Keyless Entry Failure

[MikeandGerri]

We arrived at our site at Rainbow Plantation…an Escapee Park near Gulf Shores on Thursday. Friday morning I got up and took our dog Nick outside to take care of his business. I came back in and was finishing breakfast when I needed to go back out to get something out of the truck. The door was locked shut and we couldn’t get out. We tried several times, but we were locked in! I crawled through the egress window and thought if I keyed in our code it would unlock the door…no luck.. I tried 2 or 3 times and still nothing. This time I tried the key and moved it to the unlock position…still nothing, then I tried the FOB and still…NOTHING. So here we were, I was locked out and Gerri and our dog were locked in. I called Oliver and talked with Jason and tried his suggestions…nothing. I called RV Lock company from where the lock came from and talked with Dave, a tech there. He had me tell Gerri to take off the 4 screws on the inside and then pull the red and white wires connection off. She did that…nothing…we were still 1 locked in and 1 out. I talked with Jason again and tried a couple other suggestions…nothing. After 1 hour of trying, it was suggested I call a certified rv tech to come and unlock the keyless entry. The RV tech worked for 2 hours following everything that Jason and the tech from RV lock told him to do via. the phone. Again, NOTHING. The RV Lock company said they had never had this problem before and definitely nothing like this. The lock was somehow jammed and was not unlocking. After 3 hours of trying, it was decided to do all we could to break the lock off. Finally we did, but by doing that, part of the door by the lock was damaged. We were now UNLOCKED, but no lock or handle on the door.

 

We once again called and talked with Jason and it was decided that we should come up to the plant and they would replace the door and lock. So about 2:15 pm we bungeed the door shut and headed north. After about 7 hours of driving, we found a safe campground that had a spot for us. We then bungeed the door shut from the inside and went to bed.

We got to Hohenwald around noon Saturday and Dustin met us there since Oliver graciously allowed us to park in the showroom/PDI area since we had no way to lock our Ollie. Anita was there so she let us in. We were allowed to borrow a key to the building so we could come and go as needed.

Monday morning we took our Ollie to the plant and met Jason there and talked about the solution and possible causes. Jason said they would put on a new door and whichever lock we wanted…no cost. He also checked the egress window framing as we crawled in and out of that window several times while we were trying to fix it ourselves. Before we left, Jason said they were going to do some R&D on this problem to see what could have caused this. It could have been a total fluke with the lock, we don’t know. He said he would get back with us about what they found. For now, we put the traditional lock back on until I regain my confidence in the keyless entry lock.

 

Oliver did an incredible job attending to our needs and fixing our Ollie so we could get back on the road. I cannot say enough for the positive support we received from the Oliver Company…100% Kudos. I don’t know of any other rv manufacturer that would have been as open and supportive as the Oliver Company.

[topgun2]

Mike and Gerri -

 

I hit the "thanks" button above not because I don't feel sorry for the situation you found yourselves in, but, because you recognized and appreciated the efforts put forth by Oliver to help you.  Certainly this could not have been pleasant for the three of you.  However, you still acknowledge the assistance that was given to you.  Hopefully Oliver and the lock company will soon find a solution to what initially caused the problem.

 

Bill

[Mainiac]

Thanks for the info. We have seriously considered adding one to our unit, but assumed there was a viable key override option to the lock. Hopefully, if you ever hear about the research outcome, that you share with us. Maybe the KISS principle is the best solution here...

[Mike and Carol]

Wow, quite an adventure!  Glad to hear the Oliver folks went the extra mile on this one. I’m also interested in what is discovered about this as I was going to add one of these myself. I’ll also go with the KISS principle for now. The key has never failed!  Thanks for giving everyone a heads up. Mike

[MrBig1]

Wow, what a thing to have happen. Totally jammed, one inside, one outside that is not something I want to have happen. I was contemplating adding the keyless entry but now not so much. Really glad that the Oliver folks went the extra mile, speaks volumes about the company. I live by KISS, it's never let me down.

[KarenLukens]

Karen & I went round and round on this option because, she having been in the security industry, wanted this lock. I had read the reviews and all of the problems with it both on here and on Amazon and said, No!... So next, we get the invoice for our options and there it is again, we faught about it again and I had it taken off because they all break just after the first year and the warranty expires... So when we arrive in Howenwald at the Oliver Factory to pick up the trailer, there it is again, sitting there, ready to be installed on our trailer... Lol, once she has her mind set, it's hell to pay to change it but once again, I said No! and off it came again and we drove away with the standard lock that she still wanted to replace until this happened to you guys and my research on this lock finally payed off for us :) I've heard about this lock from Karen at least twice a month since February and how she should have just had them install it anyway... Until today after she read this, she said that she sure was glad that she didn't argue with me about getting this lock installed :) Haha, 9 months later and I can finally sit back in my chair and relax because this issue is Over! Thanks to you guys and your blog :)

 

I'm sorry that it happened to you guys, what a nightmare... Was one of the suggestions to raise all of the jacks back up off of the ground and relevel the trailer to see if the door was stressed? This would have been the only suggestion that I would have come up with after having our door get stressed by raising the curb side jack to high once just after we picked it up.

