I splurged and had a remote starter installed in my 1997 Explorer, which I love, last year. When I would use it and get into the car, I noticed that my O/D lights would keep flasing on the dashboard as I drove off. However, if I stopped and turned the car off, and then turned it on again and drove, the O/D lights would stop flashing. (The dashboard idiot lights) this year I had to have a new transmission installed for 2300 because my OD was going and the light were flashing all the time on the dashboard. Now I have my nice new transmission, along with brand new snow tires. I’m afraid to use my remote because I had heard that it can affect the transmission. since I get up a 4:30 AM and drive away around 6:15 I gave in the other week and used the remote because I wanted to warm up the car. When I got in,the 4 wheel drive idiot lights were flashing. After I stopped screaming, I turned the car off, then turned it on again and drove off.
My question is, and I asked my very nice mechanic this too, CAN A REMOTE STARTER DAMAGE THE TRANSMISSION? I’m a good driver. I don’t slam it from drive to reverse or vice versa. I’m nice to my car. I drive on the NJ turnpike and do around 65-75 in the AM.
Am I going to kill another transmission with this remote starter?
The remote starter does not affect the transmission.
The transmission is in park at the time.
How long of time has passed since the installation of the remote start and the beginning of the problems ?
There is a massive amount of electrical involved in installing a remote start. I had one done in August 09 for my 08 expedition, I am a parts man in the same shop with the tech and watched him take two days to install it, it’s extremely involved, so it is highly conceivable that the installation is the reason for the problems.
The installer needs to go back through those instructions, all 97 pages, and review that there’s something amiss during installation.
Remote starter modules check to see if the transmission is placed in neutral. If it isn’t, the remote starter won’t start the engine. How the remote starter checks for this may be causing problems with the vehicles’ ECU.
Just stop using the remote starter for a week, and if the problem no longer occurs, it’s gotta be a problem with the remote starter.
Tester