OT- car alarm goes off at unexpected times

[J.A. Veil]

I have a 2003 Honda Odyssey that has been a very good vehicle until recently. The car alarm seems to have a mind of its own and goes off at times when it should not. I talked to my Honda dealer who told me that there is no simple way to deactivate the car alarm. According to him, to solve the problem, they would start replacing sensors in the hood and all the doors until the problem stopped. Of course this would run up hundreds of dollars of bills without any clear idea of when it would actually get fixed. I talked to my own private mechanic, but he indicated that Honda intentionally made it difficult to turn off the alarm so that thieves would not be able to figure it out easily -- there is no single fuse that can be pulled, for example. I next went to an auto electric shop in Annapolis who did not have a clear idea of how to fix it either.

Recently the alarm has gone off more frequently. I thought it might be a malfunctioning remote control unit, so I removed the remote from my key ring and just use the key now. I arrived at my hotel in WV this afternoon and the alarm went off twice in the first ten minutes. I decided to leave the car unlocked. I went to dinner and locked the car. Half way through dinner, the alarm went off again.

I cannot tolerate this situation much longer and may need to replace the vehicle. I am requesting any suggestions on other ways of solving this problem that are not so drastic. Do any of you have experience in turning off or fixing car alarms?

[klgladhill]

A common problem for them was low voltage. Corrosion or weak battery can cause the system to think its being bypassed. Try checking battery terminals and wiring. Also change the batteries in your remotes.

[Gerald]

Cut the wire to the horn and install a train horn for 95 traffic.

[Bob H.]

Clean the power and ground connections. A voltage change anywhere in the alarm circuit will trigger the alarm so the battery and ground connection (to the frame too) need to clean and tight. An internal battery problem can also trigger the alarm along with creating other problems that may not be noticed until it goes dead.

[crabby and son]

Cut the alarm. Who wants to steal a 2003 Honda Odyssey>doh Hope you get it figured out John. I have a 2001 Hyundai with a sign in it that says " Please steal me". It's not working either:hysterical:................Gary

[mrobertson]

I have a 2001 Hyundai with a sign in it that says " Please steal me". It's not working either:hysterical:................Gary


That thing will run forever. My better half had one. In 180,000 miles it was never in the shop for ANYTHING except tires and oil changes. No timing belt, no water pump, no nothing. Don't know about now but back then Hyundai made a damn good car!!!!

[rem1224]

Seems like a common problem in Honda's. My son had an 02 Civic with the same issues. LIke other's have said - clean battery connections and a good battery in the remote are important. In the Odyssey, there also seemed to be an issue with the hood switch. The workaround was to disconnect the hood switch whichg would prevent the alarm system from arming. See article - -> http://www.ehow.com/how_7588177_disable-honda-odyssey-car-alarm.html

[axxell33]

John,

Try this out..

Under your hood is a switch on the hood latch that is connected to your alarm system. This is to prevent a thief from opening your hood, stealing your battery, etc. This little switch can get gummed up from road dust, grease, etc.. and when moisture or temp changes occur, it can lose contact, setting off the alarm.

If you open the hood there is a plug that is next to the hood latch that connects two wires to the latch. Unplug it and then short out the two wires coming to the latch (use a jumper wire or something). This should disable the alarm and allow everything else to still work (car locks,etc). So, either cut the plug off and join the two wires together or put a little jumper wire in the plug and your alarm is disabled. Reverse the process if you ever decided to reconnect your hood alarm.

It seems to be a common problem. Below is a video of where this switch is. It's very easy to get to.

Hope this helps..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeN8pwxyAhk

[crabby and son]

That thing will run forever. My better half had one. In 180,000 miles it was never in the shop for ANYTHING except tires and oil changes. No timing belt, no water pump, no nothing. Don't know about now but back then Hyundai made a damn good car!!!!

You are right about that. Paid $12,500.00 for it new and it's 11 years old with no problems other than routine maintenance. Got 115,000 miles and hope to double it................Gary

[J.A. Veil]

Ralph and Brad -

Thanks for those suggestions. I returned home this evening from my business trip. I will definitely try disconnecting that switch tomorrow. I sure hope it works.

I don't particularly care about having a car alarm -- it came with the vehicle. I can very easily live without it. But it sure is a pain in the rear when it develops a mind of its own. Thanks again.