2005 Cadillac STS door locks

[newcaddyowner]

I bought a 205 Cadillac STS yesterday and since arriving home I haven't been able to remotely or manually lock the front doors. I probably don't understand the FOB yet. I just press the lock PIC on the remote, the red lights on top of the door (inside) beside the window come on for about 10 seconds the go off.

I check the door and it still opens.

ANY SUGGESTIONS ANYBODY?

Also, how can I get a free manual online?

Thanks all,

W. L.

[rockfangd]

I am sure someone familiar will chime in on this, but I think the locks are time delayed, they lock after 30 seconds or so

[airmike]

I bought a 205 Cadillac STS yesterday and since arriving home I haven't been able to remotely or manually lock the front doors. I probably don't understand the FOB yet. I just press the lock PIC on the remote, the red lights on top of the door (inside) beside the window come on for about 10 seconds the go off.

I check the door and it still opens.

ANY SUGGESTIONS ANYBODY?

Also, how can I get a free manual online?

Thanks all,

W. L.

I don't know anything about this particular car but my xlr unlocks when I get close to it, with the fob in my pocket. It is push button start and I leave the fob in my pocket to drive. If I want to check the door locks I send someone else to check them or leave the fob in the building. Maybe your car has that same type of locks/fobs.

[airmike]

http://www.extendedgmwarranty.com/owners-manual/cadillac/

Try that site for a manual. I see 2005 sts listed there. I just bookmarked the page rather than print it off.

[johnnyjaws]

maybe the battery is weak in the key fob

[WarrenJ]

FROM YOUR OWNERS MANUAL:

*******************************

Vehicle Personalization

Your vehicle is equipped with personalization that allows you to program certain features to a preferred setting for up to two drivers. The back of the keyless access transmitters are labelled 1 or 2. The number of programmable features varies depending upon which vehicle options are purchased.

On all vehicles, features such as climate control settings, radio and XM™ preset settings, exterior lighting at unlock and remote lock unlock confirmation and language have already been programmed for your convenience. Your vehicle also has an automatic door locking feature that is always on. You cannot turn the automatic door locking feature off. See Programmable Automatic Door Locks .

Some vehicles are equipped with additional features that can be programmed including the seat, steering column, and outside rearview mirror position.

If your vehicle has the base audio system, the following information explains the vehicle personalization on your vehicle.

If your vehicle has the Navigation system, see "Personalization" in the Index of the Navigation System manual for information on vehicle personalization.

If your vehicle is equipped with the ability to program additional personalization features, the driver's preferences are recalled by pressing any button on the keyless access transmitter, 1 or 2, by selecting Driver 1 or 2 on the radio display, or when a valid keyless access transmitter is detected upon opening the driver's door.

If more than one valid keyless access transmitter is detected upon opening the driver's door, the driver preferences for the lowest driver number will be recalled.

Certain features can be programmed not to recall until the ignition is turned off.

To change feature preferences, use the following procedure.

Entering the Personal Settings Menu

To enter the feature programming mode, use the following procedure:

1. Be sure the ignition is either on, in ACC position, or in RAP and place the transmission in PARK (P) or the vehicle speed is less than 6 mph (9 km/h).
2. Press any button on the appropriate keyless access transmitter to identify yourself as Driver 1 or Driver 2.
3. Turn on the radio by pressing the power/volume knob.
4. Press the CNFG radio button or the tune/select knob located on the right side of the radio to enter the radio's main menu.
5. Turn the tune/select knob and scroll to SETUP.
6. Press the tune/select knob to enter the SETUP menu.
7. Turn the tune/select knob and scroll to PERSONAL SETTINGS MENU, then press the tune/select knob to turn the feature on. A check mark appears after this selection when it is turned on and the entire list of personalization features will appear.
8. Turn the tune/select knob and scroll to the feature you want to change, then press the tune/select knob to turn the feature on or off. If the feature is turned on, a check mark will appear next to the feature name. Some features have submenus that show additional features that can be turned on or off. After entering a submenu, turn the tune/select knob and scroll to the feature you want to change, then press the tune/select knob to turn the feature on or off.

