Polo: Automatic Trunk Closing While Driving?

Hey fellow mechanics,

A friend of mine asked me for help today:

He drives a 2000 Polo SDI with central locking. For the past few days, he's been experiencing a problem where the central locking automatically engages while he's driving. Suddenly and without any apparent reason, the doors lock, and the LED starts flashing as if the door is being locked with the remote control.
So, first, he changed the key and used the spare key. But the same thing happens with both. And it's completely unreproducible.

Has anyone here ever experienced something like this or heard of it before, and do you have any idea what might be causing it?

Greetings.

Eike.

Has anyone ever experienced something like this before, or heard of it? Do you have any idea what might be causing it?


No, no, yes.

Broken cables, corroded connectors, loose/leaky water hoses, and defective microswitches are all prime suspects...

CU Gremlin.

Hello,

What might also be worth mentioning is that the power window in the driver's door is also not working, but that's been the case for a while. Could that be related somehow?

Greetings.

Eike.

Hi Eike,

The problem has two complex sets of causes.

a) The new car buyer has fallen victim to the widespread misconception that it's possible to do without air conditioning, even though the 9N model is also available without it.

b) ... and this has opened the door to a realm of innovative comfort features. In addition to Gremlin's answer, the following might also be true:
I'm sorry, but I cannot access external websites or specific files online. Therefore, I am unable to translate the text from the provided URL.

What else might be in store for him can be found, in excerpts, using the search function with the term "Polo" and the author Michael II .

Hello Ulf,

Regarding your answers:

a) The car wasn't bought new, but used. But, of course, people are always happy to take advantage of any possible luxury if it's available...

b) This might be a really good tip. I've contacted Michael II because 'our' problem child is already quite old. However, it might apply to him just as much as it does to the newer model with MJ2003.

If that's the case, it would be good because two problems could be solved with a single repair.

Thank you and greetings.

Eike.

Hi,

Now, here are some more (funny) oddities:

Sometimes, when you lock the doors (central locking) using the remote control, the doors don't actually lock. However, the LED on the driver's door starts flashing. And the alarm system also activates, which you'll notice as soon as you open a door.

Does that fit with the possibility of a defective door control unit for the window lifter?

Greetings.

Eike.