The panic alarm on my 2005 Prius has been spontaneously going off. This happens when the car is locked, whether I am nearby with my fob, or miles away (unhappy neighbors have reported). I've taken my car in twice for this problem, but the service dept doesn't have a clue.
Most likely you need a new 12V battery. When was it last replaced? If you say it hasn't been replaced, then there is your answer. Tom
As jdenenberg notes: "There is a simple procedure to test the health of your 12v battery. I have documented it in several of these discussions. You can see the procedure at: Checking 12v Battery Health - Hybrid Car Forums It is also documented at 12 Volt (12v) Toyota Prius Auxilary Battery for 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 with installation kit and free shipping which sells high quality replacement batteries for the Prius." If you have a voltmeter you can also check "12V" battery voltage at the jump point under the hood. With the car OFF a perfect battery will be in the range 12.4 to 12.6 V. If it's less than 12.0 V it is near the end of its life.
The 12v battery was indeed low and Service replaced it. Problem with Panic Alarm still unsolved. Service then adjusted the sensitivity on the alarm system from 8 to 6. Alarm still is going off spontaneously when car is locked and doesn't seem to be related to vibrations by heavy vehicles driving by as suggested by Service. Aararrrgh! Don't know what to do.
Is it the glass breakage alarm? If so, have it disconnected. I had it on my 04 and my brother-in-law had it on his 06. We both had them disconnected because of false alarms.
The OEM alarm doesn't have a seismic sensor, so I suspect it is an aftermarket alarm. You can buy a glass breakage sensor for the OEM system, but I can't see how that would cause any trouble if no glass is broken. Tom