Personal Settings Menu Items

The PERSONAL SETTINGS MENU must be selected with a check mark to program the personalization features. If it is not selected, press the tune/select knob until the check mark appears. If it is selected, the entire list of features will be available to program.

[...]

DRIVER UNLOCK AT OFFThis feature allows the driver's door to automatically unlock when the ignition is turned off.

Programmable Modes

Mode 1: ON

Mode 2: OFF

Before your vehicle was shipped from the factory, it was programmed to Mode 2. The mode to which the vehicle was programmed may have been changed since it left the factory.

To program the vehicle to a different mode, use the following procedure:

1. Enter the PERSONAL SETTINGS MENU by following the instructions listed previously under "Entering the Personal Settings Menu."
2. Turn the tune/select knob until DRIVER UNLOCK AT OFF is highlighted.
3. Press the tune/select knob to switch between on and off. When the mode is turned on, a check mark will appear next to the feature name.

The mode you selected is now set. You can either exit the programming mode by following the instructions later in this section or program the next feature available on your vehicle.

DOORS UNLOCK AT OFFThis feature allows all of the doors to automatically unlock when the ignition is turned off.

Programmable Modes

Mode 1: ON

Mode 2: OFF

Before your vehicle was shipped from the factory, it was programmed to Mode 2. The mode to which the vehicle was programmed may have been changed since it left the factory.

To program the vehicle to a different mode, use the following procedure:

1. Enter the PERSONAL SETTINGS MENU by following the instructions listed previously under "Entering the Personal Settings Menu."
2. Turn the tune/select knob until DOORS UNLOCK AT OFF is highlighted.
3. Press the tune/select knob to switch between on and off. When the mode is turned on, a check mark will appear next to the feature name.

The mode you selected is now set. You can either exit the programming mode by following the instructions later in this section or program the next feature available on your vehicle.

DRIVER UNLOCK IN PARKThe feature allows the driver's door to automatically unlock when the transmission is shifted into PARK (P).

Programmable Modes

Mode 1: ON

Mode 2: OFF

Before your vehicle was shipped from the factory, it was programmed to Mode 2. The mode to which the vehicle was programmed may have been changed since it left the factory.

To program the vehicle to a different mode, use the following procedure:

1. Enter the PERSONAL SETTINGS MENU by following the instructions listed previously under "Entering the Personal Settings Menu."
2. Turn the tune/select knob until DRIVER UNLOCK IN PARK is highlighted.
3. Press the tune/select knob to switch back and forth between on and off. When the mode is turned on, a check mark will appear next to the feature name.

The mode you selected is now set. You can either exit the programming mode by following the instructions later in this section or program the next feature available on your vehicle.

DOORS UNLOCK IN PARKThe feature allows all of the doors to automatically unlock when the transmission is shifted into PARK (P).

Programmable Modes

Mode 1: ON

Mode 2: OFF

Before your vehicle was shipped from the factory, it was programmed to Mode 1. The mode to which the vehicle was programmed may have been changed since it left the factory.

To program the vehicle to a different mode, use the following procedure:

1. Enter the PERSONAL SETTINGS MENU by following the instructions listed previously under "Entering the Personal Settings Menu."
2. Turn the tune/select knob until DOORS UNLOCK IN PARK is highlighted.
3. Press the tune/select knob to switch back and forth between on and off. When the mode is turned on, a check mark will appear next to the feature name.

The mode you selected is now set. You can either exit the programming mode by following the instructions later in this section or program the next feature available on your vehicle.

KEYLESS FT (Front) DOOR UNLOCKThis feature automatically unlocks the appropriate front door when you approach the vehicle with your keyless access transmitter and pull the respective door handle. See Door Locks for more information.

Programmable Modes

Mode 1: ON

Mode 2: OFF

Before your vehicle was shipped from the factory, it was programmed to Mode 2. The mode to which the vehicle was programmed may have been changed since it left the factory.

