Is there a flaw with the Smart Key design?

General Discussion Forum
1

I found something that might be a design flaw today.

This morning, I couldn’t find my keys and realised my car was locked. Last night, I used the Kia Access app to lock the car remotely, but the key was inside. I was able to unlock the car using the app, but I thought the car would have stopped me from locking it with the smart key inside. It seems like this doesn’t apply to the app.

(Just to clarify, I’m talking about the 2024 Kia EV6 GT-Line RWD, but I suspect other Kia Access vehicles would have the same issue.)

2

The app doesn’t check if the key is inside when locking or unlocking… I’ve been locking my car with the app for years, especially when going for a run at the beach, taking only my watch and headphones. I leave everything else in the car and use the watch app to lock and unlock it.

I’ve been lucky that the app hasn’t failed on me during one of those runs.

There was one time when the car did auto-lock with the key inside, but I’m not sure what caused it. It happened when I plugged the car into the L2 charger and walked away for less than a minute. I heard the click and saw the doors lock, even with the mirrors still extended. I wonder if the charging port is involved in this.

3

@Robin
It’s a risk if Kia Connect is down when you need to unlock your car. I’ve thought about doing the same thing, but I worry about not being able to get in when I need to.

4

Seems like the app is working as it was designed.

5

Rin said:
Seems like the app is working as it was designed.

There’s a built-in feature to prevent locking the doors if the smart key is inside. Why would the app be designed to go against that feature?

6

@Ren
Did you read the owner’s manual?

7

Rin said:
@Ren
Did you read the owner’s manual?

Yes, I checked the manual for this issue before posting. What exactly are you referring to?

8

Ren said:

Rin said:
@Ren
Did you read the owner’s manual?

Yes, I checked the manual for this issue before posting. What exactly are you referring to?

Lol

9

Didn’t you try touching the door handle? That should work if the key is nearby.

10

Madden said:
Didn’t you try touching the door handle? That should work if the key is nearby.

It won’t unlock if the key is inside and not detected outside. If it did, anyone could unlock your car at a stoplight, which would make carjacking much easier.

11

@Dallas
Who leaves their car running at a light? Locking should behave the same way when the car is running.

12

Madden said:
@Dallas
Who leaves their car running at a light? Locking should behave the same way when the car is running.

The car should consider the key’s position, as it can tell whether the key is inside or outside based on triangulation.

This feature has been around since key fobs that don’t need you to touch the fob to open the door. It’s been a standard feature for over 30 years.

13

Madden said:
Didn’t you try touching the door handle? That should work if the key is nearby.

I did (although briefly, I was in a rush)! It didn’t open. I’ll test it again and update soon.

14

@Ren
Interesting… Now I’m curious how it behaves after using the app to lock it. I don’t use the app for locking, so I’m not sure how it works.

15

Madden said:
@Ren
Interesting… Now I’m curious how it behaves after using the app to lock it. I don’t use the app for locking, so I’m not sure how it works.

I just tested it again – touching the handle from the outside won’t unlock the car in this situation.

16

@Ren
I guess the app assumes that if you lock it with the app, you’ll also unlock it with the app. I’m not sure if this is a design flaw or just intended behaviour.

17

Madden said:
@Ren
I guess the app assumes that if you lock it with the app, you’ll also unlock it with the app. I’m not sure if this is a design flaw or just intended behaviour.

It could be a flaw if you lock your phone in the boot. It’s easy to do by accident. Once your phone and key are inside, you can’t unlock the car from outside.

18

@Denver
How did you lock the car with the app if your phone was in the boot?

19

This issue does happen. Another frustrating thing is if you unlock the boot, place your bag with the key and phone inside, then shut the boot, you’re stuck. You’ll have to use a second device to download the app and unlock the car. It’s happened to me twice, and it’s really annoying.

20

@Denver
Haha, I’d be really stuck. I use a password manager, so all my passwords are random and complex. I couldn’t just download the app on any device because I’d need my password manager to log in.