How do I get into the trunk with a disconnected battery and closed trunk lid?

[Kcoy73]

How do you charge the battery in the trunk when only the negative terminal is exposed? Can anyone help?

 

[MelsRegal]

You didnt state the year?
Did you look in your owners manual?
I just looked at the 2017 manual and there are remote battery connections under the hood.

 

[SLS]

How do you charge the battery in the trunk when only the negative terminal is exposed? Can anyone help?

Yes we have the 2017 lacrosse and cannot get to the battery to swap it out!! It’s under metal bar and the felt liner and scuff bar in trunk??? Why?? we would have to get the car towed to dealer at this point Since we can’t get any juice to the battery. I’d rather light the thing on fire I’m so annoyed finding this out after the purchase!

 

[SLS]

I have a 2017 Buick LaCrosse parked for the winter. The trunk battery was disconnected and I closed the trunk without thinking. No battery power means no working key fob. Can I get into the trunk by way of the back seat to open the trunk lid to reconnect the battery?

Yes pull back seat down, use a flashlight and crawl to the pull latch (back where a key hole would normally be On a trunk) and it should pop open easily Let me know how you get to the battery friend. If it looks anything like mine... you can’t. 😬

 

[G-911473]

I am trying to figure out what is the major issue people are complaining about here? So your battery dies... What is in the trunk that's so important that you have to get to right now, before you go buy a replacement battery for the car? Bought some milk from the market that's going bad? Are your tools in the trunk and you can't change the battery unless you have them? WTF? I would rather climb through the back seat and pull the emergency realise cord before I want a key lock cylinder on the back of my car like it's 1987 all over again. I could see if you couldn't get into the car period, but the trunk? Who the frick cares?

The jumper cables are in the trunk. Don’t need a new battery just a jump.

 

[Wayne S]

I am trying to figure out what is the major issue people are complaining about here? So your battery dies... What is in the trunk that's so important that you have to get to right now, before you go buy a replacement battery for the car? Bought some milk from the market that's going bad? Are your tools in the trunk and you can't change the battery unless you have them? WTF? I would rather climb through the back seat and pull the emergency realise cord before I want a key lock cylinder on the back of my car like it's 1987 all over again. I could see if you couldn't get into the car period, but the trunk? Who the frick cares?

The battery in 2017-19 LaCrosses is located in the trunk. Since the rear seats won't fold down unless they are unlatched in the trunk. The only way you can get to the disconnected battery is to attach another battery to the underwood jumper terminals or thru the cigarette lighter socket

 

[G-626987]

I am trying to figure out what is the major issue people are complaining about here? So your battery dies... What is in the trunk that's so important that you have to get to right now, before you go buy a replacement battery for the car? Bought some milk from the market that's going bad? Are your tools in the trunk and you can't change the battery unless you have them? WTF? I would rather climb through the back seat and pull the emergency realise cord before I want a key lock cylinder on the back of my car like it's 1987 all over again. I could see if you couldn't get into the car period, but the trunk? Who the frick cares?

How about you jumper cables and emergency road side kit, while you are stranded on the side of the road?

 

[G-819959]

i have the same issue, but mine stems from actuator failure. i went out one cold morning to put something in the trunk and couldnt get it closed. i finally got it closed, but now it will not open. dealer says they will have to remove back seats and now these seats bottoms dont just lift up like before. piss poor design. should be a recall of some sort IMO.

 

[Mad_Coachman]

This is just one more reason that I buy low mileage 15+ year old cars. Aside from the fact that I don't want to have to make a car payment every month I find the the 1996 -2005 Full size GMs to be tried and true and cheap and easy to fix. I wish you luck my friend.

 

[EDSELRANGER]

Ironically, (Maybe not ironically. Maybe 'naturally' would be a better description), even if the the battery is fully charged and operates the trunk release properly, the trunk-lid won't open much of the time in the winter.
Water that results from melting snow/ice on the rear window flows into the channel forward of the trunk-lid and pools in the area just aft of the window. Once that water refreezes, the trunk-lid will not open. That's how it is on the 2015 body style anyway.

