Anyone else has this weird alarm issue?

[steveh]

I’d interested to hear whether anyone else has experienced the same alarm issue I had today….

Went to get into the car today, with the key fob in my pocket, but as soon as I opened the driver’s door the alarm starts going off. The car clearly recognized the presence of the fob because it unlocked the door but it was as though the alarm hadn’t disarmed. Furthermore when I shut the door I could hear the driver’s door lock mechanism continually cycling, as though it was constantly trying to lock or unlock the door. The alarm continued through its entire 30 second siren + 5 mins of flashing the indicators and ignored all attempts to cancel it using the lock/unlock buttons on either of the key fobs. Even after the alarm finished it’s cycle the horn would sound every 10 minutes or so, which the manual seems to suggest is to indicate a failure of the locking sequence.

I also tried the passenger door and the boot, both triggered the same sequence of events.

I eventually managed to get the problem to disappear (at least for now) by following a suggestion from the dealer and attempted to start the car even though the alarm was still sounding. To me this seemed completely counter-intuitive but it did seem to cause some form of system reset and it’s now behaving itself.

Obviously I’m less than popular with my neighbours now so I’m really hoping it doesn’t happen again!

Has anyone else experienced this or has any suggestions as to what could have caused this?

 

 

[coastliner]

I had something similar with my Mk2 RS Focus. Picked it up from the dealer in Grimsby, drove back to A64 near York, stopped at a pub for a bite to eat came back to car after about an hour. Pulled door handle car door opened but alarm sounded, couldn’t stop it for more than a few minuets. But car started and drove home with alarm sounding. Parked it up called dealer from home to which he stated it was OK when it left here. To cut along story short after two visits to Stoneacre York new battery fitted and then in for 7days they found one of the ecu’s in the boot was not connected properly with the multiplug.  So someone on the assembly line had not plugged the wire into the ecu properly. As a gesture of goodwill I got two free services and an apology but I was on the verge of rejecting the car. But it did not cause any problems ever again. The upside of modern production is they knew exactly who had been responsible for the fault.

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Coastliner

[Kenny]

Yes probably best getting a trip to the dealers for them to check it over as you don’t want that happening again.

[steveh]

Thought I should provide a quick update just in case anyone else does ever experience the same issue…

I took the car to Ford. They checked it over but all they found was that the battery connection may have been slightly loose. I’m still slightly sceptical that’s the cause but they’ve tightened it up and to be fair after a week there’s been no repeat of the issue.

[carismadave]

Must admit Im slightly sceptical too!!

I know wiring has moved on leaps and bounds but the last time I remember the central locking doing that was when I transplanted an RS loom in an old Fiesta RS. I made a stupid mistake which meant that a few wires were crossed and that was part of the result. Got it fixed after a lot of soldering but I find it hard to believe that just tightening up the battery would fix the issue, unless (I dont know) the alarm is on a separate loom and that attachment to the battery was loose yet the others tight. Who knows.

But if its fixed who cares!

Dave;)

[Chris Preston]

I scanned a customers focus I’d fitted a ghost to which was doing this and it had a fault with the siren communication only had done it 128 times which the supplying dealer had missed.

 

[mad-mick]

Just had the same problem with mine.

First notice the boot would not open, check keys are in pocket.

Tried the un-lock button on the fob….. no effect. Get the second fob……. no effect.

Tried the door, opens and sets the alarm off. Tried using the fob to stop it, no effect.

After it stopped tried to lock the car, take the keys inside & tried the door.

Door opens again & sets the alarm off. Now who’s popular with the neighbours.

Great now I can’t go out as I got a car I can’t even lock sitting on the drive way.

I rang Ford Assist, they sent out the AA with in 1/2hr. Quite impressed with the service.

He (AA guy) tried the fob(s) which didn’t work, opens the door sets the alarm off, gets in & the alarm stops.

I un-lock the ghost, car fires up. No problem.

He checked the fobs, both of which were ok.

Could the Ghost be working to well & be over-riding the fobs?    Or is it back to the dealership?

 

Any ideas?????

[Chris Preston]

The Ghost doesn’t emit interference of radio waves, and it would be every mk3 Focus fitted with a ghost rather than isolated vehicles.

The car I scanned the owner had removed the obd port fuse which I think doesn’t just power up the obd port.

Are the battery connections tight ?

[mad-mick]

Hi Chris

 

Thanks for this.

I will check the battery connections tomorrow. Apart from at yours I haven’t even looked under the bonnet.

Is there any think else glaringly obvious I can check out, rather than having time off work & taking back to the dealer?

 

Cheers Mick

 

 

 

[Chris Preston]

Unfortunately you’d need a diagnostic tool to scan the car for faults, don’t suppose the AA did that ?

[steveh]

Mick,

Had you previously (within say the previous half hour) successfully unlocked the car at all?

I ask cause I had a theory about the issue I wrote about but I’ve not yet had chance to test it out.

 

Cheers

Steve

[mad-mick]

No the car had stood for 2 days.

The AA guy said that he had checked the car? But he did not plug anything in to it. Could it be checked remotely??

 

[Chris Preston]

Has to be plugged in to be diagnosed

[Alex Knight]

My Mk 3 RS alarm went off today using keyless entry, sounded for about 30sec, tried unlocking and locking the car using fob but didn’t work, got in and it stopped and I was able to start the car. Only got the car on 1st November. Will look at battery connection, but can’t see this being the problem…

[71-bda]

Alex.. my alarm has only gone off once when I had left it in my garage without locking it, when i next went and opened it, the alarm went off. I did not have the key/fob on my person so had to run indoors to get it. i think the alarm arms itself if you dont lock the door and leave it a long time. ??

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No nothing.

No Mods. No rockers. Just a chunky knob, thats now been replaced by an RS knob innit.

No tackiness.

Std as Ford intended, but with a space saver wheel and jack and nuts and wheel brace. oh.. and flaps, a man has got to have flaps.

Innit?

 

[Author]

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