“My safe won’t open!” is a pretty common phase our technical service representatives when customers call in, and that’s because malfunctioning safes are a relatively common problem.

Thankfully, most of the time the solution is a simple one and won’t take much of an effort to fix. However, determining what the problem is might leave you scratching your head. That’s why I thought this post might give you a head start when you have a safe that won’t open.

My Safe Won’t Open: What Next?

Jammed Bolt Work

If your safe won’t open, but you hear a motor whirring behind the scenes that sounds like the bolt is trying to retract, it’s a safe bet the bolt work is jammed. This sounds like a serious problem that might even need a technician.

I have good news.

All you need is your foot.

If you turn your back to the safe and kick the door with quite a bit of force a few times, this will help loosen the bolt work. Make sure you don’t kick the handle or keypad because that will cause more problems.

If you then pull the handle in the opposite direction than it normally goes, this will relieve some of the extra pressure that’s built up on the bolt and should help the handle move more freely and allow you to open your safe.

Deactivated Code

I know.

It sounds so simple, but we’ve had more than a few customers call to say their safe won’t open, only to discover their code has been deactivated.

A quick check to see if your code has been deactivated will rule that out as a possibility as to why your safe won’t open.

Lockout Mode

Have you ever tried logging into your online bank account and getting the password wrong? If you do it more than a few times, the account will freeze for a certain amount of time as a safety precaution.

Many safes have a similar feature. If you enter the code incorrectly one too many times, some safes will go into what is called “lockout mode” and not allow any entry into the safe for a specified amount of time.

If this happens to you, you’ll need to wait the designated amount of time and try again with the correct code.

Dead Batteries

If the reason the safe won’t open is because of dead batteries, this will make you happy because it’s the simplest fix of all.

A new set of batteries and you’re all set with a safe that’s primed and ready for opening!

Damaged Wiring

Any electronic device is going to run the risk of damaged wires over time and electronic safes are no different. If you suspect your safe of having damaged wires, remove the keypad and inspect the wires to see if they’ve somehow been cut or come loose.

If everything seems to be ok and is intact, disconnect the wire from the keypad and remove the batteries. Once you’ve done this, wait at least 20-30 seconds and reinstall the batteries and reconnect the wiring.

If you do see damage, you will need to call a technician at this point. You will need to tell them the type of keypad installed so they can bring one when they come out to replace it.

If you’ve tried all of these things but still can’t seem to figure out what the problem is, contact us. We’d love to help you out!