How To Open Trunk With Dead Battery?

Opening the car trunk is a simple task. But the trouble arises when you leave the car without any battery power. Sure enough, no buttons or key fob works anymore. So, what can you do if you need to access the trunk immediately? In short, how to open trunk with dead battery?

The easiest trick to open a trunk lid is using keys. If you have key fobs, use them to manually open the car door. Next, locate the emergency release latch and pull it out.

Well, if you want to open up the trunk successfully, there’s more to know. In this article, we have mentioned each method suitable for different situations.

If you seriously need help, keep reading.

Why Can’t You Open The Trunk?

Before we start describing the methods, let’s understand the issue clearly. So, you have just realized that you need an emergency kit from the trunk. It can be an extra tire or any other tool. But you seem to have difficulty traditionally opening the trunk.

Why is that? Well, there are four possibilities behind that. We want you to take a look at them.

Car Not Parked

Your car needs to be parked or disengaged. Yes, it’s because of your safety. Opening a trunk while driving can be pretty dangerous. You might lose some items from the storage due to the motion.

And, that can cause disturbance for other drivers on the road. That’s the reason, some states have made it illegal to drive with an open trunk.

Legal or not, some manufacturers designed the vehicles to check for parking mode before opening the trunk. So, if you are having trouble with a locked trunk, try to park the car first.

Dead Battery

This is by far the most common reason we know. If you haven’t left the car battery fully charged (12V), it will drain. That’s a fact. Still many of us are not very careful about the battery condition before leaving the car in the garage.

As you know, the car should recharge itself as you operate it. However, there are certain issues including a bad alternator, not turning off electronic components, etc. As a result, the next morning you come across a car that doesn’t respond to the key Fob.

Because the car must have enough battery percentage to respond to the key fob’s instructions. Without that, you can’t get inside the car let alone open the trunk lid. Don’t worry though. There are some manual ways to open the lid. We have discussed the steps in detail down below.

Damaged Trunk Lid

Lastly, the problem you are encountering might be because of a corroded trunk lid. That’s all. Once you are sure about the car battery, parking, or brake engagement, the only thing you can suspect is the lid.

Unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do in that case. Just call the nearest car dealership center and ask for a tow truck if your car isn’t moving due to a dead battery. So that you can carry the vehicle into the shop and get it repaired.

Or, you can try to force open the trunk lid. Just use your key fob to unlock the trunk. Then, use your hands to force open the lid. If the lid is stuck, this trick might help.

How To Open Trunk With Dead Battery?

Normally, you just have to insert the key into the trunk lock. Turn it around and your trunk is open. Or, if you own a key fob, just go closer to the trunk and push the button. It automatically sends a signal to unlock the trunk. That’s the traditional way to do this.

However, if you have a dead battery, the matter might not be so easy. We have prepared a step-by-step guide to help you out of this situation. Have a look.

Method 1: Use Keys

We will start with the easiest one. If you use an older car, chances are the trunk lid has a key slot. All you have to do is unlock it using the key in your hand. Got a key fob instead?

No worries. All key fobs have a disguised key inside the case. You can easily pop it out and use it whenever needed.

Method 2: Trunk Latch

In this method, you have to get inside the car first. How you can get inside a car with a dead battery is described below. Make sure to check that out.

Open The Rear Door

For now, open the driver’s window using keys or any other method. Then, use the same keys to unlock the rear door.

Go To The Backseat

Now, use the rear doors to access the back seats. Once you are in and comfortable, pull the middle seat down.

Locate The Latch

This method requires a little physical effort. You have to push your body through that space until you can see the emergency release latch. The inner part of the boot door contains the latch. Once you see it, just pull the case out.

Pull The Cord Out

You will be left with a cord. Pull the cord until you hear a sound. Now, go behind the car. As expected, the trunk door should be open wide.

Method 3: Jumper cables

The third method is to jump-start your car using a jumper cable and recharge your car’s dead battery. It’s possible if your car is still in the garage. The logic is that jump-starting will increase the restoration of the battery. In that case, you won’t have to find alternative ways. Your key fob will work as before.

So, how do you jumpstart a dead car?

Connect The Cables

First of all, the red (positive) and the black (negative) wires should go into their respective parts of the battery. We are talking about the helping car here. Now, the red end of the jumper cables should be hooked up to the positive node. While the black one would go to the ground to avoid any spark or explosion.

Open The Trunk With Your Key Fob

After that, you can use a tester to check whether the battery is charging or not. If yes, then use the key fob to open up your car’s trunk. Since the battery is not dead anymore, there won’t be any issue regarding that.

How Do You Get Inside A Car With Dead Battery?

