To many people, there’s nothing more annoying than a car alarm going off when you least expect it. To some, this is even worse than a horror movie jump scare. There are even car alarms that randomly go off in the middle of the night, which disturb not only the owners of the car, but most likely everyone else in the block as well. Most of the time, these are just false alarms though. There’s not really any danger lurking around. However, what you need to worry about is how to prevent these false alarms from happening again.
How Car Alarms Work
More basic car alarms use voltage sensors to trigger. If these sensors see a sudden drop in voltage – for instance, when a door is opened or when the lights turn on – the alarm will sound. You can also manually turn your car’s alarm on by pressing a button on the key fob. This could help when you’re trying to stop someone who’s messing with your car or when you’re trying to look for your car in a massive parking lot. You could then disarm the alarm with another press of a button.
A Malfunctioning Key Fob
Now that we’ve learned what triggers a car alarm under normal circumstances, let’s now talk about why some alarms go off at random times. The first and one of the most common reasons for an abnormal triggering car alarm is a malfunctioning key fob. We’ve already talked about this keychain-sized gadget earlier in this article. To those who are still unfamiliar with it, it is the device that lets you lock or unlock your car door with just the push of a button. For newer cars, having the key fob inside is what allows the drivers to jumpstart the ignition.
A Dead or Rusty Battery
Problems with the car battery may also cause a car alarm to go off without the slightest warning. The first way a car’s battery can cause this kind of problem is if there’s not enough juice left in it. You might not know this, but car alarms weren’t only made for the sole purpose of alerting us of a crash or an attempted robbery. Car alarms can also signal other problems in your beloved car. One of these problems is a low power or energy in the battery – not enough for the starter to turn the engine, properly run and get you to where it is you need to be.
In some cars, if you try to turn on the engine with a dying battery, then the alarm will go off. Make sure to check the level of your car’s battery with a voltmeter if its alarm goes off for no apparent reason. If your car’s battery gives off a reading of less than 12.6 volts, then it’s time to get a new one. It would be wiser to get a new car battery instead of waiting for your car to die in the middle of the road as you’re driving.
Another option you have if your car’s battery has lost its charge is to use some jumper cables. Every car owner should have a pair of these. Identify which post is the positive one and which is negative. Connect the red clamp to the positive post of the dead battery and do the same on the positive post of the working battery. Take the black cable and connect one of its clamps to the negative post of the working battery. Instead of connecting the other end to the negative post of the dead battery, attach it to a bare metal surface of the dead car’s engine. This could be a bolt or a screw. Just make sure that everything your clamping to is free from dirt.
Once all the connections are set, the next step would be to start the working car’s engine. Let it idle for a few minutes. After letting a brief amount of time pass, start the engine of the dead car and let that idle as well. Once both cars have been running for some time without any issues, it is time to start disconnecting the cables. First, remove the black clamp from the previously dead car. Then remove it from the original “good” battery. Finish off by removing the red clamp from that battery and, lastly, removing the red clamp from the previously dead battery. Once done, you’ve officially jumpstarted a car.
A Dirty Hood Latch Sensor
Another reason why a car alarm would go off at random times is if your hood latch sensor is not properly maintained. This could either be due to damage or a lack of cleaning. You should always remember to wipe this part down every now and again because it is one of the biggest collectors of gunk from the road as well as from the car’s engine. If there’s too much of this unwanted buildup, then a false alarm may occur. This is because your car’s sensors may think that the dirt and debris on your hood latch comes from someone trying to break into the vehicle.
If your car’s alarm keeps going off even after you’ve cleaned the hood latch sensor, then maybe the problem is deeper than just a bit of grime. Its connections may have been compromised. If this is the case, then false alarms may happen because the right signals don’t get sent. This issue may even affect other parts of the car. For instance, it could flash wrong indications such as a lit airbag indicator when, in reality, there’s nothing at all wrong with your car’s airbags. The easiest way to fix it is to disconnect and then reconnect the sensor, which is found near the headlights. If this doesn’t work, then maybe it’s time to bring your car to a certified professional.
Now that you know the reasons for your car alarm randomly going off, you can try to diagnose and fix the problems yourself. If you still can’t there is no shame in going to a trained professional. Spending a little bit of cash is still better than an annoying, malfunctioning car alarm that could disturb the entire neighborhood at any time without warning.
Originally posted 2023-10-20 00:08:28.