To program the vehicle to a different mode, use the following procedure:

1. Enter the PERSONAL SETTINGS MENU by following the instructions listed previously under "Entering the Personal Settings Menu."
2. Turn the tune/select knob until KEYLESS FT DOOR UNLOCK is highlighted.
3. Press the tune/select knob to switch back and forth between on and off. When the mode is turned on, a check mark will appear next to the feature name.

The mode you selected is now set. You can either exit the programming mode by following the instructions later in this section or program the next feature available on your vehicle.

KEYLESS DOORS UNLOCKThis feature automatically unlocks all of the doors when you approach the vehicle with your keyless access transmitter and pull either front door handle. See Door Locks for more information.

Programmable Modes

Mode 1: ON

Mode 2: OFF

Before your vehicle was shipped from the factory, it was programmed to Mode 1. The mode to which the vehicle was programmed may have been changed since it left the factory.

To program the vehicle to a different mode, use the following procedure:

1. Enter the PERSONAL SETTINGS MENU by following the instructions listed previously under "Entering the Personal Settings Menu."
2. Turn the tune/select knob until KEYLESS DOORS UNLOCK is highlighted.
3. Press the tune/select knob to switch back and forth between on and off. When the mode is turned on, a check mark will appear next to the feature name.

The mode you selected is now set. You can either exit the programming mode by following the instructions later in this section or program the next feature available on your vehicle.

LOCK DELAYThis feature delays the locking of the vehicle's doors for eight seconds after a power door lock switch or the lock button on the keyless access transmitter is pressed. The eight second delay occurs after the last door is closed. If the keyless access transmitter is left inside of the vehicle, the doors will not lock.

Programmable Modes

Mode 1: ON

Mode 2: OFF

Before your vehicle was shipped from the factory, it was programmed to Mode 1. The mode to which the vehicle was programmed may have been changed since it left the factory.

To program the vehicle to a different mode, use the following procedure:

1. Enter the PERSONAL SETTINGS MENU by following the instructions listed previously under "Entering the Personal Settings Menu."
2. Turn the tune/select knob until LOCK DELAY is highlighted.
3. Press the tune/select knob to switch back and forth between on and off. When the mode is turned on, a check mark will appear next to the feature name.

The mode you selected is now set. You can either exit the programming mode by following the instructions later in this section or program the next feature available on your vehicle.

KEYLESS LOCK DELAYThis feature allows you to select whether the doors automatically lock when the ignition is turned off, the keyless access transmitter has been removed from the interior of the vehicle, and the doors have been closed for 10 seconds. If a keyless access transmitter is left inside of the vehicle, the doors will not lock.

Programmable Modes

Mode 1: ON

Mode 2: OFF

Before your vehicle was shipped from the factory, it was programmed to Mode 2. The mode to which the vehicle was programmed may have been changed since it left the factory.

To program the vehicle to a different mode, use the following procedure:

1. Enter the PERSONAL SETTINGS MENU by following the instructions listed previously under "Entering the Personal Settings Menu."
2. Turn the tune/select knob until KEYLESS LOCK DELAY is highlighted.
3. Press the tune/select knob to switch back and forth between on and off. When the mode is turned on, a check mark will appear next to the feature name.

The mode you selected is now set. You can either exit the programming mode by following the instructions later in this section or program the next feature available on your vehicle.

*******************************

Regards,

Warren

[scott y]

Wow that's alot of info that could only be contained within the owners manual...right?

[WarrenJ]

Wow that's alot of info that could only be contained within the owners manual...right?

Yep, and I edited it for briefness. The entire subject of Vehicle Personalization is probably an all day course.

[cdgrinci]

The short answer is that your car has a proximity sensor. If the FOB is in the prescribed range, when you lift the handle, it senses you (your fob) and the door opens. Try locking your door, remove the fob to someplace other than near the car, and give the handle a yank; then you should have a locked door.

