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

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...!

jpaul · 12 Jul 2020 at 20:59

.. 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.

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.

Paul_RD · 12 Jul 2020 at 23:18

bobert50 said:
I'm going to shortly have a look for this 10 mil bolt that he speaks of on the video!

You've probably found them by now, but the 10mm bolts are the bolts that holds the cargo net anchor points.

One thing I didn't mention, my spare wheel well was full of water - I just drilled two 5mm holes in the bottom to let the water out:

one just aft of the middle at the lowest point when parked at home (on a slope)
and another right in the middle at the lowest point when on the flat - problem solved

Paul_RD · 15 Jul 2020 at 20:37

bobert50 said:
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!

Any news/update?

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!

Paul_RD · 20 Jul 2020 at 20:03

bobert50 said:
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!

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.

Paul_RD · 20 Jul 2020 at 20:10

POWER WINDOW SYSTEM INITIALIZATION PROCEDURE

Caution
• Perform the power window initialization procedure at each seat whether the power window main switch or the power window subswitch is used.

Note
• The power window main switch initialization can be performed only using the power window main switch. The power window subswitch initialization can be performed using the power window main switch or the power window switch.
• If the following operations have been performed, initial setting is reset, and auto up/down and two-step down operation are disabled. Therefore, performing initial setting is necessary.
- Negative battery cable disconnected or power window system power supply fuse removed. (perform initial setting for the switches of all seats.)
- Power window switch connector disconnected. (Perform initial setting for the switch connected with the connector.)
- Prolonged open/close operation of the power window main or sub switches causes the circuit breaker to activate and automatic operation is disabled.

1. Switch the ignition to ON.
2. Press the switch of each window and fully open the door glass.
3. Pull the switch of each window to the manual-up position to fully close the door glass, and keep holding the switch up at the position for approx. 2 s.

(I only used the four switches in the drivers door - I didn't bother doing it at each door position)

Paul_RD · 20 Jul 2020 at 20:14

STEERING ANGLE SENSOR INITIALIZATION PROCEDURE

Warning
• If the steering angle sensor initialization is not completed, it could result in an unexpected accident due to the related systems being inoperative. Therefore, if any of the following items have been performed, always perform the steering angle sensor initialization and verify that the related systems are operational.
- The negative battery cable is disconnected
- A fuse (ROOM) is removed
- The BCM connector is disconnected
- The steering angle sensor connector is disconnected
- BCM is replaced.
- Steering angle sensor is replaced.

1. Inspect the wheel alignment, inflation pressure, and the installation condition of the steering wheel.

• If there is any malfunction, adjust the applicable part.

2. Connect the negative battery cable.
3. Switch the ignition to On.
4. Confirm that the DSC indicator light illuminates and that the DSC OFF light flashes.
5. Turn the steering wheel to full right lock, then turn it to full left lock. (I started the engine and did this while moving slowly)
6. Confirm that the DSC OFF light and DSC indicator light goes out.

• If the DSC indicator light does not go out, disconnect the negative battery cable, and perform the procedure again starting from Step 2 shown above.

7. Drive the vehicle for approx. 10 min, and confirm that the DSC indicator lights do not illuminate.

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.

Bigglesthwaite · 5 Oct 2020 at 08:12

Hi,

Same problem on my 2010 GH Mazda 6 EU model: alarm going off randomly, especially at night.

Suspected a weak car battery and replaced it. This worked for a while and the problem came back. (I put the old battery in my old 205 where it has been working perfectly.)

The car is drawing a small current when the car is switched off. This drains the battery and triggers the alarm.

I suspect this may be related to the Bluetooth module as the alarm issue occurred around the same time that the Bluetooth stopped working. Something is drawing enough current to slowly empty the battery.

SOLUTIONS (so far):

Overnight: lock the car with the key instead of the key fob. This appears to not set the alarm but the battery still drains slowly...
For longer periods I disconnect the battery.

Anyone had the same issue? Has anyone found the solution for the battery drain?

Skillmister · 5 Oct 2020 at 11:56

bobert50 said:
I just
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.

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.

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.

Mr Oblong · 13 Oct 2020 at 22:38

That's good you've made progress. This sort of thing can send you spare.

Skillmister · 14 Oct 2020 at 07:49

bobert50 said:
Hi
.

Don't know if you came across this thread in your searching but it was still in my bookmarks. The fix the OP mentioned didn't work for me but worth a shot of you haven't

https://www.mazda6club.com/threads/random-alarm-triggering-fixed.359633/#/topics/359633

I should add, I generally leave the car unlocked when I'm at home so I wouldn't know how often it would be going off if it was locked. I did get told in a car park the other day that it had been going off while I was in the shops

Paul_RD · 30 Apr 2021 at 16:57

bobert50 said:
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!

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

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.

LeMson · 29 May 2021 at 11:42

My zoom zoom's alarm kept going off, I just lock it with the key now :/