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Key in ignition chime not working?

Tiny
JJANDREWS22
  • MEMBER
  • 2001 DODGE RAM
  • 5.9L
  • V8
  • 7,900 MILES
The chime that alarms when key is left in ignition and driver door is opened, will periodically go off by itself with no key in ignition and door closed. It is very frustrating and annoying since it is a class B camper van and chimes will wake me in middle of the night, is it possible to fix this? I did find a temporary workaround by turning key to "on" position and the chimes stop. But. I’d don’t like leaving key in on position. Any idea on how to fix this problem? Thank you.
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Sunday, July 14th, 2019 AT 9:05 PM

8 Replies

Tiny
KASEKENNY
  • MECHANIC
  • 18,907 POSTS
Hi JJ,

I attached the system description which gives a pretty detailed account of why this chime goes off. Give it a read (twice if needed, like me) and then apply it to what is happening.

Based on what you are saying if the chime is the slower chime described then it is either telling you that the CTM thinks the door is ajar, keys are left in the ignition, or the seat belt is unbuckled.

I am not sure but I think the door ajar only happens if the keys are in the ignition. If that is correct then it is unlikely it is the door switch. If not, then it is just as possible as the ignition switch thinking the keys are in the ignition. I am pretty confident that it is not the seat belt chime.

If the noise stops when you turn the ignition, I would suspect the ignition switch because under normal operation, I believe the door ajar will continue the chime even when the ignition is on.

Basically, there are a couple things to test but I suspect the ignition switch is your issue. Let me know what you find. Thanks
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Monday, July 15th, 2019 AT 4:14 PM
Tiny
JJANDREWS22
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Thank you for reply! The chime sound is identical to fast rate chimes when I have key in ignition and open driver door, but the door is closed and key is not in the ignition. The only way for me to stop chime is to insert key and turn to the "on" position. So do I have to replace ignition key cylinder to fix this? Is it possible to just disable the alarm? Disabling alarm seems like it would be easier and cheaper as long as it doesn’t disable other alarms. Replacing key cylinder means I’d need a different ignition key which is different than door keys, right? Again, thanks for the reply. Can’t wait to silence this annoying alarm, especially when I’m trying to sleep in our camper.
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Monday, July 15th, 2019 AT 4:32 PM
Tiny
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Unfortunately, the chime is coming from the central timing module itself so the only way to disable it would be to disconnect this module and I am not sure what the complete result would be. I do know that this would disable all the alarms including the seat belt, door ajar, headlights are on with no key in ignition, and the key left in ignition.

If you change the ignition switch then you can code the new one to match your key so you don't have to change everything. If you haven't done this before, I would recommend having it done because if it is off then your key won't work and obviously your vehicle will be disabled where ever it is until that is fixed.

Sorry I don't have better news, but the most likely cause is the ignition based on this information and the best course of action I would take is to replace the ignition.
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Monday, July 15th, 2019 AT 8:01 PM
Tiny
JJANDREWS22
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Thank you for replies. I’ll have to investigate cost to have ignition replaced by a professional. It’s a difficult problem for me to understand. This chime is triggered by having key in ignition and driver door is open. But if door is closed the chime should not sound if key is in ignition so why would it be triggered by faulty ignition? It requires both to trigger alarm, right? Could central timing module be problem?
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Monday, July 15th, 2019 AT 9:23 PM
Tiny
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Okay. I am just going off of what the service information says. It reads that the door ajar and ignition warnings are separate chimes.

The way you need to confirm what your issue is, would be to hook up a scan tool and monitor these systems.

Based on this, the CTM could very well be the issue. Unfortunately, there just isn't enough information with out using a scan tool to be definitive.
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Tuesday, July 16th, 2019 AT 1:42 PM
Tiny
JJANDREWS22
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Thanks, I researched a little about the CTM and not sure that's the problem either. Plus replacing it requires dealer to "flash" it so I think I'm at the end of the road for now. Might have to take my medicine and have a dealer take a look. However, in my research I found a recall (see attached) for an ignition related issue that might be a good time to take a look at this chime issue. Anyway, thank you very much for your time and expertise. It is very appreciated.
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Thursday, July 18th, 2019 AT 3:59 PM
Tiny
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Definitely a good idea to get it taken care of but this is for the interlock portion of the ignition. This is what keeps the vehicle from being able to be shifted out of Park if the key is not in the ignition. The recall repair appears to be to repair this portion and install a new blocker. This would not include the switch portion.

Who knows, maybe they will break it while they are in there and have to replace it for you. :)
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Thursday, July 18th, 2019 AT 8:37 PM
Tiny
JJANDREWS22
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Exactly what I was thinking! :-). Thanks, again!
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Thursday, July 18th, 2019 AT 8:40 PM

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