A car alarm going off without apparent reason, is an extremely annoying, not to mention embarrassing, situation for any car owner. Car alarm problems are one of the most common problems that car owners face.
Little did we know that the anti-theft system that we installed for car safety would one day become a cause of headache for us. Car alarms that go off anytime, anyplace, without any regard for their owners, are a major nuisance. Sometimes, these alarms may wake you up in the middle of night with their annoying beeping, while at times they may scare away your neighbors or a poor unsuspecting passersby. If you are lucky enough, then pressing the right key on your remote may shut that thing up, else you might have to perform some serious mechanic work to disable the alarm.
Common Car Alarm Problems
Car Alarm that Goes off at Will
There could be myriad problems in the internal circuit of the alarm console when this happens. In this situation, the alarm goes off even when there is not a single soul approaching your car. You can stop the alarm by simply putting on the ignition. Else, you may also try switching off the button for the alarm, located beneath your steering wheel. However, if this does not solve the problem, you might have to remove the fuse of alarm. Usually, the fuse box for the alarm is located below the steering wheel on the left side. However, if your alarm system happens to be an after-market one, then you will find your alarm fuse in the hood. Check the user’s manual for the diagram of the fuse box. Your alarm fuse is likely to be marked with a symbol.
Using a needle nose plier, pull out the fuse out of the box. However, if you cannot decide which of the fuses is the alarm fuse, then you may perform trial and error, until you pull out the right fuse and get the alarm disabled. If this solution does not seem to work, you may have to disconnect the negative terminal of the car battery, to disable it. However, use this option only as a last resort, as disconnecting the negative terminal means you cannot start your car.
Car Alarm that Refuses to Go off
Although this is not a situation that can cause you public embarrassment, it certainly can put the safety of your car at risk. When you lock your car using a remote, you may see an LED flashing, but there is no noise. A glowing LED indicates that the car alarm system is on, only it does not produce any sound. Check if the panic button on the remote is working or not; if yes, then it means there is no problem with the horn. You probably have got an incorrect alarm mode set on. To reset the correct mode, refer to your user’s manual and hold and press the right key on remote. If you do not have a manual, then you might have to do a couple of trials to check which mode works for your alarm.
Normally, you will find whatever you need regarding the mechanism of you alarm system in your user’s manual itself. Apart from the solutions given above, you might as well want to know if your batteries need a change or not. Also, you must ensure if your remote functions correctly or not.
If your car alarm does not respond to anything, then you may have to disconnect the negative terminal and tow your car to the nearest service station. You should preferably take it to your own dealer to fix the alarm problem for the particular make of your car.
