[00tj2]

So this will be my 3rd visit and second work order for my 2014 RL for its alarm. About a month ago it just started going off during/after a rain. It never did it before after rain, snow, carwash or hand washing, no accidents or modifications. They first disconnected the hood latch sensor and said they needed to order a new one so I took it home until they called, it went off twice. After arguing with the service writer who told me that they disconnected but 1 week later denied it only to have the service tec come out and back me up they help the truck and decided it was also a faulty P/S rear door sensor. I asked about the service bulletin and if they ran the codes and they insisted there were no codes. On top of this I was out about 8 hrs of my time and a vehicle for 3 days! Was good for about a month and just started again tonight. I will be going in and getting a loaner car this time (will do some talk about training in maybe if the manager doesn't help). I've read a few posts about this but does anyone have some additional advise as to what is causing the alarm to go off.

Thanks and sorry for the long post....other than the millage and this problem the truck is great.

 

[skelley521]

They should check for any trouble codes first and foremost!
They should also be able to connect to the truck and check for proper switch/s operation.
They should test the battery properly and check for any parasitic draws.
Here is some info on the alarm system, I hope it's readable.
Good luck and let us know what they find.
.
.

 

[00tj2]

Thank you Shelly. I actually asked them about that service bulletin last time and they said no codes showed which I find hard to believe. Either they never hooked up the scanner or they did and nothing showed. I'm the son of a retired mechanic that turned away almost as much money as he made throughout his career because of his honesty and only doing the necessary repairs and doing them correctly, for some reason I don't have the same faith when I bring this RL into the dealer.

I'm making an appointment today and will keep this thread up to date when I have more info.

 

[Dnick]

Thank you Shelly. I actually asked them about that service bulletin last time and they said no codes showed which I find hard to believe. Either they never hooked up the scanner or they did and nothing showed. I'm the son of a retired mechanic that turned away almost as much money as he made throughout his career because of his honesty and only doing the necessary repairs and doing them correctly, for some reason I don't have the same faith when I bring this RL into the dealer.

I'm making an appointment today and will keep this thread up to date when I have more info.

.... and with that, Skelly has been demoted to Shelly (no offense to our female members... all in good fun). 'Hope it wasn't painful ! :surprise:

 

[skelley521]

.... and with that, Skelly has been demoted to Shelly (no offense to our female members... all in good fun). 'Hope it wasn't painful ! :surprise:

LOL, all good.
Yeah I should prolly change my user name.....lol
I've used that handle forever and just stuck with it.
For those wondering, I'm Steve


Yes 00tj2, they can connect to the tuck and cycle through the switches to test them.
I'll try to find it in the service manual.
For some reason the alarm system is loosing connection somewhere or it's noticing power transfer.
I always check for clean/proper connections of the battery and grounds on the motor & body as a first step.
I can honestly say that 20% of all electrical issues I've ever troubleshot have been resolved by wire brushing and never-seizing grounds.
Electricity will always take the path of "least" resistance.

 

[00tj2]

So sorry Skelley!! I must of black out there for a min and forgot who I was responding to!

 

[00tj2]

LOL, all good.
Yeah I should prolly change my user name.....lol
I've used that handle forever and just stuck with it.
For those wondering, I'm Steve Kelley


Yes 00tj2, they can connect to the tuck and cycle through the switches to test them.
I'll try to find it in the service manual.
For some reason the alarm system is loosing connection somewhere or it's noticing power transfer.
I always check for clean/proper connections of the battery and grounds on the motor & body as a first step.
I can honestly say that 20% of all electrical issues I've ever troubleshot have been resolved by wire brushing and never-seizing grounds.
Electricity will always take the path of "least" resistance.

I agree totally about clean/proper connections and the fact that it only happens during or right after a rain strongly points to that. Going to go to a closer dealer this time, one that lost my purchase originally but their service department is much closer to me. Will see how it goes later today.

 

[skelley521]

Let's go through some basic steps for everyone.
Intermittent failures can be a pain, but scanning for codes should be first step.
Your truck is fairly new, but they should check all connections to the components in question (everything associated w/ alarm system), either by using the scan tool or physically inspecting the connections.
I'm a 'show me' guy, so I like to unplug & reconnect components. This process not only ensures a good connection, but can clean points of contact.
I clean the connection since I'm there too.
As I mentioned about grounds before, grounds can also corrode or oxidize thereby building up resistance too.
I'll post more pics as I go...
.

