Locked in my MG4 & unable to escape - Serious Safety Issue

[Martinonline]

I am surprised that the AA were unaware of the Recall Notice and that they stated they have no record of this happening before when this thread full of examples.

Be that as it may, may I ask you a few questions about the event to clarify my mind as to what I would do if the event happens to me. I'm sorry if the answers appear simple/obvious:

a. What MG4 model do you have?
b. What alerted you to the fact you were locked in?
c. If you had not been in a safe location could you have driven to one?
d. Did you stop the alarm or did it stop after a certain time?
e. Did you try unlocking the doors using the key or the app?
f. Did the Infotainment display shut down?
g. Could you access the 'power-down' slider from the infotainment system?
h. Before the AA opened the door using the button did you open the bonnet for them and/or move to another seat?

Many thanks

Martin

 

[Rolfe]

Good Lord, that's appalling.

Do you know the build date of your car? I thought the cars supplied to purchasers in mid-April were all built after this issue had been fixed.

 

[edwards]

I am surprised that the AA were unaware of the Recall Notice and that they stated they have no record of this happening before when this thread full of examples. His comment was based on checking the AA records I believe.

Be that as it may, may I ask you a few questions about the event to clarify my mind as to what I would do if the event happens to me. I'm sorry if the answers appear simple/obvious:

a. What MG4 model do you have?- MG4 HATCHBACK 125kW SE EV 51kWh 5dr
b. What alerted you to the fact you were locked in? I pulled to the pavement to park and when I pressed the park button, it didn't illuminate and the handbrake didn't come on. This confused me so I pulled the handbrake button to put it on which did work. I only realised I was locked in when I tried the door handle which didn't work. The open button on the key didn't work, so I pressed the unlock button on the door which then set the alarm off. The display then told me the alarm was going off.
c. If you had not been in a safe location could you have driven to one? No. The only thing I could have done is release the handbrake and roll downhill, but I imagine the steering wheel would have no power assist either.
d. Did you stop the alarm or did it stop after a certain time? Thankfully it stopped after about 15 minutes. Much to the happiness of everyone in the housing estate around me.
e. Did you try unlocking the doors using the key or the app? Yes, both key and app did not work. When I swiped the 'door open' option in the app, it said the phone and car were not linked. The app showed a message stating illegal invasion warning. Then when the alarm stopped 15 minutes later, it sent me another message saying the security alarm was cancelled, though I am not sure who or what cancelled it. That second message also told me the car was ready to drive, which was not true. There was only power to the screens, the rest of the car was immobilised.
f. Did the Infotainment display shut down? No, both screens remained on but neither allowed me to do anything helpful that I could find. I searched through the manual and pulled the bonnet release button, but that was only out desperation of something to do.
g. Could you access the 'power-down' slider from the infotainment system? I wasn't aware of the power off button in the menu, (I have just googled that now), so I am not sure if pressing that would have made a difference to my situation.
h. Before the AA opened the door using the button did you open the bonnet for them and/or move to another seat? As above, I pulled the bonnet release button which didn't make any difference. I sat in difference seats trying all the doors. Me moving around made no difference. If it happens again I will definitely be exiting via the boot as suggested in a previous post.

Many thanks

Martin

My replies in red above. Thanks, Edward

Good Lord, that's appalling.

Do you know the build date of your car? I thought the cars supplied to purchasers in mid-April were all built after this issue had been fixed.

I am not sure of the build date of my car unfortunately, it is a personal lease supplied to me on the 17th of April.

 

[Rolfe]

Was there no paperwork in the glove compartment about the car? That's where I got my build date from.

 

[bowfer]

I’d advise anyone this happens to to video the incident, video yourself trying everything to get out of the car, video people looking at you weirdly because the alarm is going off and you’re just sitting in the car….
Recording stuff like this happening helps immeasurably when it comes to rejection of the car (I can’t fathom why anyone would want to keep a car that does this, so am assuming they are sane and will want rid)

 

[wandle MG4 trophy]

I refer the Honourable Gentleman to the thread entitled “Ex MG4 Owners” initiated by the Right Honourable Member for Derby.

 

[Ian Key]

The safety recall was issued on 07/01/2023 so any cars that have been into a dealers or purchased soon after that date should have had the update done. If it turns out the dealer hasn't done done the update surely they should be some form of redress?

 

[DBedford]

But is quite standard on new cars that deadlock the doors for safety. Hammer time?

MC…. Hammer, need the trousers

 

[Rolfe]

Another reason for wanting to turn off that automatic door locking at about 10 mph. It spooks the hell out of me, I hate it, it gives me claustrophobia, and I never before met a car where you couldn't turn it off.

I get the safety issue - if you live in Soweto. I don't.

 

[Eber]

Another reason for wanting to turn off that automatic door locking at about 10 mph. It spooks the hell out of me, I hate it, it gives me claustrophobia, and I never before met a car where you couldn't turn it off.

I get the safety issue - if you live in Soweto. I don't.

It doesn't lock you in, it locks the others out. The inside door handles open any door at any time - even with auto lock engaged.

This issue has nothing to do with the auto lock feature.

 

[Rolfe]

I know that in theory, but it doesn't stop that flash of claustrophobia when I hear that click as I drive off. I just hate it. As I hate having to remember to release the door lock when I stop to pick up a passenger.

Knowing that the MG4 has (had?) this issue with locking people in just makes it worse.

 

[siteguru]

It doesn't lock you in, it locks the others out. The inside door handles open any door at any time - even with auto lock engaged.

This issue has nothing to do with the auto lock feature.

In a way it does - if the doors didn't auto-lock, would the deadlock fault still happen?

 

[Rolfe]

This was what I was wondering too.

 

[MoDolph]

I'd be tempted to leave it on but it doesn't unlock all of the doors when the passenger door is opened like our leaf used to. I got fed up of the mrs repeatedly pulling on the rear door handle until I remembered to press the unlock button.

 

[Eber]

In a way it does - if the doors didn't auto-lock, would the deadlock fault still happen?

Is it established then that the fault only concerns Trophy models (and auto-lock was activated)?

 

[Martinonline]

No. @edwards was in a MG4 SE SR.

 

[Sloucher]

Just on a whim, bearing in mind that my car had already been in to the dealer for the Locking In recall, I typed my VIN into the MG recall web page. Lo and behold, according to that, my car is subject to a recall!!
So, I'm going to call the dealer anyway, but I wonder if it's a case of the recall patch not being recorded (fairly likely I would have thought), the recall patch not actually been applied, despite it supposedly done or does anyone know of another recall?
I have to add, when I picked the car up initially, the dealer assured me then that the recall fix had been applied already!

 

[Rolfe]

Bearing in mind that in the Trophy it is possible to turn off that damn auto-locking at 10 mph (as it should be in all cars), do we know if anyone in a Trophy in which it was turned off has ever experienced a locking-in incident?

 

[Martinonline]

Having looked through this thread at least one Trophy has suffered with the problem but @RogerW (#767 Page 39) did not report non-use of the auto-lock. I suspect very few people are inclined to switch it off and if they did an not suffered a lock-in would they report it here?

Personally I do not mind the auto-locking but I have purchased a small hammer.

 

[Rolfe]

I notice that ominous click, like the prison doors closing, when it happens in other people's cars. I don't hear it that often, so I suspect that turning the auto-lock off is quite a common thing.

Given that there haven't been that many instances of locking-in reported here, I suppose it's unlikely that someone in a Trophy who had switched it off would be a victim anyway, and might not think it relevant to say whether or not it was switched off when they reported the fault.