door locks keep automatically locking over and while parked

BodhiBenz1987 · **Posted:** Mon Feb 10, 2014 12:01 pm

Forgive me if this is in the wrong place or has been covered, but it's a bit of an emergency. I'm on a road trip in my CRD, sitting outside a concert venue waiting for a show, and the Jeep has suddenly started automatically triggering the door locks repeatedly. Once every 5 seconds, click. It will stop when I turn the ignition switch on (don't have to start engine), but start doing it again after a few minutes. Just keeps going and going. I don't want it doing this all night while I'm in this concert, at the hotel, etc. I can disconnect the battery I guess, but any ideas why this might be happening? This is really frustrating.

ebbnflow · **Posted:** Mon Feb 10, 2014 12:43 pm

Is your key FOB on the fritz? Did you try removing the battery from it to see if the locking/unlocking stops? I'm just brainstorming. I have not heard of this specific problem before.

BodhiBenz1987 · **Posted:** Mon Feb 10, 2014 12:53 pm

ebbnflow wrote:

Is your key FOB on the fritz? Did you try removing the battery from it to see if the locking/unlocking stops? I'm just brainstorming. I have not heard of this specific problem before.

Yep, just tried removing batteries from both fobs, still goes. This is so strange. Maybe its a bad actuator? Really stinks to have this come up now, I'm 700 miles from home and have concerts the next two days. I don't want to run down the battery or get locked out of the car ( or in it, ha ... Guess that can't happen as there's the manual plunger).

papaindigo · **Posted:** Mon Feb 10, 2014 3:13 pm

Try disconnecting the engine battery for 10 minutes or so which may reboot the system.

bugnout · **Posted:** Mon Feb 10, 2014 3:50 pm

I had this happen on my Chevy. Turned out to be a battery on the edge of going bad. Do a load test on your battery and see if it dips below voltage for the temp your testing. I think its 9.1v for 32F.

BodhiBenz1987 · **Posted:** Mon Feb 10, 2014 4:43 pm

bugnout wrote:

I had this happen on my Chevy. Turned out to be a battery on the edge of going bad. Do a load test on your battery and see if it dips below voltage for the temp your testing. I think its 9.1v for 32F.

It's a brand new battery but I suppose it could be a dud. I'll check it out and try disconnecting as well. For now I've just taken the fuse out and using the key manually.

BodhiBenz1987 · **Posted:** Thu Feb 20, 2014 7:05 pm

Hi guys, I'm bumping this to update the symptoms and hoping maybe someone can direct me as to where to even start.
The Jeep hasn't been locking itself recently, but I've had the alarm go off spontaneously a couple times, and what happens all the time now is the "passenger door open" warning coming in, with the door clearly shut, while parked, driving, etc. I have to turn the dome lights off. Sometimes the warning stays on, other times it comes on and off rapidly, complete with incessant chime while I'm trying to drive. It did this for a short portion of a trip I went on in Oct. as well, then never did it once until now.
The battery is new, so it's done it now on two different batteries. I'm now resorting to leaving it with the battery unplugged so it doesn't drain it or do who knows what else. I was just taking the door lock fuse out, but now it's not just that problem.
My best guess at this point is some short in that door, which could also have caused the self-locking issue. Should I just pull the door lining off and look? Maybe the wiring at the door hinge? Where can I find a wiring diagram?
I'll probably end up having to take it to the dealer, where I'm sure they'll charge me $100 just to check for codes (which I've done: none) let alone anything else. But if there's anything obvious I can check for first, I'd like to do it.

kissfan79 · **Posted:** Thu Feb 20, 2014 8:30 pm

I had my alarm spontaneously go off and not shut off. The only way for me to shut the horn off was to either disconnect the battery or pull the horn fuse (which is what I did). I had had some water get into the dash near the fuse panel when the drain line for the sunroof clogged. I pulled the fuses and made sure they were dry but I did replace my battery with a Sears Platinum P1 and it has been good ever since.

Jim

hucorey · **Joined:** Tue Mar 06, 2012 4:29 am **Posts:** 378

Its typically caused by low voltage. Is you alt putting out correct voltage. It may not be charging completely and the voltage regulator is on its way out. But its charging just enough for you to start your engine. Check grounds and if your getting any current draw with the engine off. Should be only .04amps for just enough for the ecu to keep memory power.

BodhiBenz1987 · **Posted:** Fri Feb 21, 2014 8:10 pm

hucorey wrote:

Its typically caused by low voltage. Is you alt putting out correct voltage. It may not be charging completely and the voltage regulator is on its way out. But its charging just enough for you to start your engine. Check grounds and if your getting any current draw with the engine off. Should be only .04amps for just enough for the ecu to keep memory power.

I'll check the alt. I replaced it last summer with a reman from NAPA, that'd be annoying but at least it's still under warranty.
Just out of curiosity, though, how does low voltage cause the doors to lock?

Squeeto · **Posted:** Fri Feb 21, 2014 9:40 pm

Maybe you have a bad cable on the passenger door.
Shorting to lock the doors and open to cause door open signal and alarm to sound.

Look to the hinge area.

hucorey · **Joined:** Tue Mar 06, 2012 4:29 am **Posts:** 378

BodhiBenz1987 wrote:

hucorey wrote:

Its typically caused by low voltage. Is you alt putting out correct voltage. It may not be charging completely and the voltage regulator is on its way out. But its charging just enough for you to start your engine. Check grounds and if your getting any current draw with the engine off. Should be only .04amps for just enough for the ecu to keep memory power.

I'll check the alt. I replaced it last summer with a reman from NAPA, that'd be annoying but at least it's still under warranty.
Just out of curiosity, though, how does low voltage cause the doors to lock?

The ECU has a threshold. When the battery gets to that lower threshold the ecu starts to wig out. And the ECU also is connected with your door lock sensors, seat belt sensors, etc. even though they aren't directly operated by the ECU.

Whenever its starts doing what you describe put your meter on the battery before you start it up.

BodhiBenz1987 · **Posted:** Tue Feb 25, 2014 10:47 pm

hucorey wrote:

BodhiBenz1987 wrote:

hucorey wrote:

Its typically caused by low voltage. Is you alt putting out correct voltage. It may not be charging completely and the voltage regulator is on its way out. But its charging just enough for you to start your engine. Check grounds and if your getting any current draw with the engine off. Should be only .04amps for just enough for the ecu to keep memory power.

I'll check the alt. I replaced it last summer with a reman from NAPA, that'd be annoying but at least it's still under warranty.
Just out of curiosity, though, how does low voltage cause the doors to lock?

The ECU has a threshold. When the battery gets to that lower threshold the ecu starts to wig out. And the ECU also is connected with your door lock sensors, seat belt sensors, etc. even though they aren't directly operated by the ECU.

Whenever its starts doing what you describe put your meter on the battery before you start it up.

That makes sense, thanks for the explanation. I'm hoping to play around with this tomorrow since that's when my "weekend" starts. So far my biggest challenge is going to be finding my multimeter ... it's been MIA for a while, can't fathom where I put it.

BodhiBenz1987 · **Posted:** Fri Mar 14, 2014 5:14 pm

Update on this: I was getting normal voltage readings on the battery, but noticed the clamps were pretty corroded/dirty. I cleaned them up and replaced and haven't had any issues since. Of course, it might just be because it's been warmer and it's coincidence. But so far, so good. Maybe the corrosion was keeping the ECU from getting full voltage, especially after I replaced the battery and moved them around. Hopefully that was it, but I'll just have to wait and see I guess.

door locks keep automatically locking over and while parked

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