How to unlock jeep wrangler with keys inside?
Locking your keys in your car is something that often happens not only to jeep wrangler owners but to all car owners. You may have forgotten the keys in the ignition, or they fell off when you were getting out.
Some drivers leave the keys intentionally and come back only to find that the engine is still running and the keys are still in the ignition, which is not a good thing. Below are a few measures you can do to unlock jeep wrangler with keys inside.
- Getting in through the roof
- Prying off the driver’s door
- Sliding down the driver’s window
- Use your spare key
- Call a locksmith
Some drivers do it intentionally but do not expect the car to lock itself. However, the cases of drivers with traditional keys leaving their keys in their wranglers are more than those with keyless entry or multipurpose key fobs.
Are key fobs better than the traditional ignition keys?
One of the methods which you can use to prevent leaving your keys in your wrangler is to transition to using key fobs or a remote unlock system. You can carry these around but still, get to use your traditional key to unlock your wrangler.
You can use both to lock and unlock your wrangler without having to remove the key fob from your pocket or wallet. Still, it is recommended that you always have the key fob or remote unlock key on you at all times, whether in your wrangler or not.
Keep the key fob, or remotely unlock the key somewhere else, such as your purse or wallet, and you might forget it in your wrangler. When you forget it in your wrangler, the doors will not lock, and someone will just get in and drive away without having to pick the lock or vandalize your wrangler in any way.
Key fobs
Some wranglers come with key fobs which have proximity unlock when you are a few feet from the wrangler, and the remote system also locks your wrangler when you walk away from it.
Most have a switch that you can use to turn the key fob on or off, depending on how far or how long you’ll be away from your wrangler.
The key fob can also start or stop the engine if the specific key fob you have has this feature. Some wranglers do not have this feature, but you can get it installed on your key fob or get a key fob with more features than the standard one.
You can leave your engine running for the standard key fob, but it will turn off when you go past the required distance coded on the key fob.
This feature comes in handy if you want to get somewhere, for example, a convenience store. However, you still want to leave your engine running if you have somebody else in your wrangler.
You can leave your engine idling if it’s cold and you don’t want it to stall, or you fear the battery is low on charge and it might not have enough charge to start your wrangler when you turn it off.
You can have a crucial fob made for your wrangler. Still, it is expensive, especially if it involves removing the old ignition system and installing a remote one compatible with the key fob. A cheaper option is the remote unlock system which does not involve getting the ignition system changed.
Remote unlock
Remote unlock is used with the traditional key system and locks your wrangler when the key is further than the coded distance. As you get closer to your wrangler, say 2 feet close, the doors will unlock.
For wranglers with a proximity unlock as standard, you get a key fob attached to the traditional key. You use buttons on the key fob to lock and unlock your wrangler.
Your wrangler will still have the keyholes on the doors if you lose your key fob. If you get an aftermarket remote to unlock, you’ll no longer have to use the keyholes on the doors.
Aftermarket proximity unlock systems are installed on one or all doors, depending on what you want. If you are installing one door, it has to be on the driver’s door as you can unlock the rest of the doors from the driver’s door controls.
Proximity unlock can be easily installed on older wranglers. You have to change the door handles, and the wiring harnesses behind the plastic door panels.
It is also way cheaper than installing a new ignition system, wiring harnesses, and getting an all-purpose key fob. Remote unlock can only be used to unlock the doors and the trunk but does not have a feature that allows you to use the remote unlock fob to start your wrangler.
Note:
Some wranglers that have to use the key fob or remote unlock system can still lock the doors if you leave the key fob inside. Some are programmed that you cannot unlock your wrangler from the inside if you are in the car. The key fob is constantly communicating with the onboard computer; thus, the doors will lock when you step out.
To prevent this, never remove the key fob or the remote unlock fob at all times. Put it on something you always have on you, such as a key holder on your belt. Putting it in your coat or something you won’t always have on you, and you’ll end up leaving it in your wrangler.
How to unlock your wrangler if you left your keys inside?
- Getting in through the roof
This is the first thing that will come to your mind regardless of whether you have a soft-top or hard-top wrangler. If you have the roof removed, you are lucky as all you have to do is climb in. But how do you get in if you had not removed the roof?
If your wrangler has a soft top, locate the zippers on the quarter windows. The zippers tag is on the inside, but you can also unzip it from the outside. Find a strong, thin wire and slide it down the zipper.
Then insert your hand in the gap created and continue unzipping, which will eventually remove the quarter window. You can get in through the quarter window or ask someone to go in if you can’t fit through.
You cannot remove the roof from the outside for hard-top wranglers, not even the freedom panels. Unless you had not secured them, and if this is the case, all you have to do is pull either freedom panel up and get in through the roof.
- Prying off the driver’s door
Use a complex plastic prying tool to pry off the driver’s door. Then insert two rubber or wooden wedges, one at the top and another at the middle, along with the B-pillar. This will allow you to insert a coat hanger or any other long tool to reach the door lock.
Ensure the front of the tool is curved so that it can pull the door lock. If you are using a coat hanger or any other metal tool and wooden wedges, ensure you insert a piece of cloth when inserting them.
This prevents you from scraping the paint. An inflatable wedge works better than rubber or wooden wedges as it lifts the door without causing structural damage.
- Sliding down the driver’s window
For older wranglers that do not have electric windows, you can push the driver’s window downwards and inwards, creating a space at the top of the window. Ensure you have ample space to insert a long tool such as an unfolded coat hanger that will unlock the door.
Older models with the door lock at the top of the inner door panel can create a large enough space to insert your hand and pull the door lock up, which will unlock the door.
- Use your spare key
Most drivers have a spare key stored away somewhere but not in their cars. If you have a spare key somewhere and it is not far from you, you can get someone to bring it to you or if you had installed proximity unlock system on your wrangler, use your key to unlock your wrangler using the keyhole, which is one the driver’s door.
When installing proximity unlock, it does not mean that you cannot use the keyhole to lock and unlock your wrangler. Unless you had it removed or completely covered.
The dealership you bought your wrangler from can also fabricate a key for you and deliver it to you wherever you are. It might take a while bit if all options fail. This is the to-go-for option.
- Call a locksmith
Use the traditional key or have the keyhole after installing a proximity unlock system. You can call a locksmith to unlock your wrangler using a particular set of tools or if you have some experience picking locks, you can try and pick the door lock and see if it opens before you call a locksmith.
How to prevent locking your keys inside your wrangler?
- Do not leave kids inside unsupervised
Kids can be all sorts of menaces while inside your wrangler, especially slightly older ones that are too old to be kept in child car seats. You might leave your wrangler to go to an ATM, so you leave your keys inside with the engine running.
One small mistake with the door lock, and the doors will automatically lock. This is unsafe for the kids and your wrangler as they might touch something, thus setting your wrangler in motion.
- Find a holder for your key fob or keys
If you have a remote, unlock a fob or a multipurpose key fob, and you feel you might lose it, get a holder for it, which will always keep the fob on you. It can be a standard key holder or attaches to something you cannot leave in your wranglers, such as your house keys or office keys.
Some even get the remote unlock software encoded to something like a watch, bracelet or encoded into the phone just in case you misplace the fob or leave it somewhere.
Conclusion
Leaving keys inside the cars is common among drivers, not only jeep wrangler owners. Before you resort to breaking a window to gain entry into your wrangler, ensure that you have tried the listed method unless you have someone or kids in the car. There’s no other way you can get them out. Depending on the situation, you might have to get your wrangler towed.
