Rear Hatch Alarm?!?!

T

ToolUser1

New member
I just drove 45 minutes hauling something sticking out of the rear hatch - with the door warning alarm going THE WHOLE TIME.

IT NEVER SHUTS OFF!!!

Please please please someone tell me there's an easy way to disable the ^$%# thing. That Toyota really doesn't think no one ever actually needs to haul anything in a freakin' SUV. Or tell me where the switch is - it's certainly not obvious stopped on the side of I-90. No luck. It was so bad I stuck kleenex in my ears. With the radio way too loud. I could still hear the *&%^$&$. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

I'm going to hear it in my nightmares tonight.

There's got to be a way. Yes, I actually need to haul stuff in my expensive SUV, and I swear I'll own a different brand of expensive SUV before I go through that again.

I miss my 3rd Gen :mmph:

Help?
 
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Stick your cargo out of the rear window if possible... Instead of having the hatch open. This isn't always possible but it's all I got to help ya. Hope you can figure something out!
 
Did you look for a little plastic button poking out somewhere around the hatch frame? Sometimes they are used to tell the car the door is shut. Not sure if the 4Runner has one tho.
 
Tlowe said:
Well considering there is a way to turn off the seatbelt chime, I suppose there might be one for an open door alarm, although I've never heard of it. you could always figure out a way to disconnect the speaker/buzzer...

Here are a list of programmable features and other things that can be changed on our 4Runners:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-g...s-dealer-can-program-2010-toyota-4runner.html
Click to expand...

there is. it is against toyota policy, but there it a way to turn off the seatbelt chime.
 
If you find out how to turn off the rear door ajar chime, please post. I've had to drive 2 hours before with that thing going off and I was about to lose it by the end of the drive.
I tried the Carista app-no luck.
Also, tried messing with the hatch lock mechanism, since I couldn't find a door switch- no joy.
Haven't yet tried looking up a wiring diagram to insert a switch in line to simulate the door being closed. But I'll rent a uhaul before I go through that again.
 
I actually have never hauled anything where ive had to leave hatch open. Usually i stick item thru open back window, tied to roof rack, hitch haul carrier or trailer. Id be interested in solution for this. I know the seat belt chime turns itself off after a minute or two of freaking out.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
 
Sorry I'm not familiar with the 5th gen but I've done this on other SUV hatches. I've even done custom wiring into the door switch to use for lighting triggers.

There is usually a flip lever in the door side of the latch mechanism (on most SUVs)

The sensor that tells the BCM if the door is open or closed is usually part of that latch. You can sometimes use a screwdriver shaft or simply push on it to simulate the catch post of the body side, and flip it as if it were closed.

This tricks the BCM into thinking the door is really closed. But you don't want to try and close the door without first going to the handle and opening it again, or else it tries to shut on the closed latch and you might damage it.

But the 5th gen might have some fancy sensors going on, so I don't know if it will work on it, I kinda suspect it might though.
 
The rear hatch alarm is to help prevent accidental carbon monoxide poisoning, so that is probably why it cannot be updated by Carista or other apps. Maybe a fuse can be pulled or it can be mechanically disabled as outlined above, though.
 
Rynooo said:
The rear hatch alarm is to help prevent accidental carbon monoxide poisoning, so that is probably why it cannot be updated by Carista or other apps. Maybe a fuse can be pulled or it can be mechanically disabled as outlined above, though.
Click to expand...

I really doubt that, if that's your favorite poisoning method, just lower the cargo window - no alarm and plenty of fumes. I think the hatch alarm is more to alert you that you left it open and might have items in your cargo area that would end up falling out.
 
Airmapper said:
Sorry I'm not familiar with the 5th gen but I've done this on other SUV hatches. I've even done custom wiring into the door switch to use for lighting triggers.

There is usually a flip lever in the door side of the latch mechanism (on most SUVs)

The sensor that tells the BCM if the door is open or closed is usually part of that latch. You can sometimes use a screwdriver shaft or simply push on it to simulate the catch post of the body side, and flip it as if it were closed.

This tricks the BCM into thinking the door is really closed. But you don't want to try and close the door without first going to the handle and opening it again, or else it tries to shut on the closed latch and you might damage it.

But the 5th gen might have some fancy sensors going on, so I don't know if it will work on it, I kinda suspect it might though.
Click to expand...

Ding ding ding! We have a winner, chicken dinner! :D
Should be able to close it with a screwdriver to make it think it's closed. Just remember to open it before you slam the rear hatch closed when your done.

