Immobilizer warning light

[Eddie]

Hi
Can anyone advise me? I've had an Aveo 1.4 3-Door for over 3 years (looks like 2009 model). Last week I noticed a red light flashing next to the digital clock. I guessed this was the security warning light which the Spanish manual and the local Chevy garage confirmed. I was told that this was always working when the car was locked. I've never seen it before! Neither has my wife.

Since then, the flashing red light has become erratic. Overnight in the garage it flashes. Park outside and it doesn't flash. We have just been away and the same occured in the hotel underground car park - light flashing. Park in an out-door car park of a shop, or in the street - no light flashing. Either way the car is securely locked.

Similarly, the car has started to lock itself. This has happened a number of times over the last few months. I thought that I had accidentally touched the lock/open gismo on the key whilst hanging it up. This week however it did it again and the key was not in my hand - it was innocently resting on a cupboard top!

Am I missing something or has the system gone daft?

Help gratefully accepted

[Pickles]

That light should always flash when the car is locked... you may just notice it indoors because it is darker and the light can be hard to see in light.

As for it locking itself, if you press unlock and don't get in the car in ~60 seconds then it will lock itself

[Eddie]

Thank you.
I understand what you say and it logical.

What I don't understand is why it should suddenly start to function correctly. In the whole of the time I've had the car, the flashing red light has never been there. The car spends most of its life in the garage and we surely would have noticed the light before.

As you correctly pointed out the car relocks if you unlock and don't enter within 60 seconds. That's fine - a good safety feature and I've just checked it out. I also unlocked the car and entered. Then, having got out and closed the door, I did not relock. The car did not relock automatically which seems to me to be crazy. I assume it's not programmed to deal with us oldies who can have a senior moment and forget to lock it!

Thank you again for your reply.

[Pickles]

Not a problem. and the reason it doesnt lock if you enter than exit, is because what happens if you plan on coming right back to the car, and you leave your keys inside? Or you just feel like leaving your keys in your car, and it locks on you. That would stink!

as far as the flashing red light not being there before, that seems strange...I cant think why it would work sometimes and not others

[Eddie]

Hate to have come back to this but it is really puzzling. All this started a few weeks ago. I've had the car nearly 4 years! The auto locking started in May as did the red warning light.

Over the past two weeks I've kept a note of what has happened. Parked in out-door car park or street parking there is no flashing red light! To prove this today I parked in an open car park and locked the car with me in it - no light. When I was away and parked in a subterranean car park at the hotel (dim lighting) or in my garage (also dim) and at the local dealer workshop (also dim), the light flashes.

Both my wife and I have checked on every occasion that we have parked in open car parks and have seen no light.

The obvious conclusion is that the warning light only works in badly lit or dark environments. That seems a bit daft!

Why both the door lock feature and the security light have not worked before is a mystery. We would certainly have seen the pulsating light in the hotel car park as we have been there a dozen times! We could see it flasing at some distance this time!

I'm not concerned about it but as I don't like mysteries therte has to be an answer.

Is there a Sherlock Holmes out there?

[Pickles]

Ugh my reply never posted.

Try hitting the lock button with you inside the car in a bright area. Your key may be chipped and the car senses the key still in it. And another suggestion, the headlight setting. It may not light up when the headlights are off?

[festersays]

I was curious about the security mechanism at one point too. The red flashing light "security system" is activated only when you're outside the vehicle and then hit the lock button from the key remote. If you use the door to lock the car, then it doesn't activate.

This is all from my hazy memory. But if it maybe helps explain what may be going on, cheers.