2011 Town and Country remote started itself.

[mrsilv04]

Just discovered the Town and Country sitting in the attached garage, running, with the doors locked. I never lock the doors when the vehicle is in the garage. This tells me that it remote started itself. This is out in the country, so another transmitter accomplishing this would be slim to none.

One key fob was inside of the van, laying on top of the center console. The other key fob was easily within range, inside of a desk drawer, inside the house.

Understandably, I'm a bit upset about this. I realize that these models have been gifted with a flaky body control module, but this is a new one for me.

Is there anything that the dealer's service department might be able to download from the van to explain how this happened?

I already know how to disable the remote start in the meantime. There's a hood switch that won't allow the remote start to function if the hood is up. That switch is going to get unplugged, and is going to start thinking that the hood is up all of the time, until I can figure something out.

Anyone else hear of this happening before?

 

[JC1]

Never heard of this. Is that garage attached to your house? Can carbon monoxide leak into the house causing a bad situation?

 

[Leo99]

Any chance you left it running and it locked itself after a set period of time to prevent theft?

I have 3 CO detectors in my house in addition to 9 smoke detectors. You can smell smoke. You can't smell CO.

 

[mrsilv04]

No chance I left it running. Key fob wasn't in the ignition, and ignition was in the off position.

The key fob can't be removed when it is in any position other than off.

 

[doitmyself]

Here's a thread that states it's a problem with corrosion in the key FOB. I don't know the validity of the claim: http://www.challengertalk.com/forums/f171/srt-starts-itself-37400/

"The key fob needs to be cleaned on the inside. I guess graphite from the buttons inside of the fob begins to build up and causes electronic contact which sends the auto start signal to the car (or door unlock or trunk open), just as if you had pressed the button yourself."

 

[dogememe]

I'm not sure how good Chrysler technology is but does it have like a log of inputs/how it determined to start the car?

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: doitmyself
Here's a thread that states it's a problem with corrosion in the key FOB. I don't know the validity of the claim: http://www.challengertalk.com/forums/f171/srt-starts-itself-37400/

"The key fob needs to be cleaned on the inside. I guess graphite from the buttons inside of the fob begins to build up and causes electronic contact which sends the auto start signal to the car (or door unlock or trunk open), just as if you had pressed the button yourself."


This makes sense. I (laundry) washed the key fob on my wife's prius and it took to setting off the panic alarm occasionally. Corrosion could do the same job.

 

[01rangerxl]

Originally Posted By: doitmyself

"The key fob needs to be cleaned on the inside. I guess graphite from the buttons inside of the fob begins to build up and causes electronic contact which sends the auto start signal to the car (or door unlock or trunk open), just as if you had pressed the button yourself."


Interesting, I ran into a similar situation earlier this week for the first time. A customer wanted a battery for a 2002 Suburban fob. I put it in and no go. Usually the solder for the battery contact is what goes bad, but it was fine in this one. I took it apart further and found the little circular contacts on the back of the buttons had melted all over the board. The goo mostly cleaned up with alcohol wipes, but still no go.

I was able to revive a dead, corroded Mitsubishi fob once with rubbing alcohol and a small file.

 

[mrsilv04]

Hood switch has been disconnected and removed. Two minute job. Remote start now fails, displaying a fault message on the dash display that the hood is ajar.

 

[Leo99]

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
No chance I left it running. Key fob wasn't in the ignition, and ignition was in the off position.

The key fob can't be removed when it is in any position other than off.


I was thinking it was a push button start but they probably didn't have that in T&C in 2011.

 

[NHGUY]

Remove batteries and forget the fobs.

 

[mrsilv04]

Originally Posted By: NHGUY
Remove batteries and forget the fobs.


Wouldn't a better solution be to buy a new fob... assuming the problem is with one of the fobs?

 

[HeritageHighRoof]

My sister’s 2010 Grand Caravan would roll all it’s windows down on it’s own with the fobs in the house hanging on hook. Changed out fob batteries and it hasn’t happened since.