06 SR5 opened front hood with engine running. Afterwards theft light con't to blink. Tried to reset per manual. no luck. Any suggestions? thanks

Mike
Chicago

OK kinda surprised of so many reviews yet no responses. Contacted several dealers with this question. All confirm the the dash theft detterent light SHOULD be blinking when the doors are closed, engine off, irregardless of whether the alarm HAS been activated OR NOT.:awais:

It is supposed to blink as long as there is no key in the ignition. You can have all the doors open and it'll still blink.

It's not an alarm, just the engine immobilizer light. If the light turns off when you insert your key into the ignition, then it's fine.

Yep, the theft deterrent light is supposed to blink even with the ignition off, and key disengaged

Is the light blinking while the engine is running?

No...only when engine shut off whether deterrent system activated or not.

Assuming it's the light just below the radio that shows a car with a key in it, then it's just the engine immobilizer light. It goes off when a key is inserted and recognized by the computer.

Sorry, double post.

Afternoon all,

I too would like to add to this thread if you all don't mind, as I've recently experienced a similar problem. Hopefully between the problems the two of us face, answers will come out.

Recently the theft deterrent light in the center console display won't stop blinking, whether the key is in or not. Previously, it would blink on or off, but not repeatedly. Now whether the truck is running or not, the light is blinking.

Thoughts?

The light should stop blinking once your key is placed in the ignition. If you are using a valet key, the light will remain on for only a few seconds. All 4th gen 4Runners have an engine immobilizer. Only the Limiteds come standard with a theft deterrent system in addition. If you only have an engine immobilizer, the light will blink as long as the key is out of the ignition. There is a chip embedded in the key that allows the car to start. If you have a Toyota alarm system in your truck, the light will remain solid for 30 seconds after you lock your truck. Once the light stops blinking, the alarm is engaged.

Bryan in SB, are you using a Toyota key? Also, does that key actually start your truck? If the light is still blinking when you insert that key, it may need to be reprogrammed.

Thanks Mark for the reply.

Let me answer your question as well as back up a minute.

First your question. Yes, a Toyota key is being used with the original key fob. This is the same key and fob used since day 1.

Secondly, our truck has an aftermarket alarm installed by the dealer, Longo. There is an alarm light that is located on a check panel to the left of the steering wheel. Initially, I thought the alarm had been triggered as this light blinked rapidly. Along with this light blinking rapidly, the theft deterrent/alarm light on the center console(car with key) was blinking rapidly. This is different than the usual single cycle blink I've seen.

Last night I walked around the truck, looking for doors/hood that weren't closed all of the way as well as any dents that may have caused the alarm to go off. I couldn't see any thankfully. I cycled the alarm hoping to reset the system, however it retained the rapid blink on both the alarm light and the TDL(theft deterrent light). Truck started fine, however, once started both lights continued to blink.

Fast forward to this morning. My wife took the truck in to our mechanic, as it happened to need it's 30k check, and I instructed the mechanic to check into it. In talking with him this afternoon, it appears the TDL is no longer blinking, however the alarm light is. I'm thinking the TDL has been cycled on and off enough times to reset, however, the alarm light continuing to blink is irritating.

Something in the electrical system seems to be continuing to send out a signal that is a problem, I just don't know what or where.

Oh, I am not that familiar with aftermarket alarm systems. You could always try the old trick of unplugging the battery for 30 seconds.

Thanks Mark, I'll try that.

Unhook your battery for a minute or more. This should reset anything that is confusing it. Usually if an after market alarm is triggered you need to actually start it to cancel the alert (fast flashing). Sometimes if your alarm has a motion sensor or anti scanning it can get triggered by satellite radio signal if your antennae wire is too close to the sensor. If it's still a problem take it back to Longo since theres usually a lifetime warranty on After market Alarms that dealers have installed. I had a problem with one I had with another vehicle (maybe Carr or CodeAlarm?..) so I called the dealer who gave me the number for the alarm company- they sent out a technician who fixed it while I was at work- for nothing. It turned out that my satellite radio signal was interfering with the unit.

Hey! I know this thread is almost two years old, but I recently had the same problem with my Longo aftermarket alarm light blinking constantly - regardless of my T4R engine running or stopped.

My light was blinking for probably 4 months. It bugged me but not to the point where i finally did something about it. I thought that maybe I had triggered some alarm when I took apart the dash to put in my iPod adapter. Nope! I called Longo and this is what they told me:

Inadvertently, I had set the alarm into valet mode! The alarm won't set while in valet mode and the light constantly blinks.

In order to toggle between valet and normal security mode, you must turn the key to the ON position (do not start the car) and then to the off position three times back to back!!

Once I did this, the blinking stopped and the car alarm now sets. (Horn beeps after I double tap the keyfob lock, or 30 seconds after if I single tap the lock)

Anywho, even though this is way late, just figured I'd post it up!

-Eric