Got a weird car problem.

[RunningOnMT]

I'm having a problem with my car..a 2007 Kia Spectra. Seems very strange and I wonder if anyone has any ideas.

It started about a year ago. I have electronic locks. On the back of the key fob is a button that if puished starts the horn honking. It keeps up until you push the button twice. Well one day out of the blue this thing gets set off. It isn't a burglar alarm...no one can set it off by getting near the car. Anyway i pushed the button on back and got it stopped. Then a few seconds later it starts again. After about the third time it stayed off. Now my keys were in my jacket pocket and i was nowhere near them. So I called the dealer service dept to ask if there was a known issue with this. They said there wasn't and didn't have a clue what the problem could be. So a few months later the same thing happens. Then I started noticing every now and then the trunk lid was ajar (this button also opens the trunk). So I called the dealer again. They said I could bring the car in and leave it but that they may have a problem finding out what was wrong since the problem was intermittent. Then about a month ago I got in my car to go somewhere and the battery was dead. I got a jump then put a charge on it for a couple hours and it's been fine since. Last night I am sitting at my computer and see a flash of light out front. I watched and sure enough every couple minutes the taillights and parking lights flashed as they do when the remote lock switch is pressed. i got my key and clicked the lock button a few times and it seemed to stop for awhile anyway. So the dealer wants me to bring it in and leave it.

Ok, so now I've got a theory. The old guy next door is a ham radio operator. He has an antenna on a really high pole. I think he told me once he was running a little over the allowed power. He mentioned that there was one guy over on another block that he has interferred with his TV and telephone in the past. If any of you are familiar with ham radio I'm wondering if since the remote door locks work on a radio signal, is it possible that when he gets on a certain frequency he's making the locks operate?

[94z07]

ask for "any ideas" and you get...

Check the little plunger type switches that let the car know the doors are open. Make sure they travel freely and make sure that each one turns off the dome light. Make sure they are adjusted out long enough so that the door closing "opens" the switch.

[Lori Mick]

Seriously....I think it's possessed!

My car likes to lock the doors....one day I left it idling just to stop and pick something up....and click..... it locked the door ! It's a good thing I left the window open!

[pinecone70]

I wonder if those key fobs eventually get a mind of their own? I have one and sometimes it locks too, when I have the fob in my coat pocket and nothing is touching it. Maybe it needs to be taken apart and cleaned, it might be corroded?

[94z07]

Originally Posted by Lori Mick

Seriously....I think it's possessed!

My car likes to lock the doors....one day I left it idling just to stop and pick something up....and click..... it locked the door ! It's a good thing I left the window open!

Mine does that too but it's supposed to. It locks when I walk away and unlocks when I walk close to it with no buttons pressed.

[Lori Mick]

Originally Posted by 94z07

Mine does that too but it's supposed to. It locks when I walk away and unlocks when I walk close to it with no buttons pressed.

geesh....what kind of car is that? I just got an 09 honda....and I have to press my buttons to unlock it...
but it does lock me in when I put it in 2nd gear....

if I stop to get gas, it'll lock me out too....but I've learned to take the keys out with me!

[LurpyGeek]

Originally Posted by RunningOnMT

...my car..a 2007 Kia Spectra...

That is an unfortunate problem.

[94z07]

Originally Posted by Lori Mick

geesh....what kind of car is that? I just got an 09 honda....and I have to press my buttons to unlock it...
but it does lock me in when I put it in 2nd gear....

if I stop to get gas, it'll lock me out too....but I've learned to take the keys out with me!

The system is called "Passive Keyless Entry" and it really is supposed to work like that. The down side is that if I leave the remote fob in the car and get out it will lock the doors with the remote inside. The remote transmits when it is in motion. So walking makes it transmit. I go through a battery a year.

It's on my daily driver, a 1994 Chevrolet coupe.

[Just One Shot]

It's possible that you have a bad keyless entry module (Fords definition I don't know what KIA calls it). If it's shorting out it could cause the symptoms you are describing.

This is the module that receives the signals from your key fob (remote) and performs the different functions such as lock/unlock/trunk and panic. In many cars it is located in the drivers door, behind the drivers side kick panel or in the rear side panel in some SUV's.

If possible, I would try to watch the car while you are away from home (work for instance) to see if it acts the same way. If not then the ham next door might be the problem. If it does then I would ask the dealer to test the module.

If you have one of the hand remotes that the buttons are not counter sunk it is possible to activate the buttons while the fob is in your pocket by the normal motion of your body. Especially if you have change or something else in the same pocket. Even the keys that are on your key ring can activate the fob. If your keys weren't in your pocket when your flashing incident occured, I doubt very much that this is the issue.

I strongly suspect that the module or the wiring going to/from it is where your problem lies.

Good luck and let us know what you find out.

[glocknut]

Random signals are capable of triggering a response by the car. My old Honda did it all the time. The doors would lock at random...one time it happend when i was standing next to the car and the keys were on top of the hood at the time. I think a neighbor had a key fob on a nearly the same frequency as mine. Dealership claims that mixed signals are unlikely are in my opinon...a poor excuse. With all these electronic signals flying arround its bound to happen at some point.