[Daddy Dave]

Old thread, but I found it so I'll join the fun! We recently purchased a 2005 Cadillac and have had it about a week. If I can't disable the darn autolock feature I'll be getting rid of it! My wife was just locked out of the car because she left it running in the driveway while she went back into the house to get something. It is a good thing that my son knew where I kept the 2nd key. That is unacceptable. I'll never buy another Cadillac if I can't disable autolock. The idea that locking the door will protect you from all sorts of trouble is a decision that I should be making, not my car. For what its worth, we leave our keys in the console all the time. We live in a safe town that is "in the middle of nowhere".

[BodybyFisher]

6 hours ago, Daddy Dave said:

Old thread, but I found it so I'll join the fun! We recently purchased a 2005 Cadillac and have had it about a week. If I can't disable the darn autolock feature I'll be getting rid of it! My wife was just locked out of the car because she left it running in the driveway while she went back into the house to get something. It is a good thing that my son knew where I kept the 2nd key. That is unacceptable. I'll never buy another Cadillac if I can't disable autolock. The idea that locking the door will protect you from all sorts of trouble is a decision that I should be making, not my car. For what its worth, we leave our keys in the console all the time. We live in a safe town that is "in the middle of nowhere".

Please don't jump to conclusions.   That is NOT how the auto lock feature is suppose to operate, now that would be STUPID now wouldn't it?   There is NO REASON to disable it, it needs to be repaired. 

The auto lock feature ONLY works when the selector is put into DRIVE with the engine running, it SHOULD NOT lock the car doors with the selector in PARK or NEUTRAL while the vehicle is running

Please check for codes, and post ALL codes here especially P and B codes.   We are unable to help unless we see all codes.    

Are you aware of any work that has been done, transmission, engine?   It is possible that the PRD21 module is out of adjustment or defective.   Post codes

 

[Daddy Dave]

The next time I'm in the car (my wife drives it), I'll check the Personalization settings. I'll go through the menus and disable anything related to the car locking itself without a command from the driver. Having been a software developer for a thousand years, I'm leaning towards short-sighted software development and incomplete testing before it was declared Ready for Production. This is a very low mileage (54k) garage-kept geezer-owned car with no codes set (assumed - no CEL). It has never required any work other than ordinary maintenance. My theory is it detected the key in my office inside the house and preferred its status over the one inside the car. Since the preferred key was not inside the car, it automatically locked the car. This car was running in the driveway with a key in the cup holder and it locked my wife out when she ran up the stairs to get something.

[BodybyFisher]

So basically you ignored what I recommended, declaring the problem the result of "short sighted software development and incomplete testing" and you will endeavor to disable it.  Suit yourself.  Keep in mind that this vehicle is new to you and it just may be operating as intended.

Your service manual states that when the selector is in park, the doors are unlocked.  See photo from the 2005 Owners Manual

You didnt mention whether this happened more than once.  Since this car is new to you and your wife it is possible that this happened by accident and it is not related to 'poor design' or malfunction (like someone accidently locking the car upon exit, even though I am not sure that is even possible with the engine running and no one in the drivers seat).  

Also see the second photo, Passive Arming.  You mentioned that the keyless access transmitter was not with the vehicle.  The doors were closed with the key in the ignition and engine running and the doors were closed.  I find it hard to believe this happened with the vehicle running and the key in the ignition.  And feel there is something amiss.  Operator error / or misunderstanding of how it works or sensor error of some sort.  That no keyless access transmitter was near the vehicle while it was running with the doors closed may have been cause for it to passively arm itself so no one could get in and drive away,    @KHE <<< owns a 2005, lets see what he thinks.    I need to review the security section to see if the wireless transmitter needs to be with the vehicle while it is being operated and how the security system behaves when its not with the vehicle.   This once happened to me in a Ford Explorer with my daughter sleeping in the child seat, still not sure if it was locked by accident.

If you would like a PDF copy of your owners manual PM me, I have it for the STS in PDF

Do check for codes, B and P codes do not come up with the standard type of code reader only P codes.  I believe this year is CAN and codes can no longer be retrieved through the dash.  @KHE how do we get B and P codes on an 05?   (Thanks KHE Kevin).

