Q: Car alarm is going off when using clicker to unlock the car

asked by on May 12, 2016

I recently had a problem with my getting my car to start. It ended up being because of the battery and the starter, both of which I replaced myself. But, my alarm has been acting weird. While I was replacing the battery and working on the car, anytime I would plug in the battery, the alarm would go off. It is not the same alarm sound that goes off when I use the alarm button, or if there would be a theft attempt. I figured it was because of low voltage with the old battery. Now that I have the new battery, every time I use the key fob to unlock the car, the alarm goes off. At first, it went off on the second click (it takes two clicks to unlock the doors). Now, the alarm is going off on the first click. I'm afraid that the car is telling me that it's going to immobilize itself soon. Sometimes the alarm goes off when I start the car, as well. I can't figure out what is causing this. I don't think there is a fuse that can be removed that would fix this. Any ideas?

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The content theft deterrent (CTD) alarm will sound when either the door is opened without using the key to unlock the driver’s door, or when the door is unlocked without using the unlock command from the keyless entry transmitter. My guess is that, for some reason, the control module is not recognizing your key fob. Instead of locking your doors with the remote, try locking them manually. This should solve your problem. You can also deactivate the CTD by doing the following:

  1. Press either door lock switch.
  2. Use the key to unlock the driver’s front door.
  3. Press the unlock button of the transmitter.
  4. Insert the key into the ignition and turn the vehicle on.

Of course, these are work arounds. For a permanent fix, I suggest you have a trained professional diagnose your initial starting issue and other causes to repair your vehicle.

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