Time For A Recall

PissedOffGMOwner · May 17, 2008

Im posting this as a warning to any General Motors vehicle owner.

your vehicle is at risk. that alarm system you have in your car/truck/SUV isnt worth the metal and copper its made out of.

last night both mine (2005 yukon) and my fathers (2004) yukon were broken into by using a screw driver to turn the door lock. the alarms did not go off, since it would seem using a screw driver to turn the lock acts exactly like using your key. we found this out by turning the locks back to their original position with a flathead screw driver, and then setting the alarm, and turning the locks again (essentially breaking into our own trucks). alarm didnt go off, locks turned smoothly just as if you were using your key, and the doors opened no problem.

we called up our local GM service shop (Flag GM in Surrey British Columbia) and were told that theres basically nothing we can do about it. On top of that, we were told it wasnt just Yukons, but EVERY GM vehicle out there that is at risk of this.

Its obviously a known problem and GM doesnt seem to want to do anything about it. so this brings the question, whats the point of having a car alarm installed at the factory, that doesnt do anything? all the alarm is good for is a false sense of security, and keeping the "honest guys" out.

so now im posting this on many truck/GM forums in the hopes that GM will get off their asses and do something about it, rather than leaving hundreds to thousands of victims* to pay a deductible to get a lock that shouldnt be so easy to break into, fixed.

and yes, im aware that by posting this information, it may lead to more people being broken into. but if thats what it takes to get GM to fix their mistake, so be it. my voice is small, but when a crowd has the same problem, the voice will be large.

TexasSilhouette · May 17, 2008

It's not just GM.

cerbomark · May 17, 2008

sorry man, what did they take from the trucks? At least they didn t take the truck, did they? Welcome to the site, not a very good 1 st post.

dmw2692004 · May 17, 2008

there is an alternative.. shave the key lock off, and hide a manual "pull cord" lock in the engine bay. It is what people do when they shave their cars and put door "poppers" on the car.

ZZ327 · May 17, 2008

i think youre a little full of it, What alarm would you be talking about? The factory passlock theft deterrent thing? As far as I know the only thing that does is lock out the ignition so the car wont start and I think it might lock the doors if someone tries to start the engine by hijacking or using the wrong key. No alarm goes off.

You can set your aftermarket car alarms so sensitive that a bird shitting on the paint will make it go off.

dmw2692004 · May 17, 2008

i think youre a little full of it, What alarm would you be talking about? The factory passlock theft deterrent thing? As far as I know the only thing that does is lock out the ignition so the car wont start and I think it might lock the doors if someone tries to start the engine by hijacking or using the wrong key. No alarm goes off.
You can set your aftermarket car alarms so sensitive that a bird shitting on the paint will make it go off.

i concur. you can even get proximety sensors.. kid at my school has them. Stupidest thing ever, because they dont work, they just set off the alarm randomly.

PissedOffGMOwner · May 17, 2008

i think youre a little full of it, What alarm would you be talking about? The factory passlock theft deterrent thing? As far as I know the only thing that does is lock out the ignition so the car wont start and I think it might lock the doors if someone tries to start the engine by hijacking or using the wrong key. No alarm goes off.
You can set your aftermarket car alarms so sensitive that a bird shitting on the paint will make it go off.

i have tested it by rolling my window down, locking the car with the keyfob and then unlocking it through the window and opening it with the inside door handle. the alarm goes off.

what the person who broke it did, was disable the alarm by using a screw driver to turn the doors outside lock. the lock turns just as if your key is in the lock, so any object like a flathead screw driver can unlock a GM vehicle.

call bullshit all you want. all im trying to do is bring this to the publics attention. most people dont go out and buy another alarm system if their vehicle already comes with one. if they knew the one it comes with was so easy to walk around, they might go out and buy one. or not buy that vehicle at all.

this will definately be the last GM i ever own.

BigJayDogg3 · May 17, 2008

From the way you are describing it, if I was able to turn the lock with a screwdriver, I would be able to turn it with another key. I have tried this before with all my GM keys in all my GM vehicles, and none except the LeSabre and the Rainier would open the other. And even then, you had to jiggle the key in the lock to get it to do it.

EDIT: On another occasion, I have even opened the door with the key, and the alarm went off for some strange reason. So yes I call BS on this one.

98silvz71 · May 17, 2008

I call BS too. Its not an alarm, its a theft deterrent system. Not meant to be high end fancy things you buy from Viper or whatever company. Even my 98 Silvy wouldn't allow you to turn the lock with a screwdriver. Passlock I/II/III was only really designed to keep the vehicle from getting stolen. It disables the vehicle from starting and then honks its frickin grille off cause you tried to start it without the key. If you are so worried about it, just install a real alarm.

EDIT: If you choose to switch to a different brand because your Yukon got broken into. I'm sorry buts thats dumb, ANY vehicle COULD get broken into. No matter who makes it, its been broken into.

nbscanuck · May 17, 2008

He's not talking about using a screwdriver like a key, he's saying use a screwdriver to BUST the lock by turning the entire lock, not just the tumblers. I've done it. Locked myself out of my S10 and NEEDED to get in (no access to locksmith).

Yeah the factory alarm is pretty weak compared to an aftermarket setup. It does create a false sense of security. One good thing about the factory setup is the Pass Lock system. They are hard to start with out the proper key, although not impossible. I used to install remote starts and you have to trick the vehicle into thinking the remote start has a key in the ignition so it would start.

pennzoil29 · May 17, 2008

vandals and thieves

gave20 · May 17, 2008

Sorry to hear about your experience, people have the same problem with Onstar, vehicle gets stolen and the first thing the thief does is rip off the antenna, making the system completely worthless. So much for the safety and security of Onstar.

unit731 · May 17, 2008

I do empathize with those who live in high crime areas. Locks, alarms, more locks, more alarms. Ouch!

On the other end of the spectrum, I have purchased used cars with both aftermarket alarm and aftermarket remote start. Both had the wires cut in order to sell the car. See, both were malfunctioning after they got old. The used car was an electrical nightmare. I brought the car back after my mechanic looked at it. Got my money back from the used car dealer.

Granted, there are some well qualified installers. But most are hacks. I will not purchase a used car that has an aftermarket alarm nor an aftermarket remote start.

ZZ327 · May 17, 2008

i think youre a little full of it, What alarm would you be talking about? The factory passlock theft deterrent thing? As far as I know the only thing that does is lock out the ignition so the car wont start and I think it might lock the doors if someone tries to start the engine by hijacking or using the wrong key. No alarm goes off.
You can set your aftermarket car alarms so sensitive that a bird shitting on the paint will make it go off.

i have tested it by rolling my window down, locking the car with the keyfob and then unlocking it through the window and opening it with the inside door handle. the alarm goes off.

what the person who broke it did, was disable the alarm by using a screw driver to turn the doors outside lock. the lock turns just as if your key is in the lock, so any object like a flathead screw driver can unlock a GM vehicle.

call bullshit all you want. all im trying to do is bring this to the publics attention. most people dont go out and buy another alarm system if their vehicle already comes with one. if they knew the one it comes with was so easy to walk around, they might go out and buy one. or not buy that vehicle at all.

this will definately be the last GM i ever own.

I think the theft passlock worked, They couldnt start your trucks without the right key and You both still have your Yukons. All it sounds like they did was broke the lock and the horn didnt go off. You can break any lock if you twist a screwdriver in it hard enough. How do you know they used a flathead screwdriver? and not a dummy key just to get in your car? Any towing company or locksmith has a set of them.