, and he says that it's simple enough to do. Perhaps I'll give that a shot.


Thanks!