 

We wrote about the frame flexing here -

 

http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/anderson-levelers/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and here -

 

http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/frame-flexing-and-implication-for-changing-flats-and-servicing-wheel-bearings/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[bradbev]

We purchased the keyless lock and love it.  We did have a problem that proved to be an installation issue, a wire was crimped during the initial install.  The Oliver guys fixed it pronto.

 

I wouldn't hesitate to get one, I've had to crawl through a window more than once with the standard manual lock over the years.  I haven't seen any RV lock as reliable as a residential unit, any of them can have issues.  Try to have a "Plan B".  Just stick a magnet key holder down on the aluminum frame. ☺

[mustang]

Question on door lock ,could you tell if the problem was with the latch or the dead bolt? I have not had any problems with the door or the lock.  The code only operates the dead bolt , to lock the latch you have to use the key.  tks ron..

[MikeandGerri]

One suggestion by Jason was to let the jacks down and then see if the door would open.  This did not work.

 

Having the key available was not an issue as we have one with us at all times and the back up key is stored so it is readily available.  Neither the code or key or fob would get the door open.

 

I do not know if the dead bolt would move open or if it were the latch that did not work.  When we finally got the lock off, the latch was broken in half.  Whether the latch was broken before we got the lock off or after, we do not know.

 

Jason did say when they examined the door at the factory that it was not totally flat/level and this may or may not have been a part of  the problem.

 

Bottom line, Oliver Company was totally supportive and went above expectations to help us and to fix our Ollie. Gerri and I felt very good about the way they handled our problem.  The support and stand behind was definitely there.  I may get another keyless entry...down the road, but not sure yet.

[topgun2]

Problems are problems and "life happens" - particularly with all things man made, but, you just got to LOVE that bottom line.

 

Bill

[Pilots Lounge]

We just picked our Ollie II up this week and spent a few days camping.  This morning the door would not open.  I locked it and unlocked it from the inside several times and finally got out.  I did not think much of this as the rest of the day it opened fine..... Until this evening when we pulled home.  Used the code and heard the lock operate but it did not unlock.  I used the key with the same effect.  After five or six time the door finally opened.  The camper is level.  That is when I came to the forum to see if I need to do anything.  We will call Jason Monday to see if we he can do anything.  I thought at first the door latch maybe sticking on the metal latch holder.  Causing to much pressure and not allowing it to pull open.   It seems to be intermitting as Debra just went out there as I am writing this and it worked fine.  Thing that make you go HUMMMMM.  

Hull #673  The Pilots Lounge

[SeaDawg]

This happens occasionally on my home electronic locks. Usually,  because the door wasn't completely closed when the lock was engaged.

Hope you get it resolved. 

[BackofBeyond]

Sorry for your troubles. I really like our keyless, but your story helps me  with my "WTH" moments. 

Recently we had the outer keypad replaced as the old one was cracking.  I double checked that all was working well - and it took a few key entries to get it opened, but  no issues after that. Take it home  - put it under its storage bay , and next day , I found the door locked - I thought  - my wife must have locked it - I unlocked it, and went  on, few days later same thing - asked my wife about it - she says no - I haven't touched the lock. 

A few days later - similar thing- it appeared to lock itself!! Since then all has been fine - I thought I was losing  it. 

Really interesting - never did this in first two years....

[Mike and Carol]

We don’t have the keyless lock.  Depending on how our trailer is sitting the deadbolt can bind both when locking and unlocking with the key.  I have to push in on the door to relieve pressure so I don’t stress the key too much. Other times it is fine.  If your unlocking motor is working it might be a case of the deadbolt binding and not retracting all the way.  Just an idea.  Mike

[Pilots Lounge]

UPDATE: I've been checking the lock all day...... it's like a child going to the doctor.... they will be sick as a dog but walk into the doctor's office and be just fine.   That is how the ollie is today.   The lock has worked just fine so far all day.

 

I will grease it with lithium later today but it seems to be doing good.   Thanks for all the feedback.   

[WhatDa]

There are two things that keep the door closed - the deadbolt that is operated by key and the code on the RVLock and the door latch, which is operated by the handle and can only be locked/unlocked by key. If you close the door without locking, the latch is all that is holding it shut.  With ours, the latch has the door more tightly closed than the deadbolt.

If we lock the door using the keypad  (which closes the deadbolt), then try to open the door with the handle (the handle is not locked), the keypad will not open the door and the key on the deadbolt isn't great either at getting it open. If we push against the door, the door latch catches again and the code will work and the key will work much better. So in short, the deadbolt is fairly sensitive to loading for operation. 

We like the RV Lock, but it's one of those things that just survives in the RV world because there aren't better options that I have found.

