Mazda 6 Car Alarm keeps going off! Help! :)

bobert50 · 26 Jun 2020 at 21:50

no idea what said:
It will be housed inside that latch. It'll be a relatively small microswitch.

Thanks

bobert50 · 26 Jun 2020 at 21:54

Paul_RD said:
There is a "Liftgate Latch Position Switch" positioned somewhere near/on the boot lock.
It has four switches within it.
All four switches are connected to the "Liftgate Auto Closure Control Module"
One of those switches also feeds both the "BCM" and the "Cargo Compartment Light"
BCM then feeds the "Theft-Deterrent System".

Something you could try:

Remove the rear parcel shelf.

Verify that the boot light is on.

Shut the tailgate gently.

Verify that the boot light goes out.

Bounce the vehicle / push down on the tailgate - does the boot light come on / flicker?

Try the above again, this time closing the tailgate with a slam - same result?

Yep, same result indeed! No matter how lightly or hard I close the boot, the boot light does go out, and no matter how much I sit in the back and try to jump/move, it doesn't flicker or anything like that. I don't know if this gives more likelihood to the issue being the boot opening button that sits in the tailgate brake light. I've seen that I can get a replacement for the whole rear tailgate brake light for about £20 too.

bobert50 · 26 Jun 2020 at 22:11

no idea what said:
You should be able to unplug the opening button and see if that cures your problem, assuming that you can open the boot from the remote key or some other means.

Ah yes, good thinking!

bobert50 · 29 Jun 2020 at 08:32

Hi guys,

I just wanted to do another update. I was debating over the weekend what was the best way to go and based on the fact I've got fairly limited spare time to fiddle and the fact that it really could do with being sorted asap... I've opted to buy a boot lock mechanism and a replacement tailgate/third brake light with the boot button/bits attached from a scrapyard for relative peanuts.

I'm going to hopefully get them fitted towards the middle or end of this week and then going to keep my fingers crossed that it fixes the problem. With all this rain though at the moment, i doubt i'll even know for a while either way. I'll need the sun to come out... perhaps next year!

Thank you for the help guys. I'll do an update when i know for sure just in case anybody looks at this thread down the line and wants to know how it went or finds it in a future search.

bobert50 · 30 Jun 2020 at 17:00

Oh jeez. Good luck too! I really hope that all goes well.

bobert50 · 10 Jul 2020 at 19:39

Update - Had the new boot lock mechanism and third rear brake light containing the boot button/chip yesterday... and the alarm just went off again 10 mins ago

I'll have to take it back to the garage on Monday I think or whenever they can next see me and see what their machine is indicating the issue is now, but i'm leaning more and more towards trying to get the alarm just removed/unplugged.

bobert50 · 10 Jul 2020 at 20:11

It might be OK. I've seen on forums that people have just removed the black alarm box from a 2008 Mazda and a 2010 one. Mine is a 2010 one. I'm really hoping i can if it really does come to it... could do without this issue costing much more money.

bobert50 · 11 Jul 2020 at 01:10

Paul the saviour returns!

phew!

Ah funny you should say that as I believe I saw a short one minute video of this on YouTube earlier. Perhaps a daft question but is it easy to pull this trim on the right side of the boot back if it hasn't been messed with previously?

bobert50 · 12 Jul 2020 at 15:51

Hi Paul, thank you so much again. I got to read it but couldn't reply until now... to say work is busy would be an understatement at the moment!

Brilliant. Yep that is the video i'd seen but i wasn't sure if it was the MK2 that we both have, but it certainly looks like it.

I'm going to shortly have a look for this 10 mil bolt that he speaks of on the video!

https://imgur.com/a/iNdZLfV

Starting point above... I'm going to have a mess with your instructions above in the next few hours and see how I get on. Hopefully the trim goes on properly again afterwards! My partner wants me to wait until the alarm goes off at least once more but I really want this crap permanently sorted, to be honest!

bobert50 · 12 Jul 2020 at 18:21

Just wanted to give an update asap.

I only got it to this stage so far...

https://imgur.com/a/FqwU5La

While i was debating what I have to pull off next... I started noticing that there was a fair bit of water that felt a bit grubby (perhaps been sitting for quite a while). It wasn't huge amounts but it was noticable and it surely shouldn't be there.

It was completely dry on the left hand side of the boot, but wet on the right hand side.

https://imgur.com/a/tc4QH2Y

Looked like that even on the boot floor mat, whereas the left hand side looks immaculate.

And then i noticed right above the bit that is damp....

https://imgur.com/a/YaRzWym

This break in the waterproofing sealant!

