Emergency Access

[LEJ ZO6]

I understand our C6's have emergency access to the interior through a remote door release located in the rear hatch area. I realized I had no idea how this system actually worked and decided to test it out before I was stranded somewhere and needed it.

My car is a 2008 ZO6. To simulate a situation where I would need to use this access I removed the key from the base of the key fob and placed the fob in the house where it couldn't transmit to the car. I took the key to the garage and tried to insert it in the key hole to open the rear hatch. The key wouldn't go in far enough to seat and allow it to turn the lock. I tried several times and was unable to open the hatch with the key. I squirted some WD40 in the key hole and gave it a few minutes to lube the lock mechanism. I still couldn't get the key in far enough to turn the lock.

I finally gave up, retrieved the fob and opened the hatch. I returned the fob to the house. Then I located the emergency cable that unlocks the driver's door from the hatch compartment. The cable end is pretty small but I grabbed it and pulled. I could hear the door latch release. I grabbed the door handle and expected the door to open. I pulled on the latch and the door moved but the latch wasn't fully released and I couldn't get the door open. At this point the security alarm went off. I tried pulling the cable a few more times with the same result. I still couldn't get the door open and had to retrieve the fob and turn off the alarm.

I tried again with the same results. Hopefully the lock mechanism will free up in a couple of days and work as it should. I'll try this again in a few days and see if I get better results. In the mean time I won't depend on this emergency system to get me in the car.

I thought I'd post this experience so that some of you might want to try this on your car to see if you have better luck with it than I did.

[Rich Z]

Actually, I believe the window is possibly holding your door closed. Remember that it is supposed to be indexed and drop down a bit when you normally open the door. I'm wondering how easy it will be to break the door glass forcing the door open if done real forcibly?

BTW, I actually had this same problem when the battery went dead on my C6Z. My key worked fine and I was able to open the driver's side door without any damage or excessive cussing. So maybe some C6s are just tougher to get into that way than others.

I do have to admit that this is one of the "features" of the C6s that I'm really not all that crazy about. I like a car door to open when I tell it to, not have to ask permission of the car for entry and then get denied if power has failed or even a component failure of some sort.

And yeah, I still prefer using a KEY to start the ignition......

[LEJ ZO6]

I figured out that if I stand just behind the driver's door and pull the release cable with my right hand at the same time I pull on the door handle with my left hand the door will open.

Before, I was standing behind the car when I pulled the release cable, expecting the door to just pop open. It doesn't work that way.