Random Alarm

[LeGend_40]

God day All

Our Legend40 has a bad habbit of waking us up in the middle of the night or day by randomly letting it's alarm go off
We have had Toyota look for a fault, but have no conclusive report as to what causes it.
I thought at first that it might be the interior sensor reading a shadow of the tree as being inside, but it happened at times where there was no shadow at all.
Even thought wind might be to blame, but alas.

Have any of you had the same experience with you Hilux?

Please let me know if you have a cure for these random outburst she is having when she feels like it or maybe it is just a friendly ghost.

[ROOKIE]

Hi Carl.

I have the same problem on my lux, and also no solution from Toyota.

I have found that it tends to trigger when the vehicle is cooling down after being used. What I do to manage the problem at home is lock the vehicle with the key when it is safely tucked up in its garage and then set the alarm with the fob a few hours later.

Since I have stated doing this I don't get random alarm activations.

[CasKru]

Another thing I found is that alarm systems trigger if the battery voltage drop below a certain value.

When I forget to connect my van to the battery charger when I park it for extended periods of time, after about 7 or 8 days the alarm will trigger out of the blue. When I keep it connected, it does not do this.

So if your battery is not happy it could be the reason why your alarm system is acting up

[Hangover]

+1 vir Cassie! Electronics now days...

[LeGend_40]

Thank you for the info and quick response time guys.

Rookie, I think I shall try that and see how it goes. seems like the best solution for now.

Cassie, we travel with the Tank daily, and have had it tested in that respect, but thank you and maybe someone else who has the same problem will use that as a fix.
I will go and test the battery in any case just to be sure again.

Thank you again

[LeGend_40]

I noticed the key is a bit stiff in the door lock.
need to be real careful and wiggle it in and out.
Would some Tool in a Can/Q20 work, be the best thing to use?

[Mud Dog]

Yep, use that .... should do the trick. Lock mechanisms accumulate dust as well and if you're in the habit of using the remote all the time they can get a bit stiff.

[LeGend_40]

Don't think we have ever used the key in the door lock.

[brianc]

I have found the best method to free a sticky key / lock is to sprinkle graphite powder on the key and if possible into the keyhole. Any liquid leaves a residue which dust sticks to.
You should be able to get the graphite powder from a locksmith.

[Rebel 4x4]

Your vehicle is thinking that someone wants to tamper with the battery, so it goes off. Replace your battery and see how it's going.

[ThysdJ]

My Hilux had a battery problem a month ago and there was no alarm that triggered. For about 3 days the battery was flat every morning and refused to start the Hilux. I used the dual battery to get started. After 2 days the main battery was so dead that it wouldnt even turn the engine over, even after driving all the way from Brackenfell to Cape Town. The point is in all this time there was no alarm to indicate a low battery voltage... and it is a good idea to have a dual battery system and a 10 and 13 spanner in the car at all times...

It's all fixed now... installed new battery..

[MCHILUX]

On the Vigo and Fortuner the bonnet switch causes this problem. There is a small micro switch inside the bonnet lock that tends to cause an open circuit when the temp. drops to test it just bridge the two wires going to the bonnet lock and see if it still goes off.

[LeGend_40]

Good day all

Since I have followed Rookie's advise, The Tank has not let one go.

We had the battery thing checked by Toyota way back when we could not find anything. All was good with it.

Thank you again all for the advise and helpful comments.

[dyasonb]

Good morning guys

My 2009 model Hilux suddenly started a month ago with this random alarm problem causing sleepless nights.
My Hilux do not have a bonnet switch and the vehicle still had its original battery that suddenly started to show signs for replacement.
Hopefully that must be the problem as also discussed in this forum previously. Replaced the battery and went to bed for a good nights sleep.
Not so, I'm afraid, the problem was worse. That means it is not caused by low voltage battery.
After some inquiries from different Toyota service agents the conclusion was the following.
Two agents in Cape Town metro pole area have no idea and never had such a problem except the bonnet switch.
However two rural Toyota agents on the west coast immediately told me it was the "integrated relay" box situated beneath the dashboard below left of the steering wheel that needs replacement.
They had this problem before, replaced the "integrated relay" and had no comebacks.

Any replies on this will be welcome before I go and have the relay replaced, apparently more than R1000 for the part only.