[GTO]

Thanks to Dr. Mayur Nath Reddy for sending this in. Heartfelt gratitude for sharing it with other enthusiasts via this Team-BHP page! Dr. Reddy has written to Tata Motors and is awaiting a response. My concern is, are there any more Tiagos that the remote can unlock? Worse still, how many other remotes are out there that can unlock multiple cars?

Self-explanatory video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNJnTYpocqY

Rushlane.com Article

Mayur Nath Reddy’s Facebook post read as follows – ‘Its a security concern with the Tiago that I wanted to share here. I found out that my Tiago can open up with the remote of another car!!!'

Both Tata Tiago hatchbacks have been delivered by KHT Motors, and are sequential in the Serial Chassis no. (70195 and 70196).

...the matter has only come to light as both car owners live in close proximity. He parks his car once in a week at least to have food at a nearby eatery, next to the entrance of Mayur’s building, and both cars happened to be parked closeby on the day. With both cars getting activated, Mayur was alerted, and the ensuing video was filmed.

Also, here's an article by wheelbhp.com.

[roy_libran]

Wow! It would be very interesting to see Tata's response to this gaffe. I am hoping that this is a freak, isolated incident, rather than a security design flaw that affects a larger population of their vehicles. :(

[Prathiiik]

Related Post:

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/offici...eview-129.html

Video:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_ETFHsDL9Qw

[IshaanIan]

Recently I spotted a blue Nexon at a signal whose right side led tail lamp was randomly flickering. That coupled with this video is making me quite nervous about buying a Tiago XZA which I otherwise found to be a very brilliant car. Is Tata's level of quality control actually improving or is it simply new design and features which is making Tata fans say so?

[Thad E Ginathom]

I remember, back in the days of remoteless-entry...

A friend and I were going out one day. I asked him to start putting some things in my car ("The white fiesta outside") and gave him the key. When I went outside, I was puzzled to know where the bags were. Answer: in my neighbour's car! The same key unlocked both. In those days, car thieves knew they could access many cars with a relatively small collection of keys.

This is the first time I heard of it happening with remote locking, although there are known hacking methods of bypassing these locks.

The wheelbhp article seems hoplessly confused between keyless and remote. What we see in the video is clearly remote, right?

The biggest joke of car security is that, however sophisticated the electronics become, cars can still be entered easily using much the same tools as mechanics and thieves used half a century ago.

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by GTO

My concern is, are there any more Tiagos that the remote can unlock? Worse still, how many other remotes are out there that can unlock multiple cars?

Don't know about master remotes that can unlock multiple Tiagos as such, but I came across a video claiming to be able to manipulate remote locks of cars from different manufacturers. I have posted it here.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

A friend and I were going out one day. I asked him to start putting some things in my car ("The white fiesta outside") and gave him the key. When I went outside, I was puzzled to know where the bags were. Answer: in my neighbour's car! The same key unlocked both. In those days, car thieves knew they could access many cars with a relatively small collection of keys.


The biggest joke of car security is that, however sophisticated the electronics become, cars can still be entered easily using much the same tools as mechanics and thieves used half a century ago.

There is a joke about the earlier Ford "dagger" keys being interchangeable

As for keyless cars, the best advice being dished out to the owners of these vulnerable cars are to fit a Disklok - a physical lock to the steering wheel. It will take 30 min and a lot of noise to break and no thief has the luxury of time

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by ajmat

...a physical lock to the steering wheel. It will take 30 min and a lot of noise to break and no thief has the luxury of time

It isn't always about a thief driving away with the car itself that is the primary concern. An insecure remote locking system can lead to loss of items left inside the car - car documents, electronic gadgets, aftermarket fittings, petty cash etc. Even if we argue that one must not keep anything expensive or important inside a parked car, the very fact that someone can somehow open the doors of your car without much trouble or effort is itself disconcerting.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

It isn't always about a thief driving away with the car itself that is the primary concern. An insecure remote locking system can lead to loss of items left inside the car - car documents, electronic gadgets, aftermarket fittings, petty cash etc. Even if we argue that one must not keep anything expensive or important inside a parked car, the very fact that someone can somehow open the doors of your car without much trouble or effort is itself disconcerting.

I agree with you -what I was trying to say is that newer electronics provide more vulnerabilities. Sometimes old fashioned physical barriers work the best!

[Sherlocked]

Originally Posted by GTO

Thanks to Dr. Mayur Nath Reddy

We can see both the cars in the camera frame but what about both remotes? Only one is seen in the frame. It must be shown clearly how inspite of other remote being untouched, both the cars are getting locked/unlocked.

Also the last time he does it in the video, the left car blinks four times and the right one only two times. Understandably, the unlock button was pressed twice but if it's the case then the right car should have also blinked four times.

My doubt could be totally inappropriate but If the concerned person make another video with both the remotes in sight then it will be great.

[KK_HakunaMatata]

Originally Posted by Sherlocked

We can see both the cars in the camera frame but what about both remotes? Only one is seen in the frame. It must be shown clearly how inspite of other remote being untouched, both the cars are getting locked/unlocked.

Also the last time he does it in the video, the left car blinks four times and the right one only two times. Understandably, the unlock button was pressed twice but if it's the case then the right car should have also blinked four times.

My doubt could be totally inappropriate but If the concerned person make another video with both the remotes in sight then it will be great.

Isn't he holding both remote in each of his hands?

KK

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by KK_HakunaMatata

Isn't he holding both remote in each of his hands?

Nope: he's holding one in each hand!

Sorry, couldn't resist that: do excuse! And yes, you are absolutely right: he is holding, and demonstrating, both remotes. In fact I wondered how each owner would get the right one back, until I noticed that at least one is attached to a distinctive key chain.

[ashis89]

I remember reading an instance where the remote key of a MS Dzire unlocked another MS car, probably a WagonR or something. I can’t find that post now but there were a few instances few years ago.

Could it be similar frequencies to which the receivers respond and some tolerance levels in place which allows it to respond to the next nearest frequency?

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Is Tata's level of quality control actually improving or is it simply new design and features which is making Tata fans say so?

I am no TATA fan. Having driven the Tiago and Zest, I must say that the cars they build today are a marked improvement over what they used to make a decade ago. I'd go to the extent of saying that the material quality on the inside surpass some other cars at similar price points. The usual QC can suffer from time to time (like the blinking led tail lamp. Probably a loose connector). I've not heard anyone say, "I regret buying a TATA" in a long long time.

[comfortablynumb]

Just wondering, has the person who reported this issue (Dr. Mayur Nath Reddy) taken his car to an authorized service centre to get it resolved yet? If not, then IMO he should do that pronto, at least to reduce the probability of theft of items kept in the car (if not the car itself).

Only writing to Tata Motors isn't going to help unless some technician actually works on this problem and fixes it. Odds are TML is also going to recommend the same thing to him anyway, so that they can investigate how & why issue occurred.

Cheers,
Vikram