 

[KHE]

Daddy Dave didn't state what model of 2005 Cadillac he has but reading the information from the owner's manual that were recently posted, I am guessing it is not a Deville.  The 2005 Deville/DHS/DTS were the last models that could display the codes on the information center.

Can you post page 2-47?  It looks like there are customization settings for the locks that should fit his needs.

[BodybyFisher]

Thanks Kevin @KHE do you have a Deville or STS?  The scans above are from an 05 STS, 

I just screen shot about 10 pages all related to how the door locks work.  Do you have the owners manual?, See page 2-47 and onward.

[Daddy Dave]

Aren't y'all a bunch of fun! 2005 Cadillac STS4 - AWD with the Northstar V8, 54k miles, mint condition, babied all of its life. I believe this car has every single option available from the factory. It has upgraded leather seats, heated and cooled seats front and rear, pushbutton start, upgraded brakes, magnetic shocks, radar cruise control, navigation, moonroof, subwoofer in the rear deck, speakers in the outboard shoulders of the front seats. I've probably forgotten a few. The original sticker price was $66k!

I stand by my first assertion. This is truly a case of "short-sighted software development and incomplete testing before it was declared Ready for Production." I went into the Personalization menu which has Driver 1 and Driver 2 settings. I disabled all AutoLock settings for both keyfobs. The AutoLock settings are now dark indicating that none of the options have been enabled. I drove up to the house and stopped the car in front of the garage where my wife had left it the other day, left the car running with the key in the car, walked upstairs for about 2 minutes, then back to the car and was pleased that it was still running and still unlocked. I put the car in the garage and went upstairs and forgot about it. Later that same evening my wife went downstairs to get into the car and it was locked! One keyfob was inside the car in the cupholder. The other one is 2 floors above the garage in my office. I'll be surprised if there's a secret menu that I don't know about. I'll be hiding a door key somewhere under the car because this "safety feature" will surely cause a problem when I least expect it.

We've always left the keys in all of our cars when they are home - whether in the garage or driveway. That means that everyone in the house (5 driving kids, most moved out) knows where the keys are. We live on a quiet street in a tiny town in Wyoming. Cadillac's anti-theft logic is cramping our style.

[BodybyFisher]

See this thread, you aren't the only owner to have this problem.  Maybe there is a transmitter pairing problem, I don't know.  Odd that this fellow has a cadillac daddy like name also and a 2005 STS (prior owner haha!), see this link below.

I hope you figure this out, Ill do some more research in the meantime.

https://www.cadillacforums.com/threads/keys-locked-in-car.205144/

 

[rockfangd]

Excellent post BBF.

I pulled this paragraph from one of the replies

Your vehicle can be programmed to sound the horn
three times and unlock the driver’s door when all doors
are closed and there is a keyless access transmitter
inside the interior of the vehicle. When the driver’s door
is reopened, the key in reminder chime will sound
continuously. The vehicle will remain locked only when
at least one transmitter has been removed from the
vehicle and both doors are closed. See Vehicle
Personalization on page 2-53.

If I read this correctly it says that when at least 1 FOB is removed from the vehicle it sees that. What it does not see is the one that is still present. 

I hope that makes sense. The key that never moves never changes signal.

The key that is removed does change signal when moving away from the vehicle and therefore is seen as removed.

This would drive me insane. I could absolutely see myself locking myself out.

One of our cars is a 2005 Altima. It has locked by itself with the keys in the ignition 3 times on me. 

#1 it should never lock on its own

#2 it is never supposed to lock with the key in the ignition

But yet 3 times. And none were at home where we have a second key. Not cool

[BodybyFisher]

Thanks, so is there a solution? Should the other key be in the car?, can you stop it from locking? This is confusing me.  I see myself locked out already!

 

@rockfangd

[rockfangd]

I would say do not let 2 at the same time be within range. If one is in the car leave it there and don't bring another within range.

It is at least worth a shot.