Rynooo said:
The rear hatch alarm is to help prevent accidental carbon monoxide poisoning, so that is probably why it cannot be updated by Carista or other apps. Maybe a fuse can be pulled or it can be mechanically disabled as outlined above, though.
Click to expand...

Hey, this is a 4Runner, not a Ford Exploder! Keep that carbon monoxide stuff to cops passing out in their patrol cars! :P

Foques said:
there is. it is against toyota policy, but there it a way to turn off the seatbelt chime.
Click to expand...

First I've heard of it... Though I rarely get asked to turn off the seatbelt chime, most people seem to like having something that prevents them from flying out of the car in an accident and setting off airbags in fender benders? :)
 
OK, I'm a little calmer today. I had a chance to look more carefully, in daylight, for a mechanical switch and couldn't see any sign of one. So then I was thinking maybe a magnetic sensor of some sort. But the idea of the switch being incorporated into the latch mechanism actually makes more sense.

I'll give that a try this evening and see if it works. If so I'll post an update. It would be easy to find a little ring to click into the latch - it would shut off the alarm and provide a solid tie point for holding the hatch down.

Fingers crossed. And thanks for the sympathy & suggestions.


But my original questions still stands - why would anyone design an alarm to NEVER SHUT OFF? It's not like it's a sound you can ignore, so if it's going for more than 30 seconds its not like I haven't noticed it already. Does it really make sense to have it just keep beeping forever?
 
ToolUser1 said:
OK, I'm a little calmer today. I had a chance to look more carefully, in daylight, for a mechanical switch and couldn't see any sign of one. So then I was thinking maybe a magnetic sensor of some sort. But the idea of the switch being incorporated into the latch mechanism actually makes more sense.

I'll give that a try this evening and see if it works. If so I'll post an update. It would be easy to find a little ring to click into the latch - it would shut off the alarm and provide a solid tie point for holding the hatch down.

Fingers crossed. And thanks for the sympathy & suggestions.


But my original questions still stands - why would anyone design an alarm to NEVER SHUT OFF? It's not like it's a sound you can ignore, so if it's going for more than 30 seconds its not like I haven't noticed it already. Does it really make sense to have it just keep beeping forever?
Click to expand...

Do let us know what you find. I had the same problem today hauling a box spring that that would not fit out the window and had to have the hatch open. Fortunately only a short 3 mile trip.
 
BlackWorksInc said:
First I've heard of it... Though I rarely get asked to turn off the seatbelt chime, most people seem to like having something that prevents them from flying out of the car in an accident and setting off airbags in fender benders? :)
Click to expand...


I don't know about the rest of the world, but I feel that if you need an audible reminder to not do something stupid, maybe, you don't add much to society anyway.:fish:

It also sounds like someone hasn't gone offroading on a trail..
 
ToolUser1 said:
OK, I'm a little calmer today. I had a chance to look more carefully, in daylight, for a mechanical switch and couldn't see any sign of one. So then I was thinking maybe a magnetic sensor of some sort. But the idea of the switch being incorporated into the latch mechanism actually makes more sense.

I'll give that a try this evening and see if it works. If so I'll post an update. It would be easy to find a little ring to click into the latch - it would shut off the alarm and provide a solid tie point for holding the hatch down.

Fingers crossed. And thanks for the sympathy & suggestions.


But my original questions still stands - why would anyone design an alarm to NEVER SHUT OFF? It's not like it's a sound you can ignore, so if it's going for more than 30 seconds its not like I haven't noticed it already. Does it really make sense to have it just keep beeping forever?
Click to expand...

I'm also interested in what you find out. Honestly I had to laugh when I read your first post having gone through the same thing. Granted it was only 10 minutes (of hell) moving a sofa. I can't imagine 45 minutes haha.
 
Solved!!

Turns out the the rear hatch alarm switch is definitely built into the latch mechanism. A link of chain works great as a surrogate for the male portion of the latch, and as a bonus provides a great tie down point to keep the hatch closed as far as possible.

That link of chain now lives in my center console as the latest "work around" for my new vehicle. At least I don't have to go through the hassle of buying a new car over this...

Thanks again for all the replies!
 
Foques said:
I don't know about the rest of the world, but I feel that if you need an audible reminder to not do something stupid, maybe, you don't add much to society anyway.:fish:

It also sounds like someone hasn't gone offroading on a trail..
Click to expand...

I usually always wear my seatbelt when off-roading, the only times are when I get out of the vehicle and back in at an incline where the seatbelt won't come out due to the inclination. Then again I think I turned my seatbelt chime off a long time ago... lol
 
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