Kia Optima Alarm going off randomly and getting worse!

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

About 6 months ago my 2011 Optima alarm started going off randomly in the night, a couple times a week. It was annoying to me and the neighbors. I park on my driveway and have nothing of value in the car. Our neighborhood is a good one.

When I took it to the dealership for its 15k mileage checkup they shrugged their shoulders, said they had no idea. The next time I brought it in I reported it happening more frequently and even during the day. I also reported not hearing the chirping lock sound anymore, but that I could hear the locks engage when hitting the key fob control. They looked and looked and said that a sensor in the engine compartment had a bumper missing and they replaced it and it worked at chirping again (for a while). They had no idea on the random alarm.

My car chirps only occasionally when being locked, and it still goes off at all hours of the day. Randomly. There seems to be no conceivable pattern. Except that it goes off least when parked in my garage. Lately I have taken to leaving the car doors unlocked in my driveway so I don’t have to sleep with the keys on my nightstand.

I love my Optima but am seriously considering having the horn disconnected. And no. Its not a battery issue. We put a new battery in. The problem continued immediately.

This is incredibly frustrating. What can I do?

2

It seems as tho the car should be under warranty. But, even if it recently came out of warranty, your complaints about the alarm should call for a warranty repsir. If the dealer will not help, you may need to contact a regional rep to help. The contact info is in the owners manual. Don’t let this dealer get away with doing nothing.

3

I agree w/BK above, the dealership folks you’ve talked with are not addressing your problem in a professional manner. I suggest you insist to talk to the owner of the dealership.

4

I am a kia tech. been a mechanic for 15 years. there is a good chance you have a bad door latch. They have a small micro switch in it and if it glitches and thinks the door is open it will signal the alarm as the voltage is dropped. There are situations where things are not as simple, as with all new technology. But they should be ale to look at the operation of the door latch and if it is consistent enough should be albe to look at it

5

@dragon_jen I would hope they have solved this almost 3 year old problem by now.