Winchester Safe Lock Issues? EASY FIX

This video contains step by step instructions on how to replace the key pad, motherboard and ribbon cable on your Winchester Gun Safe.

[@dorothyjohnson3764]

Oh my gosh! Thank you for this video. I am a 72-year-old widow. You just saved me at least $100 since I do not need to have a gun smith change the keypad and motherboard. That is the estimate for the service call. Your step-by-step directions were great!

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

Thank you so much for the comment. I hope it helped. This is why I do these videos.

[@cszero2109]

I have that exact same safe and at 1 year to the date I bought it it is currently giving me trouble with the lock. Currently have an email out to Winchester. Hopefully they will just send me the parts I need. This video was very informative on how to change it out. Thank you!

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

Thank you for the comment. I hope they help you out.

[@cszero2109]

Small update. Less than 24 hours after my initial email and they have confirmed they are sending me a new lock

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

@@cszero2109 it really is an easy fix. I do recommend you replace each part that they send you replacements for. Their electronics are obviously trash!

[@BrianMagee-ci1md]

Same safe, bought it from the same store, had mine for a little over a year, same exact issue. Thanks for sharing. I’ll be in contract with the company. 👍

[@johnh9507]

i have been going thru this for a couple of years now and this is what i have learned, i had winchester send me a new assembly when mine went bad in just a week after getting the safe new, but i was able to get it to work by disconnecting the battery and the ribbon cable to the keypad, for a few hours, it failed again two years later and this is what i learned since i still have the new parts they sent me, this might help people out there, when you disconnect the battery and plug a good battery in, if it beeps once which mine is doing now, i replaced the keypad and left everything else, just turn those two small tabs in the keypad to remove the small board and put the new keypad in, mine works again from doing that. if i unplug the battery and reinstall it a minute later it does not beep now. and to make sure i put the old keypad with all the new parts and it still beeps when a new battery is installed, so this proves the keypad is bad. hope this helps someone out there

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

@@johnh9507 thank you for the additional information!

[@johnh9507]

this is my story of my winchester safe, i purchased it new in november of 2022, the keypad stopped working in just one week, no beeping or anything just dead, it would have a quick beep when a battery was connected, but no keypad beeps or anything just dead, contacted winchester and told them i only had it a week, they sent out the same parts, keypad and small control board, well, two weeks went by and used the safe with a key. got the parts, decided to put a battery in it just to see and it worked again lol, well two years later it died again, i still have the parts from two years ago, so lets see what happens lol

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

Good luck! I don’t know why the company wouldn’t just stop using the junk parts, as it has to cost them more long term to keep replacing them

[@johnh9507]

@saponycreekoutdoors7743 I'm going to give it one day then I will take it apart but I'm going to change one part at a time to see which part is bad

[@dirtrocker8]

Mine just took a crap 1 year and 2 months after i bought it. I guess I'll be emailing them today

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

I hope they help you out!

[@dirtrocker8]

They kind of helped me out I guess. My warranty was 2 months out of date so I had to pay. It ended up being $65 shipped to my door and took about 5 days. It was super easy to put in and now my safe works like it should again

[@sooperdan]

Nice video, I bought that same safe back in October and now I'm having problems with the locking pins sticking on the bottom, so sometimes it only secured at the top with the first and second pin

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

These safes are definitely not quality. I would have never bought one had I did my research on them.

[@sooperdan]

@@saponycreekoutdoors7743 I checked mine over today, it literallyjust needed a little grease on the locking pins...

[@anonhere-n8b]

Did you ever find a solution for this? I am having the same issue it appears as you. Not sure what to do and can't find info online.

[@jcflindsay]

Battery change issue in a Winchester 16 long gun safe w/ a Kava keypad? You have to slide the entire keypad straight up and off of two screw pins to expose the 9v battery. It may be on tight but you pop it off using finger pressure only. Back the screws off a quarter turn if it seemed way too tight. FYI....

[@mmws.....makingmoneywhiles6181]

Thanks man mine just started doing that beeping noise

[@ledgercook5761]

I’ve heard about these having fuckywucky keypad systems before I bought mine, and here I am watching this🤦 I have two of these safes

[@JC-ck6wk]

Sounds like everyone has the same issues around same timeframe. 1yr 5mo for me, contacting them today. So how long does the new keypad last for or is there another better replacement?

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

I’m 6 months in on the replacement, so not sure. The replacement looked identical to the original, so probably still a piece of junk. When you remove the door cover you will see that the safe is just not a quality one. I’ll never buy Winchester again.

[@JC-ck6wk]

@@saponycreekoutdoors7743 I just called them they told me get a new battery with 2028 expiration date.

[@S1KWebb]

This just happened to me today. It’s been a little over a year now.

