Is there any way to pop the rear door(s) open from inside the car when the car is running and the key is in the ignition?

 

No not with out coming up with some kind of electrical switch to mount on the inside of the door.

In fact there is no way to open the doors from the inside any time as far as i know.

 

I seem to remember my MA crawling into the back seat area and reaching around and pulling something to pop open the barn doors... Wouldn't it be a safety requirement to have some mechanism to open those doors from the inside? Don't ask me where this cable release is, but I'm 99.99% sure it exists.

 

I thought it was a law that there has to be a trunk release? Usually its lime green colored? I haven't looked, but all my other cars had it.

I don't like when my wife sits in the back with our baby and I have to go around to open the door though. The suicide door only opens after the passenger door opens, which sucks in this situation.

 

Well technically, you could remove the key from the ignition and just use the button to pop the rear doors. It works outside the car....no reason it wouldn't work inside the car. You just can't do it with the key in the ignition.

I can say that it wasn't where they usually are in a MINI. They are usually UNDER the rear seat bottoms.....but when I tore the interior out of my clubman I didn't see any pull-tab under there. They used to have a little ring to pull on and open the hatch.

I'm sure it's somewhere though...

 

Yes, but neither the Clubman nor the Coupe have a trunk. The "load space" is "open".

Our prior vehicle, a Highlander, did not have an interior hatch release. Again it had an open load space.

 

On cars with the Convenience Package where the key doesn't need to be in the ignition, simply pressing the release button will pop the door open.

 

Hmmm... even my 1st gen cabrio has a boot release... and it would be virtually impossible to get trapped in there, or to use that as an emergency exit... for anyone larger than Verne Troyer.

 

Since I plan on hounding my Service Advisor shortly, I'll see if he knows.

 

I know in my R56 there is a green pull-string in the drivers side compartment you open to access your tail light bulbs. Not sure for the Clubmans though.

 

After having all the panels off of the boot space in my clubbie including the door i have found nothing to open the doors with from the inside.

There is though a gas cover release in the boot area that has a green pull tab on it.

BTW it would be very dangerous to have a release inside. Especially if it was activated while the car was moving.

I have not tried it and do not have the car (its at the dealer and been there since monday) but i do not think the fob release would work if the car is running or moving. I also seem to remember that it actually had to be at the back of the car (with in 3-4 feet) to get the release to work.

I do know one thing though the door locks will not unlock from the fob if the fob is inside the car. I have the Conv Package and that may make a difference.

 

For what it's worth, my SA just said "There should be a release cable under the back seats somewhere because that's the way it is in the coupe." What can I tell you, I was either hallucinating or am suffering from "recovered memory" syndrome regarding my MA clambering in there and pulling on something to open those barn doors - however this was when the car was not running and the key was not in the ignition...in my "memory". Next time I'm up there I'll get them to show me.

 

Not all 1st gen's came with the release....it wasn't until 03 or 04 that they appeared under the rear seat. I know my 02 never had one.

 

It's the manual release for the fuel filler.

 

My Clubbie with the Convenience Package opens the rear door from the keyfob with the car running. I haven't tried it while in motion, but it definitely works with the car stopped but engine running.

 

Just had the whole back of my car ripped out today. everything from the front seats back was out of the car and there is No manual release that I could find. In fact i had the barn door handles off and the only way to get the doors to release is with an electronic signal. So if needed one could be rigged up but it would become a hazard if it was out in the open.