Desparate about being locked out!

OK it's a Sable, not a Taurus, same thing. SOMEBODY HELP. 1996 Station wagon V6 duractec.

The car runs fine, it's the security/locking system that I am really worried about. Every time the car is turned off, about 2 minutes later, the anti-theft system turns on and I have to use the disarm button on the key in order to start it again. If I use the key to mechanically open the door and go to start the car, still, no start. The anti-theft HAS to be disarmed.

Example... I pull into a gas station to fill up. Must shut off car of course. That done I go to turn the key ... nothing. I press the disarm button on the key, turn it and varoom. All is OK.

This may sound like a minor problem but one day my wife may be out in the boonies and stop the car for some reason, get in and the KEY NO LONGER WORKS due to battery failure or the electronics in the key just go kaput. Now she is stranded with a perfectly good car that just won't start ! Scary. It will eventually happen.

When I got the car about 4 years ago, I don't recall it having this problem. You could be away from the car for long periods of time (without having "armed" the car) return to it and start it up with no problems. Somewhere along the line though, the car picked up this illness.

For some reason the car is ALWAYS arming itself without permission.

Has anyone heard of this before? I'm getting more and more paranoid about this so if you can help, it would be deeply appreciated.

Thanks.

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"Take a little 5FU, leucovorin and oxaliplatin for thy stomach's sake." -- 1 Timothy 5:23 (adapted)

Reply to
Joe-46er
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Maybe I'm asking the obvious, but have you looked in the owner's manual for any clues? Or maybe checked with your local Ford/Mercury repair department? SC Tom

Reply to
SC Tom

No info in owner's manual. Yeah, I guess I could stop by the Ford dealership, but I suspect the guy will say "Do you want me to set up an appointment to have this problem cleared up?"

I don't mind paying for peace of mind, but I'm hoping for now that it's something simple.

Thanks.

_________________________________

"Take a little 5FU, leucovorin and oxaliplatin for thy stomach's sake." -- 1 Timothy 5:23 (adapted)

Reply to
Joe-46er

Timothy 5:23 (adapted)

On all three of my Ford alarms, pressing the red light that blinks disables the auto-enable and starts a blink-blink sequence to remind you that the auto-enable is temporarily disabled. Pressing the button a second time reenables the auto-enable. In the alarm supplement to my owners manuals this is called valet mode. This allows you to give a valet a key only - they don't need the alarm remote.

The red light is the same one that blinks when the car has been armed with the remote or when the auto-enable activates. Auto-enable requires you to disarm with the remote to start the vehicle, but it does not lock the doors.

On the newest alarm the auto-enable turns on the whole system except for locking the doors. On the older alarms auto-enable just requires a remote disable to start. On the newest alarm, I can use the remote to disable the alarm twice after I shut off the vehicle, and and the auto-enable is temporarily disabled until I start it.

There is a process on the newest alarm to permanently toggle the auto-enable off and on. I don't remember the sequence, and I assume it only lasts until the battery is disconnected for a period of time.

The newest alarm is a 2000 and the older alarms are 1995 and 1991 models.

Reply to
Martin Rogoff

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