Cruise control, alarm, and battery issues! I don't know where to start. - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

roho322 · 10-19-2009, 01:35 PM

So I've got several issues that I think are probably related because they all started popping up around the same time.

- #1- The cruise control kicks off on it's own when going down a perfectly straight and level highway at 75-ish. I have the I4 which isn't all that powerful and there were 4 people with a total weight of about 800 lbs, but I wouldn't think that's the issue.

- #2- The alarm goes off for absolutely know reason. Not immediately, but hours after being set. Sometimes in the middle of the night. Sometimes during the day. After canceling it the car should beep twice to indicate that it's unlocked or once to indicate that it's locked and the alarm is set. It adds 2 additional beeps to either of these which is usually the signal that the hood or trunk are not closed when trying to set the alarm. I'm totally stumped.

- #3- The running/parking lights turn on by themselves and remain on for hours which of course kills the battery. This happens with or without the alarm set.

I drive a Nissan Frontier that I know like the back of my hand but this is my wife's car and I just don't know that much about it. I'm thinking it has something to do with the computer. The dealership said that I would have to take it to an alarm shop because the alarm was ordered as an option and therefor was installed for the dealership, before it was sold, by a local alarm shop.

I'm hoping some of you Guru's can shed some light on this.
Thanks in advance,
RoHo

***bandit*** · 10-19-2009, 02:31 PM

#1. Brakes arent pressed when in cruise control right?

As for the other 2, take it to shop that had alarm installed. I have a feeling they butched the installation and either a wire is loose or they crossed something.

Redline_Me · 10-19-2009, 03:06 PM

The alarm could be affecting the other two.

roho322 · 10-19-2009, 04:18 PM

No, the brake isn't pressed with the alarm set.

For the second idea... I'd love to take it to the shop that installed it but the car was purchased in 2006 in Maryland and I live in Florida now.

Thanks for the ideas though guys.

I'm not saying that it's impossible but I'd be surprised if the alarm installation is the problem since it has been working since 2006 without any previous problems. The alarm itself may be the problem but I just don't know enough about them to troubleshoot it myself. I'm taking it to a good alarm shop down here tomorrow morning and hopefully they can figure something out.... even if they just confirm that the alarm is the problem and I just disconnect it until I can get it fixed. At this point the battery dies every time the car sits for more than a couple hours and this is one of our daily drivers that we need to get to and from work every day. Having to get up at three in the morning to turn off the alarm is getting a little old, too.

Thanks again guys,
Keep em comin,
RoHo

roho322 · 10-19-2009, 04:29 PM

Oops... I meant, brakes aren't pressed with cruise set.

LE05 · 10-19-2009, 05:41 PM

its possible all three are related. does your alarm have remote start also? if it does, most remote starts have an automatic shut off when the brake pedal is pressed. cruise control is also shut off when the brake pedal is pressed. the alarm is also likely using the parking lights to flash a lock/unlock signal. so if the alarm is going haywire, it'll affect the cruise control and the parking lights. i think a wire has worked itself loose or is shorting out on something.

something to try to see if the alarm is definitely the problem is to disconnect the fuse for the alarm... but considering not much is known about the alarm, i'd be hesitant to do that.

roho322 · 10-19-2009, 07:03 PM

That makes a lot of sense. Yes, the car does have remote start. Yes, the engine does shut down if you remote start the car and then tap the brake before inserting the key. And cruise does of course kick off if you tap the brake.

So, knowing all this now I'm wondering if the dealership didn't bungle something because they just replaced a defective master cylinder about 2 weeks ago.

Thanks,
RoHo

***bandit*** · 10-19-2009, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roho322

That makes a lot of sense. Yes, the car does have remote start. Yes, the engine does shut down if you remote start the car and then tap the brake before inserting the key. And cruise does of course kick off if you tap the brake.

So, knowing all this now I'm wondering if the dealership didn't bungle something because they just replaced a defective master cylinder about 2 weeks ago.

Thanks,
RoHo

Remote starting the car and engine shutting down with no key in ignition is a safety feature. If it didnt shut down, someone can drive off with your car with no key.

Cruise control turning off if you press on the brake while cruising is another standard thing on all cars. If you pressed on the brake and the cruise control didnt turn off, you'll ram into the car in front of you and you'll be messing with your engine (its like pressing on the brakes and gas while car is in drive).

Both of the things I mentioned above are normal.

As for your alarm going off at 3am and parking lights staying on automatically is not normal.

LE05 · 10-19-2009, 09:55 PM

^ yes, i know that's normal... what i'm saying is that because its a remote start it is therefore tapped into the brake light switch. and since the alarm/remote start uses the parking lights to flash, its related to both the cruise control and parking lights problem. if the alarm is going haywire or shorting out, its probably sending a pulse or voltage back into the lines that its tapped into... making the car think you are braking and shutting off the cruise control or turning on the parking lights.

do you know what brand of alarm was installed?

Redline_Me · 10-19-2009, 10:56 PM

Some alarms warn you when the batteries in the remote are going. But i don't think that's the problem. Just throwing it out there.

roho322 · 10-20-2009, 10:25 AM

I took it to Rollin' Sound, a local stereo/alarm shop down here, and after about 10 minutes they found the problem. The brake pedal/switch was out of adjustment. So simple, right? They wouldn't adjust it for liability reasons but referred me to the Coggin Toyota dealership that's only 5 minutes from their shop. So I took it up there and 15 minutes later they had it done.

Here's the best part...
- Total for troubleshooting the problem at Rollin' Sound and referring me to the guy that gets $#!+ done: $0
- Total for taking a walk-in and fixing the problem in 15 minutes at Coggin Toyota: $0
- Grand total for restoring my faith in having your car worked on by somebody else: ABSOLUTELY $00.00

So in my opinion, if you need alarm/stereo work done in the Jacksonville, FL area go see JB and Dezzy at Rollin Sound on Phillips Hwy.

If you need Toyota service in Jax, go see Jomar at Coggin Toyota at the Avenues.

Thanks for everyone's help,
RoHo

Redline_Me · 10-20-2009, 11:14 AM

Glad you got it fixed, and that you got so much help from the shops.