I have a 2005 Hyundai Elantra that insists the driver’s door be opened first and only by means of the expensive point and click device. Opening the driver’s door with the key sets off the alarm siren.
The expensive point and click device is beginning to fail and I cannot easily spend the $100.00 or so to replace it. Instead, I want to disable the siren. According to the owner’s manual, the applicable fuse is designated as “ECU” 10A and that fuse protects the siren and PCM.
1.0 What does ECU stand for?
2.0 What does PCM stand for?
3.0 What disaster awaits me if I simply pull the fuse in question?
I think that ECM probably stands for Electronic Control Unit, and that PCM probably stands for Powertrain Control Module. Other than those guesses, I’ve got nothin’.
May I piggyback a question? How is Hyundai pronounced? I say ‘hun-day’, but it looks as if it should be pronounced ‘hyoon-dye’.
Yes, ECU = Electronic Control Unit, PCM = Powertrain Control Module, and it essentially it’s two different terms for the same thing, which is commonly called the onboard computer. Yank that fuse and the engine will not run.
You may find that merely eliminating the siren’s noise doesn’t solve the problem. On some designs, when the anti-theft system is activated it not only turns on the siren, it also prevents the engine from starting.
You may find that if you lock the car with the key, rather than with the remote, the alarm system will not be armed.
To just add to what Johnny LA said, the ECU and the PCM are probably the same thing. They’re basically two different terms for the computer that runs the car. So, yes, not providing power to it will stop the car from running-- that’s why those fiends put the alarm on the same circuit!
I know this should only be done as a last resort, but have you tried reading the manual (assuming this is a factory alarm)? The behavior sounds screwy enough to me that it might just be in some sort of weird mode that it can just be taken out of. If it is a factory alarm, but the manual says nothing about it, I might try asking the dealer or Hyundai USA about it-- if nothing else there should be some way to disable it.
I’m sure that you know your car better than I do. But the way my car’s security works is that if I lock the car with the remote the security system will go off if you don’t also unlock the car with the remote. The door key will sound the alarm.
However, if I lock the car using the lock button on the inside of the door, I can open it with a key and no alarm goes off. This drives my wife nuts because she locks the car with the remote and then sets off the alarm by opening the door with the key.
There are usually various options to set chimes and alarm settings other than the default ones and that information should be in the owners manual, if you have one.
Question -
My fiancee’s factory Alarm system on her 2005 Hyundai Elantra keeps going off randomly throughout the day. I seen it before. Nothing will even touch it. And it will just go beserk… Now the neighborhood is getting upset. And the dealership said there was nothing wrong with it. I hate dealership’s. So how can I disable it step by step?
Answer -
There’s no way to disable the alarm per se. But you can just not set it. If you lock the doors with the lock button on the driver’s door instead of the remote, the alarm will not set, and it therefore won’t sound when the problem happens.
I have a 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe and what others have said is correct: If you lock with the key then no alarm when you unlock.
BTW my remotes are crappy too. They have very limited range and the buttons have to be pushed hard, some times twice, to have any effect. They have been like that for years and yet they never have failed completely.
The key trick works!! It works, by Gog. Thanks for the help----I’m going to consider the problem solved until my finances improve.
As to the buttons on the remote device: I have to be standing within two to three feet of the car and it sometimes requires pushing the damn button several times at different spots on the button. When it is raining out, as it sometimes does here in Florida, the button pushing process is less than fun. So, it’s the key for me from now on.
FYI, Hyundai has a website that you can join for free that has the service manual, owner’s manual, electronics schematics, TSBs, and other info for your car. I’ve found this very helpful for working on my Hyundai.
One other idea (and I know this sounds screwy): try holding the clicker against your chin when you press the button. Your head acts as an antenna and helps the signal reach the transponder. And, as I said before, a new battery also helps.
I tried this and my hair stood on end and smoked while my eyes emitted intense pulses of red light; my car’s paint is severely damaged and several children were badly scared. Hell, it scared me too. I’m afraid to install a new battery because I know I would be tempted to try the antenna thing again and only Og knows what might result from that. I’m just gonna stick to the key.