I know I do not pop in very often but figured someone here could give me insight on this issue. I'll will try to keep this short. I have a 2003 Vanden Plas. This afternoon while shopping my right read tire jumped a curb while pulling in the parking lot. My fault wasn't paying attention. My ABS light came on I figured I knocked something loose. I drove from one end of the lot to another a few hundred feet or less shopped for a couple hours got in the car and started driving home. Less than a mile from house I noticed the ABS light came on and then the check engine, In the odometer window it said the trac control was off, after that the battery light and then it ran rough for a few seconds and died! I rolled it to an area I could park it tried to jump it so at least get the trunk open. NOTHING no juice. The first thing to come to mind was the inertia switch but it would have popped as soon as I hit the curb. Right now I can't even get the trunk open even when putting power to the the + under the hood. Battery is less than a year old alternator maybe two or three. I can't figure out what could of killed my car hours after I jumped a curb and it was fine until I almost got home. Of course it will be getting towed to the mechanic in the AM but I would like to try and get it started to get it at least home or luckily to the shop to avoid towing it.

Thanks in Advance
JohnRo

 

Use a black key to open the trunk manually. Check to make sure that the battery connections are clean and tight. Make sure the negative cable where it’s bolted to the body is also clean and tight. Remove the spare tire cover and look at the positive battery cable where it’s connected to the mega fuses in a small black box forward of the spare tire. Make sure those are also clean and tight. It’s also possible that if the battery hold down bar wasn’t on tight enough, the positive battery terminal came in contact with the hold down bar when you jumped a curb and shorted one or both of the two mega fuses in that black box causing the car to die. The battery and those mega fuses are all in the right rear where you jumped the curb.

 

THANKS! I noticed I didn't say what year or model my car is. 2003 Vanden Plas I'll change that in the original post. I tried both keys in the trunk I get nothing. In the past when the battery died I could not open the trunk with the key. I gave up trying to get into the car. I had a jumper pack and that didn't work to give the car any juice to even light the interior lights. I am having it towed to the mechanic tomorrow. It's possible the curb deal and ABS light and the car quitting on me could be two issues but I'll have to see what they say.

 

It's odd that you can't open the trunk with a key, as this is totally independent from having a dead or alive battery...
If I understand correctly, you also wrote that you also cannot pop the trunk via remote nor button on the dash after connecting a second battery to the plus and minus terminals under the hood? Was that second battery fully charged?
If that "jumping a curb" means that a lot of stuff was airborne in the car that I wonder, if somehow something made of metal could have caused (and still is causing) various electrical shorts in the trunk (battery / fusebox)....

 

If you have some WD40 with the red spray wand on it, use a tiny pick or flathead screwdriver to push the little door on the trunk lock open. Insert the wand then spray the heck out of it. Pull the wand out then back off the little door with the pick. *Don’t* just insert the wand in the lock and expect it to come out with zero issues. Ask me how I know. Anyways, insert the black key multiple times while working the lock back and forth. It should open with a bit of time spraying the lock and working the key. It’s due to lack of use is why it likely won’t open. The green valet key will never unlock the trunk or the glovebox.

 

I was making a turn and had to cut it tight because another car was part way in my lane so the back right tire hopped the curb on an island separating parking. Luckily it wasn't high about 3" no damage to the tire or rim but it was a big jolt to the car.

 

The key WILL open the boot lock, you just need to spend some time at it and USE THE KEY every once in a while!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Thanks guys it's at the shop and the mechanic says it's the alternator and he also told me the trunk lock does get frozen if it hasn't been used. I'll work on that myself. As far as the reason it died he said the alternator is junk. I had the alternator done several years ago and when that died the battery light came on and I was able to drive it home. This time no battery light until the car actually was ready to die. I guess it's going to run me around $700.00 maybe less depending on the cost of the alternator. I told him not to cut corners on a cheap one.

 

Did you check the charge voltage on the battery? Maybe it's not an alternator

 

I hope the shop was able to get into the trunk and to the battery Just checked my trunk
key operation, and am glad to see it is operational.
I must say though, I am a little surprised to hear that running over a curb caused an alternator
to fault.

 

He hooked up a jumper pack and was able to pop the trunk with the switch. I'll work on it when I get the car back. We tried to jump the car but we had no luck but I think we were not getting a good ground. He didn't think both issues were related just happened to be the alternator was going bad at the same time.