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Honda Accord: Why Does My Alarm Keep Going Off?

There are three common causes responsible for a malfunctioning alarm system. Continue reading to find the culprit.

By Arthur Guerrero - February 27, 2015

This article applies to the Honda Accord (1990-2002).

Nobody likes it when their car's alarm goes off for no reason. A car that's perfectly safe can attract unwanted attention when the alarm goes off. There are a few reasons why an alarm would be acting up. This article will go over the reasons in order to get the alarm working properly. Some of the reasons include a busted hood latch, bad battery, or shortage in the wiring.

Step 1 – Hood latch sensor

A common reason for the alarm to continually go off is a bad hood latch connection. Check to see if this is the case by disconnecting the hood latch sensor. If the alarm starts randomly going off after doing this, then it is definitely the connector. Often the sensor gets dirty with road grime and engine grease, which creates false positives.

  • Before unplugging the sensor, you can try to clean it if it looks super dirty with grease. People have had luck cleaning it with a cleaner for brake parts. After cleaning it, they have reported the issue going away.
  • To fix a faulty hood latch sensor, open your hood and look for a little plunger that has a wire on it. It should be on the outside edges near the headlights.
  • Once you find it, disconnect it and wait to see if this solved the problem.
  • Figure 1. Circled in red is the hood latch, and where you should be able to locate the sensor.
  • Figure 2. Some alarms use a senor that looks like this for the hood opening detector.

Pro Tip

If you can't unplug it, it's not recommended to cut the wire. You will need to put some elbow grease to eventually unplug it.

Step 2 – Bad battery

If the battery is low, then trying to start the car will trigger the alarm. This can be easily fixed by replacing the battery. If the battery is in good shape, try taking it to your local auto parts store and have it tested. If the battery is still in good shape, then there might be a problem with the charging system (or someone left a dome light on by accident).

Another battery related problem could be corroded terminals. Corroded or dirty terminals can cause a poor connection, which forces the car to behave as if the battery is low. If they're dirty, clean them with battery cleaner.

Figure 3. Voltmeter for checking the battery voltage.

Pro Tip

Check the voltage of your battery at home with a voltmeter. It should read 12.6 volts.

Step 3 – Short wiring

If the above steps have not solved your problem, then you might have a short wiring somewhere in the system. If you have an aftermarket alarm, this could very much be the case. There have been numerous complaints of audio shops doing a poor wiring job during installation. If this is the case, the best bet is to take the car to the shop that installed the alarm system, so they can find the short wire.

complex wiring
Figure 4. Some aftermarket alarm systems use a lot of wiring, so you will need to take it to the shop.

Pro Tip

If you are still having issues and your key has a remote, try replacing the battery.

Featured Video: Why Does the Alarm Keep Going Off in my Accord?

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