Spare key - alarm

[dutch6]

Figuring some day I might lock my keys in the truck I had Home Depot make me up a spare. I knew it wouldn't start the truck due to no chip. I just wanted a spare to hide somewhere that unlocks the door. Trouble is, it not only unlocks the door, the alarm goes off when the unlocked door is opened. Can this feature be turned off?

 

[heavydutyfd]

I lock my ignition key in my truck all the time, and use a spare key (cut from the dealer $5. 00) to open the truck. It is really nice in the winter to be able to start it and lock it up. I have never had a problem with the alarm going off. I would ask the dealership if there is an issue with NON mopar keys being used.



In fact, the only problem I have with the alarm going off when I don’t want it to is when I am trying to back up with the driver’s door open. As soon as I put it into reverse the horns starts blowing, and the lights start flashing..... I wish there was a way to turn that feature off... .

 

[MillerR]

dutch6: Isn't that because you're not using the "sentry" key. If you have the original key in or near the truck somewhere, I think the alarm won't go off, as how heavydutyfd explained above... I think.



heavydutyfd: I've seen on here where people have explained how to turn off the "reverse w/ door open" alarm. I've never had the problem with my truck, so I don't know how to do it, but it can be done... I think.



-Trey

 

[heavydutyfd]

MillerR: I guess I did not explain my reasoning too will above, so I will try it again…. . From what I have been told, you have to have the ignition key some where near or in the truck, I leave mine HIDDEN IN my truck. Then when you use your spare door key, you won't activate the alarm.

 

[dutch6]

When I tried the non-chipped spare key to unlock the door I had the ignition key in my other hand. The alarm went off (as I was afraid it might) and I hit the unlock button to silence it. I can't get the chipped ignition key much closer to the truck than that.

 

[heavydutyfd]

The more I think about it, there should be no difference if the key was cut by the dealership, or by you rubbing it between 2 rocks. The more I thought about it, I actually wanted to know the REAL answer, so I called my local Dodge dealer…. here's what I found out…



As noted above, the key (bought at Wal-Mart, from the dealer, or made in your shop) does not matter. The door key is NOT a Sentry key so it will not start your engine. The reason your alarm is sounding is because you are locking your truck with the Sentry key (which activates that alarm) then when you use the “door only” key to unlock the door, you have no way of de-activating that alarm. I usually turn my truck off, hide my ignition key, and manually lock the doors by pushing the door lock button. That way I DO NOT activate my alarm. Give it a try and let me know if this helps…



Now MillerR: I also asked about how to turn off the “reverse with door open alarm”, they said that they are unable to turn that off. Does anyone know of a sequence I can do to get that darn alarm to stop activating?

 

[dutch6]

heavydutyfd: Thank you, it works. If the truck is indeed locked with the Sentry key the alarm is also set. If I manually lock my keys (w/Sentry) in the truck the alarm should not be set and I can unlock the door with the off brand key. The lesson here is always lock the truck with the Sentry and not get in the habit of manually locking the doors.

BTW, I also called the local Dodge dealer to inquire about a spare Sentry key - $160 for the key and $60 to program it.

 

[Bernie]

Check eBay for cheaper keys and programming. I'm not sure what is involved in programming a key for your year truck, but their our vendors on eBay that only do keys. They should be able to point you in the right direction.

 

[MillerR]

heavydutyfd: If the truck is indeed locked with the Sentry key the alarm is also set.

How does this work? Does the sentry key make a low voltage electrical connection to set the alarm? If not, one would think that the sentry key being close-by would work if using a generic key. Just my curiosity... and yeah I know it killed the cat. -Trey

 

[bobheller]

I just had a key with the chip made at a key shop for 75. 00 dollers

 

[Road Dog]

How does this work? Does the sentry key make a low voltage electrical connection to set the alarm? If not, one would think that the sentry key being close-by would work if using a generic key. Just my curiosity... and yeah I know it killed the cat. -Trey

In the key there's a chip aka RFID (radio frequency id) aka passive transponder. In the steering column is a simple radio transmitter. It induces a voltage and powers up the RFID which transmits a unique ID which is picked up by a radio receiver in the steering column. Bigger versions have been around for 30 years.

 

[heavydutyfd]

MillerR: Road Dog answered your question before I got a chance to look at the forum today. It was a great answer to your question, since my answer would have been... ... . I dont know, I asked the service guy.....

 

[BobTaylor]

I just had a key with the chip made at a key shop for 75. 00 dollers

I bought mine at the dealership when I purchased the truck for $30. 00 and they programmed it free. They said there would be a charge for programming if I bought it later, but the manual gives the instructions for programming as long as you have two that are already programmed.

 

[Sean Flanagan]

you can get the sentry key for 15. 00 on e-bay and program it yourself. I did just that. It works fine. The instructions for programming it are in the manual. You just need 2 already programmed keys.