 

[FD611V]

We have read on this forum from another member the reason the battery was installed in these new cars, was to add weight to the rear end. I doubt that was the real reason, but, let's say the engineers thought up that idea. That member also said, the manufacturers wanted to the battery from getting over-heated due to the high temps from the engine. I also doubt that was the real reason. The truth is more likely they never had any idea what "troubles" would come due to these changes from that of the older days, the battery under the hood.

Why didn't they just add a simple truck lock mechanism using the same as in the driver door handle and eliminate any problem(s) as some owners have had, plus this would add some weight to the rear....Maybe only a few ounces, but it's weight.

 

[G-153423]

Well... I guess if your jumper-cables are back there...

No. The battery is in the trunk.

 

[-Regal-]

Buick had been putting the battery under the rear seat on some models for years. Possibly just nowhere else to put it the way parts are so tightly squeezed into cars today.

 

[2007LucerneCXL]

Just like the vehicle it's no longer a problem to re-engineer. Unless there's a installed working solution I'm pretty sure the OP has gotten it resolved in 3 months.

Yes batteries in the trunk is nothing new as other manufacturers do it for various reasons so it's not just GM. Lesabre and Lucern have batteries in the back seat and for anyone who has raced 1/4 miles the battery in the trunk is common place.

So unless you have taken a hood latch pull cable, connected to the emergency pull, hid it under the trunk insulation and ran it a accessible area of the back seat and secured it then post another idea or move on.

 

[fireflymedic]

Ya my 2003 BMW had battery in trunk (and no spare tire) so not such a new idea.

 

[G-609329]

I am trying to figure out what is the major issue people are complaining about here? So your battery dies... What is in the trunk that's so important that you have to get to right now, before you go buy a replacement battery for the car? Bought some milk from the market that's going bad? Are your tools in the trunk and you can't change the battery unless you have them? WTF? I would rather climb through the back seat and pull the emergency realise cord before I want a key lock cylinder on the back of my car like it's 1987 all over again. I could see if you couldn't get into the car period, but the trunk? Who the frick cares?

I do.....I have a ton of stuff I need out of my trunk and the car is going to salvage. I don't want to buy a new battery just to clean out the car

 

[BLAKAOZ]

Just like the vehicle it's no longer a problem to re-engineer. Unless there's a installed working solution I'm pretty sure the OP has gotten it resolved in 3 months.

Yes batteries in the trunk is nothing new as other manufacturers do it for various reasons so it's not just GM. Lesabre and Lucern have batteries in the back seat and for anyone who has raced 1/4 miles the battery in the trunk is common place.

So unless you have taken a hood latch pull cable, connected to the emergency pull, hid it under the trunk insulation and ran it a accessible area of the back seat and secured it then post another idea or move on.

I disconnected my battery on 18 lacrosse and closed the trunk! Went on ytube and got the backseat to let down

 

[BLAKAOZ]

This works on my 18 lacrosse

How do you charge the battery in the trunk when only the negative terminal is exposed? Can anyone help?

 

[2007LucerneCXL]

Good info as no one else who owns these has added additional information on resolving the problem.

As a note the original OP had a unique issue and most of the posts apparently didn't bother to read or understand what it was.

 

[mrp1937]

On a 2017 LaCrosse getting into the trunk to access a dead or disconnected battery is more complicated than you guys think.

The battery for a 2017 is in the trunk not in the engine compartment, and TTT says he has it disconnected.

There is no easy way to open the trunk lid from outside without power.

On a 2017 the fold down seat backs are released only from inside the trunk not from inside the car like the earlier models.

There is a manual emergency trunk release inside the trunk but you cant get to it unless you are already in the trunk.

The only solution I see is to use the manual key to get in the car if it is locked, then open the hood and connect a good battery to the remote terminals in the engine compartment (as 1arnold1 suggested) to enable opening the trunk. Connect the battery that is in the trunk to start the car or jump start it if the battery is dead.

I'm curious if TTT solved his problem in a different way.

you and me are the only ones that figured it out!