 

[skelley521]

There are "many" test they can do to check your system.
The Factory Service Manual shows page after page for diagnosis.
So if they come back after a 15 min scan and say everything's good, I'd go somewhere else as it is a lengthy process.
Even though this is for 'Security alarm will not arm' it shows that they can check communication of the switches individually.
.

 

[skelley521]

So sorry Skelley!! I must of black out there for a min and forgot who I was responding to!

All good :grin:

 

[00tj2]

Thanks for the response! Apparently have to bring it back to the original service department because the other one won't touch it because it was already worked on by another local dealer. Dropping it off tomorrow and will hope for the best.

 

[skelley521]

Thanks for the response! Apparently have to bring it back to the original service department because the other one won't touch it because it was already worked on by another local dealer. Dropping it off tomorrow and will hope for the best.

That's a first for me, never heard that before.
Tell them if they are scared to say they are scared....lol
Good Luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[00tj2]

So here is the update. I took it in and got a call back the next day saying that it was my fault and I was setting the panic alarm off. Mind you it happened multiple times from 3am till 7am while the keys were hanging up. I reiterated this point and they said they will look again. Next day say come and get it, I do and they explain that they are replacing the key fob and that they can't think of anything else. I told them I can think of a bunch of things but I will see how this goes. So now I have to wait for a rainy day to see if it goes off again or just wash the heck out of it after I get back from a ski trip.

 

[00tj2]

Well just to keep you guys updated..if you're even following;-). I was away and low and behold the alarm goes off during a rain storm. My dad, who lives on the same block as me, has to go out in the poring rain to disconnect the battery so it doesn't keep going off. That was on 2/22, fast forward to today. I've sent information to my lawyer (thankfully my job keeps a firm on retainer) and I will await their advise. If the dealer just gave me a rental, or let me "test drive" a new pilot or something none of this would be happening but now they have a bad survey review and lawyers are getting involved. And for all of you keeping track, this is the 4th occurrence on 3 work orders and NYS lemon law if 4 so we will see..

 

[RidgeyMon]

So I bought and installed the Honda security module to my 2008 RT. Had the same symptoms of it randomly going off. I clued in one night when in a heavy rain storm the alarm went off. I traced it back to the mic under the dash. That thing is ridiculously sensitive... I think its purpose is if someone smashes the glass it picks up the Db's inside the vehicle and it triggers the alarm. If you go under the steering wheel u'll see the little black circle, if you reach behind (you may have to remove the bottom plate of the dash) you can trace the wire back to the module. Its a headphone jack. I simply unplugged it. Never had an issue since. All the other security features work as expected.

Here's the install manual from College Hills if you want to investigate further:
http://www.collegehillshonda.com/instructions/ridgeline/2014/securitysystem.pdf

Good Luck

 

[00tj2]

So I bought and installed the Honda security module to my 2008 RT. Had the same symptoms of it randomly going off. I clued in one night when in a heavy rain storm the alarm went off. I traced it back to the mic under the dash. That thing is ridiculously sensitive... I think its purpose is if someone smashes the glass it picks up the Db's inside the vehicle and it triggers the alarm. If you go under the steering wheel u'll see the little black circle, if you reach behind (you may have to remove the bottom plate of the dash) you can trace the wire back to the module. Its a headphone jack. I simply unplugged it. Never had an issue since. All the other security features work as expected.

Here's the install manual from College Hills if you want to investigate further:
http://www.collegehillshonda.com/instructions/ridgeline/2014/securitysystem.pdf

Good Luck

Interesting. I wonder if the factory installed system is the same? Either way I will check when I get it back so thank you for use input. Right now I'm enjoying the fuel millage and ride of the hyundai Santa Fe but miss my RL. Spring is here and I need to make some Home Depot runs!

 

[Pythag]

My 2008 RTL is having the same problem. If the op is still around, I'd love to hear how you fixed the problem.

Thanks.