How do I disarm the security system?

[sworr001]

The security system on my 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan has gone crazy. I think it is in the fob. I am not for sure. Can you permanantly disarm the security system? I have looked in the manual and can not find the information to disarm it. Can anyone help?

[MT-2500]

Originally Posted by sworr001

The security system on my 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan has gone crazy. I think it is in the fob. I am not for sure. Can you permanantly disarm the security system? I have looked in the manual and can not find the information to disarm it. Can anyone help?

Welcome on your first post on AF.
Check your owners manual for the reset procedure on it.
If it will not reset and.
If it is a oem factory set up.
I would sugest you take it to a dealer or real good repair shop.
It takes some good equipment to check it or fix it.
If you have a scanner check for body and engine codes and post back any codes you might have.
The security system is tyed in threw the body and engine PCM.
Has the battery went dead or have you jumped it or changed batterys latley.
But if you want to DIY it get some good info like a factory service manual or All Data DIY link below.
http://www.alldata.com/products/diy/index.html

[KManiac]

I don't know how to disable the system, so I really can't help you there. But when you say that it has "gone crazy", what do you mean? Please describe what it is doing and we can tell you for sure whether it is a system malfunction or an accidental trip. The owners manual will tell you how to silence a tripped system with your key, but is does not describe the system logic and what it takes to set it off.

An owner or operator of a vehicle with the factory security system could accidently trip the system if they don't know how it works, and immediately think the system is malfunctioning, when, in fact, it is working as designed.

The alarm will set whenever you lock the car either manually by lock button or by power lock switch when a door is open and then you close the door; or by closing all doors and locking with a key in the driver door or using keyless remote lock button. Once the alarm is set, it expects the car to be unlocked either by keyless remote or by a key from the outside.

When the system begins to arm, you will see the "security" light illuminate on the dashboard during a 30 second time delay. Once the light goes out, the system will be armed. Once set, the alarm will go off if a door is opened or unlocked from the inside or the you attempt to start the car without first unlocking the car from the outside.

If a passenger stays behind in your car and the system arms as described above, and then the passenger opens the door to exit the vehicle, the alarm will go off. Or if the passenger just happens to have an ignition key and tries to start the car, the alarm will go off.

You park your car on a sunny day, with all the windows down, and you arm the system as described above, and then you reach into the car and either pull up the lock button or push the power lock switch, the alarm will go off.

I suggest you play with your alarm system so you know how it works and how to operate it.

I learned this the hard way with a rental car, a 1998 Chrysler Sebring Convertible. I parked the car with the top down and habitually locked the doors with the power lock button as I exited the car. When I returned, I reached in and pulled up the door lock button. This set off the alarm. Thank God the owner's manual was in the glove compartment. It took me five minutes to finally find the information I needed to silence the alarm. Very embarassing!

I once played a dirty trick on my father one day in his 1998 Ram 1500 pick-up. As we were seated in the truck, ready to leave to go somewhere, he opened the driver door and exited the truck to get something, leaving the driver door wide open. While seated in the truck, I pushed the power lock button and locked the doors. When he gets back in, he shuts the door and the security system starts it's time delay. Then he starts to play with this cell phone, taking enough time for the system to fully arm. He then puts the key in the ignition and trys the start the truck. The alarm goes off and he sits there dumbfounded while I'm sitting in the passenger seat doubled over in laughter. That's the day he learned how his alarm system worked.

Recently, I rescued a poor fellow in this Mitsubishi Montero. He parked his car and sat in it a while, shuffling through papers in the front seat, or something like that. He opens his door and the alarm goes off. I watched him for about two minutes as he struggles with things inside the car and looking dumbfounded. I then walked over to him and told him to use his ignition key in the door lock. The alarm stopped. I then explained to him exactly what he did to set off the alarm. And he confirmed that I was dead-on correct. He then thanked me for showing him what to do in the future.

Good luck with this and let us know if you have any other questions.