[Ray and Susan Huff]

On 11/8/2017 at 11:56 PM, MikeandGerri said:

We arrived at our site at Rainbow Plantation…an Escapee Park near Gulf Shores on Thursday. Friday morning I got up and took our dog Nick outside to take care of his business. I came back in and was finishing breakfast when I needed to go back out to get something out of the truck. The door was locked shut and we couldn’t get out. We tried several times, but we were locked in! I crawled through the egress window and thought if I keyed in our code it would unlock the door…no luck.. I tried 2 or 3 times and still nothing. This time I tried the key and moved it to the unlock position…still nothing, then I tried the FOB and still…NOTHING. So here we were, I was locked out and Gerri and our dog were locked in. I called Oliver and talked with Jason and tried his suggestions…nothing. I called RV Lock company from where the lock came from and talked with Dave, a tech there. He had me tell Gerri to take off the 4 screws on the inside and then pull the red and white wires connection off. She did that…nothing…we were still 1 locked in and 1 out. I talked with Jason again and tried a couple other suggestions…nothing. After 1 hour of trying, it was suggested I call a certified rv tech to come and unlock the keyless entry. The RV tech worked for 2 hours following everything that Jason and the tech from RV lock told him to do via. the phone. Again, NOTHING. The RV Lock company said they had never had this problem before and definitely nothing like this. The lock was somehow jammed and was not unlocking. After 3 hours of trying, it was decided to do all we could to break the lock off. Finally we did, but by doing that, part of the door by the lock was damaged. We were now UNLOCKED, but no lock or handle on the door.

 

We once again called and talked with Jason and it was decided that we should come up to the plant and they would replace the door and lock. So about 2:15 pm we bungeed the door shut and headed north. After about 7 hours of driving, we found a safe campground that had a spot for us. We then bungeed the door shut from the inside and went to bed.

We got to Hohenwald around noon Saturday and Dustin met us there since Oliver graciously allowed us to park in the showroom/PDI area since we had no way to lock our Ollie. Anita was there so she let us in. We were allowed to borrow a key to the building so we could come and go as needed.

Monday morning we took our Ollie to the plant and met Jason there and talked about the solution and possible causes. Jason said they would put on a new door and whichever lock we wanted…no cost. He also checked the egress window framing as we crawled in and out of that window several times while we were trying to fix it ourselves. Before we left, Jason said they were going to do some R&D on this problem to see what could have caused this. It could have been a total fluke with the lock, we don’t know. He said he would get back with us about what they found. For now, we put the traditional lock back on until I regain my confidence in the keyless entry lock.

 

Oliver did an incredible job attending to our needs and fixing our Ollie so we could get back on the road. I cannot say enough for the positive support we received from the Oliver Company…100% Kudos. I don’t know of any other rv manufacturer that would have been as open and supportive as the Oliver Company.

Thanks for sharing your Oliver service story . . . . . . I doubt few, if any, RV dealers would have done the same.

 

[Ray and Susan Huff]

On 11/9/2017 at 1:55 AM, Mainiac said:

Thanks for the info. We have seriously considered adding one to our unit, but assumed there was a viable key override option to the lock. Hopefully, if you ever hear about the research outcome, that you share with us. Maybe the KISS principle is the best solution here...

We ordered our Elite II with KISS in mind 😁

[Ray and Susan Huff]

On 10/11/2020 at 5:13 AM, BackofBeyond said:

Sorry for your troubles. I really like our keyless, but your story helps me  with my "WTH" moments. 

Recently we had the outer keypad replaced as the old one was cracking.  I double checked that all was working well - and it took a few key entries to get it opened, but  no issues after that. Take it home  - put it under its storage bay , and next day , I found the door locked - I thought  - my wife must have locked it - I unlocked it, and went  on, few days later same thing - asked my wife about it - she says no - I haven't touched the lock. 

A few days later - similar thing- it appeared to lock itself!! Since then all has been fine - I thought I was losing  it. 

Really interesting - never did this in first two years....

Some sort of short in the locking mechanism, perhaps?  Corrosion of wires/batteries?

[BackofBeyond]

All seems fine now - must have been a pre Halloween gremlin.

[Ray and Susan Huff]

4 hours ago, BackofBeyond said:

All seems fine now - must have been a pre Halloween gremlin.

??? Until someone goes in and shuts the door . . . . locked in again!!!

[Chukarhunter]

We  picked up our Ollie II in August (Hull 657) and had what may be the same or related problem.  In our case, we could not get into the trailer at a gas station.  We had not locked either the latch or the deadbolt.  After much anguish I finally got it open and figured out that the strike plate was very slightly misaligned from the factory and needed to be adjusted out maybe a 16th to 32nd of an inch.  Otherwise, when the door was closed softly, the latch failed to extend all the way into the striker plate when the door was otherwise closed and latched.  After several hundred miles of driving, the latch apparently became  jammed in the half extended position.  The simple solution was to apply a little pressure against the outside edge of the door by the lock until you hear a "click" when the latch fully extends.  Once the latch has fully extended, the door opens fine with the handle.