Tiguan self started?

[tigone18]

Hi all,

I have a 2017 Tiguan 162tsi.

I had a very strange experience on the weekend. I went to an event at Homebush and parked in the car park there. I'm pretty sure stop/start was deactivated because I almost always turn it off. I'm 99% sure I locked the car as I always check the mirrors fold in. My two kids got out of the back seat and then I locked it.

We were gone for roughly 5 hours. On the way back, as we walked towards the car I notice that the rear lights are on - "That's weird!", I thought. As we get closer I realise the car is actually running! I open the door and I'm pretty sure it was unlocked but it has comfort access so it's hard to be certain.

So if we assume that I never locked the car (even though I'm almost certain I did), wouldn't the car turn itself off when they key was out of the cars vicinity?

I'm very mystified by the whole thing. Any ideas?

[Lucas_R]

Well im not sure about VW, but a guy i work with has a current model Honda Civic and he went out to lunch with a freind and left his car idling the entire time (keys were in his pocket) they were gone. He was dumbfounded when he returned to his car a few hours later.

After discussing this with his, I have tried the same scenario with my wife's 2015 model Mazda 3 and the engine stayed running as i walked off. The car does beep at you if you leave it running and walk away but its not terribly loud and easy enough to miss if you have kids/other people around etc.

So its entirely possible your car was running the entire time you and your kids were away from the car.

[Dose Pipe Sutututu]

And stop/start swtiches off at times when the cabin temperature exceeds the set limit, I believe there's a small hysteresis for cabin temp vs. what is set on the AC

[Ozsko]

You can start the car and take the keys out of range and it still drives until the ignition is turned off. This is exactly how keyless cars are stolen without the keys being in the car. The keys and the car constantly look for one another, the bad guys use an amplifier device thingy to detect a key that is in a house for example and amplify it so that the car hears the key then they can start it and drive away. Apparently this is rampant in the UK and a special key cover can be bought to prevent the key signal being broadcast. I read somewhere that the latest Skoda key has a device in it that switches off the key if it detects no movement to prevent this happening.

[Clarkie]

Can you leave the engine running, get out of the car and lock the doors with the key remote?

[spacemannz]

You can start the car and take the keys out of range and it still drives until the ignition is turned off.

So I can start the car with my key and let the missus drive to the shops without a key, and not be able to restart to drive home? That’s a fun prank... although I’ll be ferrying a key to her I guess... and sleeping in the kennel later.
Seriously though, I’m gonna need to test this because that is a plausible scenario and I’d hate for her and our toddler to be stranded on a hot day.
(I have auto start/stop permanently disabled, so it would make it a lot further than the first intersection)

[tigone18]

OK thanks for the replies. I really struggle to imagine myself walking away from a running car but I did have a bit going on getting bags and snacks and drinks for the kids etc. Guess I just have to chalk it up to middle age absent mindedness.

I am going to do some experiments though. Weird that it would let me lock a running car when they key is outside the car?

[bbrn]

although I’ll be ferrying a key to her I guess... and sleeping in the kennel later.

hahaha!! that, happened to me once with a CX5, only I'm sort of the victim, and I'm certain it's unintended. I dropped off wife on the way to work, she had the key in her purse and take it with her. For some reason I didn't hear the "key not in car" beep. It was very subtle in the cx5. I parked it and switch off the ignition. And only realised I don't have the key when trying to lock the car.
I had to borrow my colleague's car to fetch my car key.

on my Tig, the "key not in car" beep is a bit louder but you still won't hear it if you shut the door as soon as you step out, there's a slight delay when car realises key i missing..

And both the CX5 and Tig, won't lock if the ignition is still on (even if the engine is not running due to stop/start function).

[Clarkie]

Cheers. All previous cars I’ve had won’t lock while the ignition is still on, assumed that would be the case.

[HiddenTaco]

Interesting!

I have a theory that lines up with what others are saying.

I think the following happened:

Auto start/stop wasn't off (even tho you thought you pressed it)
Parked the car, put it into park and Auto start/stop turned the engine off
You and kids got out and everyone closed the doors
You touched the door to lock it (but it didn't actually lock)
Everyone walked away
Car was turning on and off depending on the climate control

If you leave your car in park with auto start/stop on and climate off then eventually the car will turn off (full off). I know because I witnessed it once (Arteon).

These cars are making us lazy. I also have a 10 year old Corolla and Aurion which I only drive occasionally and often leave them unlocked with the handbrake down.

[tigone18]

Yep, HiddenTaco, that seems like the most likely scenario doesn't it. That's more feasible than a self starting car anyway!

The Tiguan is my wifes car so I don't drive it all that often. And the climate control was definitely on as it was a warm day.

Thanks everyone for the input. Mystery solved - I'm just a forgetful goose. Would have been fun trying to explain that to an insurance company!

[spacemannz]

So what happens if that occurs in a garage full of carbonmonoxide seeping into an attached house at night?

[bbrn]

So what happens if that occurs in a garage full of carbonmonoxide seeping into an attached house at night?

I see your point, although i think you would've heard the car's engine restarting if you're close enough to the garage to worry about CO poisoning.

Seriously though, my 2013 CX5 had better implementation of the stop/start.
The engine would restart itself as soon as the driver door is opened. So I'd realise immediately that ignition is still on.

still not sure about the Tig's behaviour, there's been a few occassion when the active info display is telling me "ignition will be switched off in 30 seconds" after I put the car in P, switch on the hand brake, while I remain inside the car to fiddle with the infotainment unit.