I've been driving a new-to-me 2005 Dakota Club Cab since April, and just in the last week the power door locks have TWICE locked both doors unexpectedly and uncommanded. At least I *think* so. Has anyone else ever experienced this?

First time was when I was hitching up a trailer. I backed up just a couple of feet. Certainly didn't exceed 15mph in reverse. I got out to put the trailer on the ball, hook the chains and electrical, etc. And when I returned to the cab I was locked out. With the key in the ignition and the engine running. (I was in Dallas and the spare key was back home in CT.)

Later that same day, I stopped at a roadside pullout to take a picture. I stepped out of the vehicle for a few minutes, but left it running. When I returned to the cab, both doors were locked again. (This time, however, I'd left the window halfway down.)

There have been other occasions where I believe I parked the truck and left it UNlocked; but found it locked when I returned to the vehicle. In these cases, the truck was NOT left running.

I'm not sure if I'm hallucinating, doing something accidentally, bumping the button when I close the door, or what. But I *think* I have a problem with intermittent, spontaneous door-locking.

I can't have accidentally pushed the button on the fob the two times I left the truck running, as the key was dangling in the ignition. It was not in my pocket where it could have been accidentally bumped. And I did not hear the customary "horn toot" as when the remote power locks are activated.

I'm afraid to step out of the running truck at all now -- at least without leaving the door wide open or rolling down a window first.

Any thoughts?

 

Door locking options are changed using instructions in the owners manual. It sounds like it might be time to reset your truck's computer by disconnecting the pattery for a while. It's surprising how much this computer reset helps.