The plot thickens? maybe...!

bobert50 · 12 Jul 2020 at 21:42

Yeah both parts are in now (the third brake light + the new boot lock mechanism), but the car alarm then went off again. It has only gone off once but i suspect it'll continue to do so and it simply wasn't anything to do with them two parts. I feel like it is getting closer to a solution now. I'm tempted to try to get my garage to very cheaply look at this issue in the next few days and then if all else fails, pull that wire and job done!

bobert50 · 12 Jul 2020 at 21:44

jpaul said:
.. I thought you had already installed the pieces from the breakers , and potentially inspected the parts you took out -
difficult to see from your picture - the 'sealant' break/rip is on the rubber around the tailgate opening ?

you don't have a rear wash wipe, this leaked for me on a bmw, and caused water near rear light cluster, grafted in a new piece.

Ah my car does have a rear wash wipe... but i've not used it in absolutely ages.

bobert50 · 16 Jul 2020 at 11:06

Hi, oh sorry, I didn't want to bore anybody with too frequent updates!

The latest is that my partner persuaded me that I should just see if it goes off one more time and if that one occasion since the parts change was just one last niggle. This sounded illogical to me but i agreed anyway!

However, six days later now and it hasn't gone off since. I'm definitely going to disable the alarm if it does it again but even I'm starting to believe it may behave now. It'd be silly to pull the wire if it really does stop. The real test will be when the weather improves and the sun comes out again, I think.

I promise to keep updating randomly now!

and also i'll put conclusion updates at the end for any poor people with Mazda 6's even years from now getting a similar issue!

bobert50 · 20 Jul 2020 at 15:48

Paul_RD said:
Any news/update?

And it has gone off twice again today! The sounder is going to get pulled now imminently! I'm going to make a proper effort to get the trim off soon. I am slightly worried about the alarm going nuts the split second I pull the wire out but only one way to find out!

bobert50 · 21 Jul 2020 at 09:55

Paul_RD said:
Best of luck.
Should take you less than an hour

I changed my battery over the weekend, when I disconnected it, nothing went off and nothing flashed.
The only things I had to do was:

Initialise the windows

Initialise the steering sensor

Reset the clock

Retune the radio

I will post the above procedures below in case you want to disconnect your battery first.

I just wanted to say thank you v much again... I'll be on it as soon as work dies down a bit!

Update - Obviously the weather has been pretty bad of late- but it has continued to stay off without me disabling the alarm for what i believe is about another week ish. Basically, it stayed off for two weeks solidly after i had slammed the doors shut pretty hard (based on advice from this thread), and then my partner decided to use the car... it went off 3 times within about a day and a half... i have since slammed the doors shut pretty hard again and now we have had another week of peace. Coincidence? Maybe... but shall know more when the weather improves towards the end of this week.

Update - 21/08/2020

It keeps going off whenever the weather gets very warm. Usually once a day. Then it rains more and no alarm for weeks. I'm thinking with it heading towards September that I'm on the verge of it not doing it now for six months again, and then probably having to finally pull the alarm plug out as summer starts in 2021! There is absolutely a big connection with warm weather now.

bobert50 · 13 Oct 2020 at 13:17

Skillmister said:
Hi
I have had an issue with the alarm going off intermittently on my 58 plate mazda 6 for a couple of years now. As @Silent Bob mentioned above, I'm 99% sure it is to do with the door sensors as a) it's a common problem from reading online; b) I've had the "door open" light on the dash and the interior light come on and off a few times while driving and c) giving all the doors a good slam when closing seems to make a difference with how often it goes off.

I've lubed all the door mechanisms which I believe has also helped.

I asked my mechanic and he's also had them in before for the same reasons but says its quite an expensive fix.

I prefer to just slam all the doors and hope for the best

My neighbour also has the same car, same age, and theirs goes off occasionally too. I imagine it's the same problem, I keep meaning to mention to them about the "fixes" above although from how bad their engine sounds I don't think their car is long for this world.

Funny you mention about hot weather as it makes me realise I haven't heard the alarm go off on mine in a couple of months despite working from home. Could be coincidence and also because I haven't opened the rear doors in a while so they may be on a "good" shut which I probably shouldn't disturb

Also don't know if yours is the same but mine chews through key batteries in a matter of weeks. Half the time I find its dead and I have to open with the key which sets the alarm off.

Hi

Indeed! I forgot to update this further but we really do have the same problem. My partner took the car out last and it has been going off twice a day for a while... I'm going to go and give all the doors a good slam shortly actually. She probably did it last time in a feeble way!

hopefully she doesn't read this!

