Seeker4

When you close the doors, the car will turn out lights etc. after a while. Is there any way to set the car to lock automatically after being left for some time? I've been trying to develop new habits for locking the 2014 RX 450h but sometimes find I have left it unlocked. I find that pressing the dimple and waiting to be sure locking happened to take more time than locking our old Forester.

JDR76

I do not see anything in the manual about being able to set an auto lock function. I do not believe it's possible.

There should be no waiting when you lock it. Touch the "dimple" on the handle and you should immediately hear the doors lock. You will immediately get the indication tone to confirm that they have locked.

If you are used to using a remote/fob to lock the doors (assume this is what your Forester had), that option is still available to you. You can always lock/unlock with that if it's better suited to your habits.

Seeker4

In the Forester, I push the lock button on the inside door handle, then close the doors when I get out. The risk with that approach is leaving the key in the car (done that twice, have since changed my locking habit to prevent that--I don't press the lock button unless my keys are in the hand that presses the button). So it was just slam the door and run. I never found I left it unlocked. I used the fob only for unlocking the car.

With the RX, I have to close the door and "press" the dimple. Then wait a second or two for the beep and locks; it is not instantaneous. I have a tendency to pass my finger over the dimple and turn away. But that "press" doesn't always take, leaving the car unlocked. The fob never leaves my pocket.

Over time, I suppose I will develop the necessary habit but was wondering if there was any automation help. In general, I want the car to stay locked, so hoped there might be a setting (that I couldn't find in the manual either).

JDR76

Ah, I see. So it was not via remote on the Forester.

I guess I just consider a 1 or 2 second wait to be pretty much instantaneous. But if you prefer not to wait that second or two, you could just get into the habit of hitting the lock button on the remote as you walk away. This was the habit I was in with my truck, as it didn't have the keyless access that our RXs do. So it has also been an adjustment for me to get used to the new system, but it didn't take long.

I think it took me longer to stop reaching for a key in the dash when turning the car off.

kitlz

Seeker4, the only time the RX will lock automatically is if it's unlocked with the key fob and no door is opened in 30 seconds. Getting into the habit of pressing the dimple on the door handle is pretty easy to do. BTW, there are dimples on the underside of the handle too. Also the round button on the rear tailgate can lock the doors (if programmed). It's useful when you're getting something out the cargo area. Or you can alway use the key fob.

Seeker4

Yep! My problem is pressing the volume button instead of the "power on" button, probably because I can see the volume **** but the power button is mostly hidden by the steering wheel. I'm sure I'll master that too.

Tom558

A related post in another thread.

K1200ltc

It would be cool if you could just walk away and as soon as the remote was out of range the vehicle locked.

The caveat there is to hope that you aren't dropping your spouse off at the airport at zero-dark 30 and getting her luggage inside, only to come out and find that she has the fob in her bag and has now cleared security by the time you figure it out.

TorontoRX

Not auto lock but the way i make sure I've locked my RX is I have the mirrors set to fold when I've locked the car. Many times now, I will look out the window to see if I've remembered (or if wifey) to lock the car or not. If the mirrors are folded then all is good.

I've set up my C350 to do the same.

Seeker4

Yes, that is a nice feature. I am trying to make a habit to look back at the car when I leave it in a parking lot to make sure the mirrors have folded in. It's not helpful at home, as the car is in a garage and not visible from the house. But the garage is locked so I am not so concerned about it there. I am mainly concerned about being sure I have locked the car when I leave it in a public location.

Tom558

Yep, I was in a restaurant with my wife the other day and could see the RX from where I was sitting and was able to say to my wife, "You didn't lock the car", as could see the mirrors were not folded. I like being able to look at the car and tell if it is locked. We must have been just out of remote range as I was not able to lock the RX with the fob.

cflutist

The folding mirror feature when locking the car is nice but doesn't work in reverse for us when we unlock the car in the garage and have to back out. Too bad there are no proximity sensors on the mirrors themselves so that they would know to fold in before we run into the side of the garage (like another poster, it is a tight squeeze for us). We have to remember to fold the mirrors before entering the garage and then unfolding them after we have exited the garage.

PeteInGilr

I never take the key fob out of my pocket. I lock the vehicle using the inside "lock" button on the driver's door and when I return to the vehicle, I just open the door.

mcomer

Old fashioned approach, just punch the hard key "lock" on the driver's door armrest as you leave.
It will make a clear sound that confirms the action, If either fob is still inside it won't stay locked.

Seeker4

ok, tried that and it does work. But the mirrors don't retract, which left me lacking a visual verification that the car was locked.