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

I hope the video helps. I'd contact the company by email and see if they will send you the parts for free. If not, I doubt that they are expensive because they seem to be made very cheaply. It really is an easy fix though. It's still aggravating to have to deal with.

[@eracingregal]

Same thing happened to me but winchester is not responding to my emails.

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

@@eracingregal did you email the address using [e-mail] ? That is the address that responded to me.

[@johnh9507]

i know you changed all the parts, did you think about just changing one at a time to see which part may actually be bad? keypad first or just the main board ?

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

@@johnh9507 I thought about it but opted to just replace everything. I did keep the old parts in the event it repeats history, so I can try to diagnose it

[@dexteranthony2556]

Great job Sir!

[@tgs1420]

Great help !

[@henryverdugo9889]

I have the same key pad I take the battery off for over ten minutes it beeps when I put the battery in . But the key pad doesn't beep when I put in my code. The only time it beeps when I put the battery back in.

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

@@henryverdugo9889 the keypad or motherboard is probably bad. I’d contact Winchester for a new one and install it. Mine was doing the same thing after it went bad.

[@henryverdugo9889]

@saponycreekoutdoors7743 that's what I was afraid of. I really appreciate your help. Thank you for answering my question

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

@ absolutely my pleasure. That’s the sole reason I posted the video because I feel the frustration when you can’t find a fix fast!

[@henryverdugo9889]

Few minutes ago I fixed the problem now I can access my safe . I got a new keypad from Amazon took the mother chip off the new one put the circuit line into the mother board and worked. My keypad was worn out. Thank you for everything

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

@ thank you for the comment! I’m glad it was helpful.

[@mattfrownfelter558]

Thank you! Copy and paste of my issues! Have you had any issues since replacing?

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

@@mattfrownfelter558 not yet, but I’m expecting this one to fail eventually too.

[@someguyfrommaine]

Seems this is a known issue with these keypads. I heard an odd beeping one day, located the source, was the keypad. Beeping erratically, yellow light coming on each time. Assumed it was a low battery indicator, seemed logical. Removed 9v, replaced with brand new duracell max blah blah blah, immediately upon connecting, it was beeping erratically again with same yellow light indicator. Will not allow me to enter anything on keypad, just beeps constantly in any random pattern. After searching the web for days, the only solution seems to contact Winchester and pray they help you out….or….you’re stuck using the key going forward. What a crappy flaw!

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

@@someguyfrommaine yeah you’d think they’d correct the issue but they haven’t so far. It has to be costing them money in the long run.

[@charliecoronado4657]

I smell lawsuits 😅. I have one of these and tries the reddit resets and nothing works I contacted Winchester and they told me, too bad soo sad it's out of warranty. And I will have to pay their 80$ new key pad.. thanks for my service I guess 🤷‍♂️

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

@@charliecoronado4657 I have definitely learned that with gun safes, you get what you pay for. Cheaper isn’t better when it comes to Winchester.

[@someguyfrommaine]

@@saponycreekoutdoors7743 haha, who would have thought that a $800 gun safe would be rendered obsolete by a $0.10 electronics device

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

@@someguyfrommaine for real!

[@johnkastner3199]

Liked and subbed

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

@@johnkastner3199 thank you!

[@freddiebigfoot]

After owning mine for 14 months, the key pad is fried. Seems like every single one has this issue. I'll probably sell mine and buy one from Cabela's.

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

I don’t blame you one bit. I wish there was a quality keypad you could replace it with easily.

[@MrBerett315]

​@@saponycreekoutdoors7743 there's aftermarket BETTER keypads... Check amsec, S&G, or Kaba

[@iamclarke4978]

Today, my TS12-30 "fried". Static Shock after taking off my coat and trying to open the safe. Just past the 14 month mark :( No activity from the keypad at all. Even with a new Battery.

[@TheMan-je5xq]

I just had the same problem today

[@iamclarke4978]

@@TheMan-je5xq after about 2hrs with thr battery unplugged. It started working again. I got an email from the company stating the locks are replaceable and can be bought on thier website

[@TheMan-je5xq]

@@iamclarke4978 well I’ll try unplugging the battery for awhile

[@TheMan-je5xq]

@@iamclarke4978 hey I tried it and it worked, thanks I owe you one

[@TheMan-je5xq]

@@iamclarke4978 hey I did what you did and it worked, thanks I owe you one

[@angelomilano3167]

Mine eats batteries every 4 days you think this could help ?

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

I would def contact the company at the email address I listed in the comments below. If your safe is eating batteries, there is a draw on power somewhere and that motherboard and parts I changed in the video are the only electronics on the safe. Even if it's not under warranty anymore, it would be cheaper to replace it than to keep buying batteries. A 9 volt should last about a year, though they recommend changing them every 6 months.

