Locking boot lid on Jeep

[Surfer]

Is there anyway that one can lock the rear boot on the Jeep Grand Cherokee if you are inside the vehicle and the doors are unlocked?  If travelling through a dubious area with the boot loaded with gear, there is nothing stopping someone from opening either the rear window or even the boot lid, helping themselves and making a dash for it.   By the time you have removed the seat belt and exited the vehicle they are long gone.

[V]

If you have a mechanical key to lock and unlock the boot, disconnect the wire to the solenoid lock actuator. The boot lock will now only be controlled by the key, not by the central locking. If you forget to lock it manually, it will stay unlocked when you trigger the central locking.

 

Alternatively, you could keep the boot solenoid on the central locking 'lock' circuit and remove it from the 'unlock' circuit. You can then wire an independent switch that has three states: latched, off, and momentary. My XJ rear wash wipe switch is this type of switch. On the latched side it could keep the boot in the central locking unlock circuit, the off state removes it from the central locking unlock circuit and the momentary unlocks the boot independently.

 

[UKTJ]

38 minutes ago, Surfer said:

Is there anyway that one can lock the rear boot on the Jeep Grand Cherokee if you are inside the vehicle and the doors are unlocked?  If travelling through a dubious area with the boot loaded with gear, there is nothing stopping someone from opening either the rear window or even the boot lid, helping themselves and making a dash for it.   By the time you have removed the seat belt and exited the vehicle they are long gone.

Which year?  My wife’s 2016 looks all doors when it hits 15 mph and then only unlocks when a door is opened or the unlock button pushed.  Never checked, but can’t see why the tailgate would not be locked as well as doors.

[V]

24 minutes ago, UKTJ said:

Which year?  My wife’s 2016 looks all doors when it hits 15 mph and then only unlocks when a door is opened or the unlock button pushed.  Never checked, but can’t see why the tailgate would not be locked as well as doors.

 

That's a really good point. On some of the older Chryslers and Jeeps I have owned the trigger point was 20mph. I guess if you are travelling slower, you just have to remember to lock the doors from the switch panel before starting the engine.

 

The solenoid wire to the tailgate on both of my Cherokees has broken in the hinge area. I have not fixed it because I like knowing that the boot is always locked and unlocked with the key. I get why Surfer would like to have this feature.

 

I have seen others install a mechanical pull-rod release for the XJ tailgate lock so the door can be unlocked from inside. It doesn't appear to be a feature on Jeeps I have owned but is on some other brands of SUV. This is worth doing as XJ tailgate locks can get stuck in the locked state. It hasn't happened to me yet on the tailgate, but I have had it happen on the rear passenger doors. I use this spray lube now to keep all my lock mechanisms running freely.

[Surfer]

1 hour ago, UKTJ said:

Which year?  My wife’s 2016 looks all doors when it hits 15 mph and then only unlocks when a door is opened or the unlock button pushed.  Never checked, but can’t see why the tailgate would not be locked as well as doors.

It is the 2012 Overland Summit.  Apparently the auto lock needs to be set up by the dealer, but still no idea if the boot or tailgate locks also.

Edited April 3, 2022 by Surfer

[UKTJ]

1 hour ago, Surfer said:

It is the 2012 Overland Summit.  Apparently the auto lock needs to be set up by the dealer, but still no idea if the boot or tailgate locks also.

Just checked the wife's car, once the auto lock triggers the boot is locked until the unlock button is pressed or one of the front doors is opened from the inside.

[Gerald F]

On my 2015 Overland, the auto-locking can be set from the 'Apps" choice in the UConnect unit. All doors and the tailgate lock together. It only unlocks the rear doors when you open the front doors, or use the button on the RH window switch panel. You can also set it so that only the driver's door unlocks when you use the key fob with a single press. 

There's an option to have an audible signal whilst the tailgate opens, which would give you plenty of warning if there was an unauthorised attempt at opening.

 

[V]

22 minutes ago, Gerald F said:

There's an option to have an audible signal whilst the tailgate opens, which would give you plenty of warning if there was an unauthorised attempt at opening.

 

That's a nice feature to have.

[Gerald F]

10 hours ago, Surfer said:

If travelling through a dubious area with the boot loaded with gear, there is nothing stopping someone from opening either the rear window or even the boot lid, helping themselves and making a dash for it.

Glad I live  out in the sticks; I don't always remember to lock the car on the road overnight, and back when you had actual keys in a lock, could get away with leaving them in, too!