Chevy Cruze: How to Open Trunk

Perhaps unusual to some, newer Chevy cars don’t have a trunk button outside of the car. That means that if you happen to lose your key fob, you might have a harder time opening your trunk.

Here are a few solutions you can try.

Opening the Trunk from the Driver’s Seat

In most newer vehicles (2011 and newer), the driver’s dashboard will contain the trunk unlock button somewhere in the cabin.

For Chevys built between 2011 and 2014, this pair of buttons to lock and unlock the trunk are located to the left of the infotainment system in the center column. Pressing the unlock button will allow you to open the trunk with your hands. Some models replaced the pair of buttons with a single one that has an image of a car with the trunk open.

Newer Chevys (2015+) may have the button located on the driver’s door, above the pocket holder on the bottom of the doors. The button should have an icon of a car with the trunk open on it.

Opening the Trunk from the Back Seat

Even if your driver’s console doesn’t have a trunk button, you can still open the trunk from inside your vehicle. However, you’ll need to have access to the back seat:

1. Open the car and get into the back seat or slide the front seats to the back.
2. Grab the levers in the upper corner of the seat (where the seat meets the window) and pull it.
3. Pull the seat down. You may need to remove the headrest to make enough room.
4. Crawl into the trunk from the back seat.
5. Remove the trunk’s cover.

The trunk has a latch control insert above the center trunk latch itself, which is a rectangular hole. You can insert a regular screwdriver inside and turn it counterclockwise to disengage the latch and allow the trunk to open.

Additionally, you can use the child safety pull-out tab or lever. The tab glows in the dark and can be uncovered by removing the trunk cover (rug). However, some tabs are single-use and will need to be recalibrated.

Using the External Button

Older vehicles typically don’t come with the key fob and require you to insert the key into the trunk lock to open it. On other models, there’s a button on the center of the trunk (above or below the logo) that opens the trunk while pressed.

However, some models also have a hidden trunk button. It is located under the Chevy logo, above the license plate holder. You can find it by reaching under the horizontal line that separates the logo and the license plate and feeling for any buttons running alongside it.

Checking the Electrical Systems

If the buttons on the car don’t work, and you don’t want to crawl into the trunk every time you want to open it you have two alternative solutions to try.

Replace the Key Fob

This is relatively straightforward as you’ll get a replacement key fob that has the trunk opener button from a mechanic.

Replace the Trunk Fuse

If a new key fob doesn’t help, it’s most likely that the trunk mechanism has lost power. Check for a blown fuse in the car’s fuse box.

The fuse box is located on the bottom left of the driver’s console, under the headlight controls. You can pull the cover off by looking for an opening under the console and hooking it with your finger. The inside of the cover has an etched fuse plan you can use to find the trunk fuse.

Use non-conductive pliers or a piece of plastic to remove the fuse corresponding to the trunk controls (check the plan or user manual). Then, test the fuse with a multimeter. If the meter fails to produce a result, the fuse is blown and you’ll need to replace the fuse with a new one.

You should typically have a fuse replacement box as part of your car’s first response first aid kit. However, if you’ve put your replacement fuses in the trunk, happy crawling!

Recharge or Replace the Battery

If the car’s entire electrical system doesn’t work, your battery is likely dead, and the remaining power is drained out, so you won’t be able to open the trunk.

You can jump-start the car with another car’s battery or a jump-starter kit to get enough juice to restart the regular battery recharge (if it works). If the battery doesn’t hold a charge (i.e. you lose electronics mid-drive), you’ll need to get the entire battery replaced.

Related posts:

Chevy Cruze: Reset Oil Change Indicator How to Enable/Disable Child Safety Locks on the Chevy Cruze Chevy Cruze: How to Turn Off the Auto Stop/Start Feature Chevy Cruze: How To Set The Clock