Another thing is that thiefs will try repeadedly to break into a car. They're daring enough that if they set off the alarm they'll just run out of range for a few minutes until the owner is done deactivating the alarm and finished looking around stupidly for a few moments.... That happened to me in Little Rock one time. Caught the little B*st*rd on his third try...

Another thing... those car alarms are like those touch on/off lamps... check to see that there is not a wrench stuck on the car somewhere underneath that they left behind...
Starters alone are worth $600- $800 for these newer cars. Make sure there is not a wrench left behind on one of the bolts! Don't laugh... it actually happened!

Obviously the little sh*t had never played the game "operation".... snicker snicker

mike
gn

[RunningOnMT]

Thanks for all the feedback. I'm supposed to take car in Wednesday and leave it for a day or two. I hate to do that...I feel so stranded when I'm wheeless. Will report back once I get an answer.

[glocknut]

Originally Posted by RunningOnMT

Thanks for all the feedback. I'm supposed to take car in Wednesday and leave it for a day or two. I hate to do that...I feel so stranded when I'm wheeless. Will report back once I get an answer.

Its better to get it done under warranty if you can...while you still can!

mike
gn

[ampaterry]

Radio transmitters, particular running excess power, can do some STRANGE things for sure.

I had a 2KW CB rig that I could hold a fluorescent tube in my hand, key the mike, and the bulb would light up.

There are some GOOD suggestions here -

You have TWO key-fob transmitters, don't you?
Can you put the one you normally use inside of your gun safe where the transmission will be blocked and just use the other one for a while and see if the problem continues? That might narrow it down -

[islenos]

Could it have gotten wet?

I left the beach after 10 days of fishing drinking sleeping and repeat. The fob never got wet but the salty mist got to it.

When I was leaving the beach, I got across the bridge at Corpus and my locks started locking and unlocking on their own with an occasional horn going off that pissed off the cars around me. Didn't know what was going on till I noticed the red light flashing on the fob; took the battery out and had a peaceful journey home.

Once home I dried it out and cleaned the contacts really well and it has worked fine ever since.

[Mr. Nameless]

Originally Posted by Lori Mick

geesh....what kind of car is that? I just got an 09 honda....and I have to press my buttons to unlock it...
but it does lock me in when I put it in 2nd gear....

if I stop to get gas, it'll lock me out too....but I've learned to take the keys out with me!

the doors locking is a safety thing, just in case you get in a reck the doors wont open, I had new doors installed in my 1989 Jeep Cherooke, they rewired almost the entire truck because of it.

[FTE]

I'm not the smartest guy in the world....but why don't you just take the batteries out of the remote and see if it still acts up? Of course then you will have to manually unlock the doors. I know it's like changing the TV channel without the remote but hey you might as well rule out the key fob.

[Big ugly]

Just about all you keyless entry systems will have this type of problem. First thing I would do is replace the batteries in the key fob. This usually will fix most minor problems. Secon check and see if there is moisture in the fobs themselves. Look those things aint waterproof so if you have ever gotten into your car in the rain you have exposed it to moisture. It is a very simple problem that has about a dozen simple fixes. I went through this with ny dads new truck and I had to pull the fuse out of the system completely. On my van it was doin the same things you described and all I did was replace the batteries. I would replace the batteries first, Those technicians dont even think of that trust me I know how they work.

[bcj1755]

Originally Posted by Lori Mick

Seriously....I think it's possessed!

My car likes to lock the doors....one day I left it idling just to stop and pick something up....and click..... it locked the door ! It's a good thing I left the window open!

It's not possessed. The Kia keyless entry system will one day become Skynet.

[glocknut]

One of those "battery buddies" might not hurt either. It will cut off power coming out of the battery just before there is still enough to start the car. Great if you left lights on or stuff...

mike
gn

[Pistolenschutze]

Originally Posted by RunningOnMT

I'm having a problem with my car..a 2007 Kia Spectra. Seems very strange and I wonder if anyone has any ideas.

ROMT, have you considered that the Kia might have been fed too much kimchi when it was a youngster? That would certainly have the tendency to cause all sorts of internal problems.

Seriously, I suspect you are on the right track with your theory. High-frequency radio waves could easily enough play havoc with the relatively unshielded electronics of the car.

[Monkey Hollow]

I like a lot of the above thoughts. I would do two things. I would remove the batteries from the remote. I think that most ham's are nice people. I would go over and talk to him, and see when he uses his rig. I am sure he would be happy to keep a log when he is on. I would also get a paper and log when the car acts up. Then you could see if the car acts up at times when your neighbor is not using his gear. Just a thought. Years ago, I knew of a case of a CB base station coming through a record player. No radio in the stereo, just a turntable, and it would pick up the radio transmissions! Good luck in getting your problem solved.

[B 'n B]

Of course you have a weird car problem. You bought a weird car.

[mrkirker]

Have you checked the battery in the remote?

[GMFWoodchuck]

Fobbing Fob. I threw mine out and use the key. I have enough crap in my pockets I don't need that thing too. Especially since I'm going to the car anyway. And I carry a spare in my wallet.

[cec]

It could also be a bad battery. My wife's car acts strange when the battery is about to go. For example, constantly setting off the alarm as power drops and is restored.

The first time I went to jump start it, the panic alarm went off when I connected it to the my truck. Missed the hood by inches.