Keep in mind that you need to get inside the car first of all to access the lever. But, entering the car is not that straightforward with a dead battery. That’s why we have listed these three methods down below to help you unlock the car door. Each method is suitable for a unique situation.

Method 1: Use Your Keys

The easiest way would be to insert the car keys. The older models normally come with a keyhole on the door handle. If you have that option, there’s nothing to stress over. Just use the keys to get into the car. Then, locate the emergency lever and open the trunk as we have instructed above.

Method 2: Find The Hidden Keys

Now, most cars after 2010 don’t have that key-blade on the door handle. Instead, they come with an electronic key fob. The purpose of this key fob is to act like a remote controller and send signals to the vehicle.

It’s all convenient unless the car’s battery is dead. As we said earlier, the key fob can’t open the car door or trunk lid if there is no battery. So, what to do?

Step 1: Find The Plastic Case

We have an easy trick. Most people don’t know this but the door handles come with a hidden keyhole. It is placed there for emergencies like this. Obviously, you can’t see it due to the plastic case hiding it away. So, the first task would be to find that tiny section on the handle.

Step 2: Pull It Out

All you have to do is pull the case out using a small screwdriver. Insert the tool within the cracks and work it back and forth. The case is quite flimsy. So, it won’t be long till it falls out. Make sure to be gentle to avoid any damage.

Step 3: Insert The key

Once the key is exposed, find your trusty key. Just put that key into the key slot you have discovered. Turn it around and the door should open automatically. Then, put the case back on the handle.

Method 3: Slide A Slim Jim

Now, you can try the above methods only if the key is with you. There are chances that you have lost the key somewhere. In that case, during an emergency, how do you get inside the car?

Step 1: Insert The Tool Into The Window

If you have a slim jim in your toolbox, that would be helpful. Insert the slim jim between the window glass and the door frame. Make sure that you are not damaging either.

Step 2: Hook The Door Lock

Keep pushing it inside until you can feel the lock. Now, hook the door lock with the tool. Finally, pull the slim jim out. This will unlock the door for you. You can easily find this tool at your local hardware shop. However, it contains a high risk of damage. It would be better to ask for professional help.

3 Safety Tips You Need When Opening Trunk With Dead Battery

To restore the dead battery, you can either recharge or replace it. But guess what? The new battery is inside the trunk itself. So, you have no other choice but to open it.

Even though none of the methods we mentioned here are dangerous, you should still take proper precautions. Here are our three tips for you.

Avoid Scratching The Car

While breaking the plastic case, you have to be gentle. Otherwise, it can leave a scratch. We suggest you use tools like a screwdriver instead of a knife. Scratches can lower the market value of the car when you try to sell it.

Use safety Gear During Jump-Starting

If you are jump-starting the car, make sure you have all the safety gear with you. Because there can be sparks as soon as you connect the cables.

Choke The Wheels

Another tip is to choke the front and rear wheels carefully. If you are working under the car and the wheels start to move, it can harm your body. It is wise to choke the wheels in one place. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

FAQ’s

We have reached almost the bottom of our article. But how can we just leave if you have got more doubts in your head? Check out our FAQ section for better clarification on this matter.

Which Button Do You Press To Open The Trunk Of A Car?

Most cars have a trunk opening button on the dashboard. It is on the left side of the steering wheel (depending on the model). You can just push that button and the trunk will open. But you must park your car for this feature to work. Not to mention, this button won’t work if the battery is dead. That’s a no-brainer.

How Can You Open The Trunk In A Keyless Car?

If your car door doesn’t come with a visible key slot, you can use the key fob. Key fob is practically a small tool to control your car. It has a separate button for the trunks.

Make sure you are within 5 meters of distance from the trunk. Now, grab the key fob and push that button facing the trunk lid. Once the trunk recognizes the signal, it should unlock the lid instantly.

Where Is The Emergency Release Located?

The purpose of a trunk release is to easily escape from the boot if you are in trouble. It is right under the trunk’s lid. It is a latch or cord that is hidden under a flimsy plastic case.

You can reach it through the backseat of the car. Just push the seats down and wiggle your way inside the boot. You can see the small frame right in front of you.

Conclusion

Imagine you are standing in front of the car with a lot of grocery bags. But the trunk is refusing to open up. Who has time for that? Since you have gone through the article, you already know why this might be happening.

So, next time, don’t leave the car unless it is 100% charged. Make sure you have turned off the headlight, radio, GPS, and other electronic components as well. These items can suck up all the power from the battery without your knowledge.

And, most importantly make sure the car is in the “parked mode.” Hopefully, you won’t have to face such an incident ever again. And that was all for today. Thank you for staying.