But yes, slamming the doors a lot like somebody said in this thread is the only thing that helps. I've replaced the battery, rear light/boob mechanical bit and the boot lock, and this all has done absolutely nothing except make the alarm stay on for a LOT longer than the 3-4 seconds it did previously beforehand. I've decided that I'm going to keep slamming the doors tightly and not look into more expensive fixes. The best fix is to remove that trim on the right hand side like stated in here and pull the wire, but it's not been going off frequently enough for me to get totally fed up with it and do this... yet!

Thank you so much again Paul_RD for all the help on here.

bobert50 · 29 May 2021 at 10:04

Paul_RD said:
Its six months later - how did your Mazda 6 alarm behave during the winter ?

Hi Paul, sorry for taking a month to reply!

It's been going off intermittently ever since, really! I'm at the stage now where rather soonish I'm going to pull that wire in the right side of the boot, but may have to get the garage to remove the trim for me (I've had quite a serious operation and really can't be doing anything strenuous at the moment!)

I had a spell of 2-3 months where parking the wheel against the curb seemed like a solution, weird

so i figured maybe it's not blowing in the wind anymore or something... sensitive alarm! but then one day it just starts again.

bobert50 · 31 May 2021 at 10:03

Paul_RD said:
Same here, I have been aware that my alarm has been going off (hazards only on mine) over for the last few months.

My battery drain is also an issue - the vehicle has been parked up since I was made redundant in September (the company I worked for made over ten thousand employees redundant last year) - anything longer than approximately two to three weeks and there is not enough charge to crank the engine - obviously the alarm/hazards flashing would increase any battery drain.
I have a CTEK MXS 5.0 battery charger and I just make sure that I give it a full charge at least every two weeks and give it a quick drive at least every six weeks.

About three months ago, I started turning off the intrusion sensor every time I locked it - but it made no difference - the alarm still triggered.
So a few days ago, I lubricated all the door hinges and locks and gave all the doors a few good slams - and so far, I haven't noticed the hazards flashing yet.

Perhaps you could try one or more of the following:

Lock it only using the key.

Lock it with the remote and then turn off the intrusion sensor (see extract from handbook below).

Lubricate all the door hinges and locks and give all the doors a few good slams.

To cancel the intrusion sensor, press the intrusion sensor cancel button on the transmitter within 20 seconds after pressing the lock button.

The hazard warning lights will flash three times.

Oh nice! some new things to try!

You've also answered my question about even if the horn is pulled, the indicators will still go off, therefore draining the battery potentially! I'm going to pop down now and do the cancellation of the intrusion sensor thing and see how that goes. I'll say here how successful this is.

Thanks again!

bobert50 · 6 Jun 2021 at 15:18

Noooo, it went off for the first time with the intrusion sensor deactivated today. I have another random question for anybody having problems with this... could I ask what sort of roads you live in?

The reason I ask is because it tends to always go off down my terrace backstreet road where there is a LOT of comings and goings... but whenever I leave it parked at my mother's quiet cul-de-sac in the driveway... it appears to never trigger it. It could be coincidence but I'm starting to wonder!

Paul_RD said:
Same here, I have been aware that my alarm has been going off (hazards only on mine) over for the last few months.

My battery drain is also an issue - the vehicle has been parked up since I was made redundant in September (the company I worked for made over ten thousand employees redundant last year) - anything longer than approximately two to three weeks and there is not enough charge to crank the engine - obviously the alarm/hazards flashing would increase any battery drain.
I have a CTEK MXS 5.0 battery charger and I just make sure that I give it a full charge at least every two weeks and give it a quick drive at least every six weeks.

About three months ago, I started turning off the intrusion sensor every time I locked it - but it made no difference - the alarm still triggered.
So a few days ago, I lubricated all the door hinges and locks and gave all the doors a few good slams - and so far, I haven't noticed the hazards flashing yet.

Perhaps you could try one or more of the following:

Lock it only using the key.

Lock it with the remote and then turn off the intrusion sensor (see extract from handbook below).

Lubricate all the door hinges and locks and give all the doors a few good slams.

To cancel the intrusion sensor, press the intrusion sensor cancel button on the transmitter within 20 seconds after pressing the lock button.

The hazard warning lights will flash three times.

bobert50 · 4 Nov 2021 at 11:27

Hi, a quick update on this, by the way!

I was really getting to the point where I was going to have the sounder removed, and then coincidently... we're moving shortly, so I picked up a load of (7 or 8 flatpacked) removal boxes and jammed them all into my car boot... and the alarm hasn't gone off since

it was going off every 3-4 days and it's now been 3-4 weeks without it going off. Could be coincidence but who the hell knows! I'm not touching the boxes until it triggers it again, even if i have to buy new boxes!