[@angelomilano3167]

@@saponycreekoutdoors7743 it’s only 1 week old

[@angelomilano3167]

When I set it up when I bought it the battery that it came with lasted 1 days so I that maybe it sat at the store to long so I bought new battery and it lasted 4 days I emailed Winchester waiting for response

[@BearLeeHangin]

You figure it out? Mine is doing the same thing

[@inmintstate]

Mine is ts20-30 or 30-20. It beeps 5 times upon my 1st pin number

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

5 beeps = cpu. The motherboard has a fault warning system on board which is designed to help you troubleshoot the issue. In this case your motherboard is telling you that there is something wrong with the processor.

[@inmintstate]

@@saponycreekoutdoors7743 so my safe that is 1 year old is junk? Ima have to call support and be walked through a replacement? Thank God I have keys

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

@@inmintstate unfortunately it sounds like it. I have the email address listed in one of the comments and they were fairly easy to deal with. If it’s over a year old, it’s probably a bad board. Mine was a $600-700 purchase and it went bad one day shy of being one year old.

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

@@inmintstate have you tried installing a new battery?

[@inmintstate]

@@saponycreekoutdoors7743 yea I tried 3 new batteries, expiring April 2028 :(

[@danielwalton6646]

My Winchester safe is in the open position, yet the lock bars are out. When I enter the code, the outer bars close but the inside bars remain extended. I don't knowvhoevit happened but now I cannot close the door

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

@@danielwalton6646 do you have a key to it where you can manually unlock it?

[@carlosguerrero358]

I just bought the TS20-30. While attempting to set my personal 6 digit combination it beeps after the 5th digit and will not take my code. Anyone had this issue before? I already changed the battery to an energizer alkaline max 9v

[@miguelguzman789]

But how do you open the safe when the keypad is dead?

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

@@miguelguzman789 mine has a key lock option, so you remove the key pad cover and use the key to open it. If yours doesn’t have that, you’ll probably need a locksmith.

[@SteveRoss-o6c]

Mine will not lock like something is binding up

[@KL-cf9bn]

Im having the same issue with mine

[@Sparky-oo2pw]

There is pad that that you need to adjust in the upper left corner for that . Too tight , it will bind up and have problems locking . Too loose and it will not seal properly

[@stacyharris9183]

What if the keys don't work either.

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

I would ensure that you have the correct key for your safe. If it doesn't, it may require contacting a locksmith to make entry into the safe for you, so that you can replace the entire key lock and electronic lock.

[@CaptainHookhatesBooks]

Thank you

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

You’re very welcome. Hopefully it helps!

[@BrianMagee-ci1md]

Or I’ll screw a hinge to the damn thing and use a pad lock😂

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

@@BrianMagee-ci1md these things are so annoying. It’s a shame because if Winchester corrected the issue, they’d have a decent safe. I’d never buy one again at this point.

[@sp5805]

what if you cant 'open the door?

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

My safe has a key lock behind the keypad to access in the event that the keypad fails. If yours doesn’t have this, it may require a locksmith to get you access.

[@DougHooper]

I have a Winchester 22-11 it will not open

[@omegaracerx]

I think everypne of these makes that uses a digital lock, quits working after about a year

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

I completely agree

[@ajax1137]

That was great.

[@marjoriemcginniss971]

I do not think "long story short" means what you think it means. ;)

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

@@marjoriemcginniss971 lol….Ive been told that a time or two

[@rogereigenbauer78]

Same issue

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

@@rogereigenbauer78 these keypad components suck!

[@bigkev350]

Make your bed.

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

I would have, but your mom was still in it.

[@bigkev350]

@@saponycreekoutdoors7743 LOL... is that the best you can do? You like dead women in your bed do you?

[@user-rd4gz1nc4e]

Excellent ​@@saponycreekoutdoors7743

[@williamcooper6830]

Way more talk...than zip needed. STILL THANKS..

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

You’re welcome …I guess?

[@HiLife222]

long winded, but thanks.

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

You're welcome....I guess. Was that too long winded for you too?

[@daleb2786]

really people subscribe to you

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

Really? You’re a douche? Don’t be a douche. Douches are bad. You are a bad douche. If you’re gonna be a douche, at least try to be a good one. Bye douche bag.

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

Really? You’re a douche? Don’t be a douche. Douches are bad. You are a bad douche. If you’re gonna be a douche, at least try to be a good one. Bye douche bag.

[@richestswiper]

I have the same safe my ribbon cable broke my friend has a key to it will it still open with the key if the ribbon cable is broken lmk asap

[@saponycreekoutdoors7743]

It should open with the key. The ribbon cable is what carries the electronic signal from the keypad to the motherboard. The key manually unlocks the lock.