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I don't understand the passive alarm

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by mswhealer, Aug 6, 2005.

  1. mswhealer

    mswhealer New Member

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    Here is my problem, I do not have a garage (gasp!) and I thought with the passive alarm set, if I forgot to lock the doors, if a door was opened the alarm would go off. So I did the little dance and activated the passive alarm, I thought. However, I guess I don't understand how it works. I shut the doors, waited the 14 or 30 seconds and opened a door.... nothing. I tried it with the SKS close by and then far away. But today when I was loading groceries into the car with the doors open, it went off. Is something screwy or am I just not understanding the way the passive alarm works? I have an 05 package 6 and the active alarm is activated. Can someone help me understand what exactly the passive alarm does and how to make it work?
     
    #1 mswhealer, Aug 6, 2005
  2. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    No it doesn't auto lock. What it does is if you unlock the car and don't open the door, it will relock the car for you.

    The alarm will activate once all the doors are closed and locked. Once the immobiliser light starts blinking, it's activated. Unlocking the door from inside, forcefully opening the door or hood or disconnecting then reconnecting the battery will sound the alarm.
     
    #2 Tideland Prius, Aug 6, 2005
  3. mswhealer

    mswhealer New Member

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    Okay, that's helpful. So what I hear you saying is, just forgetting to lock the door and then having a door regularly opened... like as in someone walking down the street decides to open my door and take my cell phone that I left sitting on the front seat after I forgot to lock the doors, will not sound the alarm even if the passive mode is on? What is the point of the passive alarm then?
     
    #3 mswhealer, Aug 6, 2005
  4. wrprice

    wrprice Active Member

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    No, there are two "passive" features.

    1. Passive re-lock. If you unlock the car without opening a door in 30 seconds or so, the car will re-lock the doors automatically. I believe this is active on all packages, but someone can correct me.

    2. Passive alarm (off by default). If you have the alarm feature, there's a dealership-programmable option for a passive mode (it's in active mode from the factory). In passive mode, the alarm will arm 0, 14, or 30 seconds after the last door is closed -- regardless of whether they've been locked. The time is set by the dealer's scan tool as one of those 3 options (or OFF).

    The OP's situation sounds confusing. It should be that simple.
    1. Close all doors but do not lock (fob, SKS, or otherwise).
    2. If you have SKS, remove the fob from within 30 ft.
    3. Wait 45 seconds (to be sure).
    4. Open an unlocked door and hear the alarm activate.

    I know this works because I had them enable the passive option and then opened my car door at the gas station after refueling. Having the SKS nearby, for me, doesn't deactivate the alarm if the alarm was set passively (with doors unlocked).
     
    #4 wrprice, Aug 6, 2005
  5. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    No. 1 is on all Toyotas with keyless entry.

    Thanks for the clarification wrprice.

    sorry, mswhealer. I guess what I was describing was passive-relock and active alarm lol.

    Now I understand =).

    Is there any use for passive arm then? I would think it'd be annoying to have the alarm go off because you left the doors unlock and you open them thinking the alarm isn't set.
     
    #5 Tideland Prius, Aug 7, 2005
  6. mswhealer

    mswhealer New Member

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    It makes total sense with my problem. I don't have a garage and sometimes forget to lock my car. Someone has taken to checking my car and taking stuff out of it. Won't he/she be surprised when he/she goes to do this and the alarm goes off. I guess I could remember to lock the car, but despite my best efforts that doesn't always happen.
     
    #6 mswhealer, Aug 7, 2005
  7. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Ahh okay, makes sense. It won't work for me cause I wash the car with the doors unlock heh. So if the car's unlock and the alarm is set, how do you disable it before you enter?
     
    #7 Tideland Prius, Aug 7, 2005
  8. wrprice

    wrprice Active Member

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    If the doors have been shut for 30 seconds or more while unlocked and the Prius is OFF, I have to remember to press the unlock button on the fob or risk Yeesha blasting her horn at me. I don't always remember, but she does, which is reassuring. :)
     
    #8 wrprice, Aug 7, 2005
  9. DanMan32

    DanMan32 Senior Member

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    You can set or unset the passive feature without the scantool. I had the dealer set it, they charged me $30 and took 2 hours to do it, so they said. Found it annoying, and wanted it off, but didn't want to pay $30 to have it undone. Found a dance in the repair manual. I believe I posted it around here somewhere.

    Note to self: write letter to dealer, CC service manager, general manager, and owner.
     
    #9 DanMan32, Aug 9, 2005
  10. kk6yb

    kk6yb Junior Member

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    I had the dealer set the passive feature also, and I hate it. It alarms when it shouldn't and doesn't lock when it should. I tried the dance but can't get it to respond. Does the "dance" work for the '05?

    I did get the reverse beep disabled, that I like. I've never put gas in the car, I like that too. Of course, that won't last too much longer (odo: 330).

    Gary
     
    #10 kk6yb, Oct 28, 2005
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