SOLVED (not really): Alarm Motion Sensors Won’t Stay Off

[tannerk89]

Pressing "keep motion sensors off" does not work reliably. It's a terrible design if it is operating as intended. Generally speaking, engineers may be great problem solvers but these particular engineers appear to have created more problems than they solved.

You reference kids. I reference a dog. I'm not leaving my PAAK phone in an unattended car with my dog. This is equivalent to leaving a key in the car. Most insurance policies won't even cover grand theft auto if you deliberately and knowingly leave a key in an unattended vehicle. These solutions offered are not actually solutions. They are workarounds. Disabling walk away lock and not locking an unattended vehicle is downright foolish and in some case dangerous.

Edit: Also, the issue is not PAAK. These issues existed before PAAK was even set up on my phone. The issue is a bad software.

More likely software version mismatch between sync and the module that controls the motion sensor or improper software download on your particular car that’s causing the problem. Like I said, it’s working perfectly for me and many others. You’re assigning blame to an engineer because you can’t get yours to work. It’s a warranty issue if pressing the button to turn off motion sensors when you exit the car with your dog in it doesn’t work. The toggle switch to disable it that doesn’t stay switched off is an issue, but again it has a solution that’s designed into the car. It should be fairly easy to recreate for your dealer so they can resolve the root cause of the issue, which is not the person that wrote the software. They will also likely address it in some OTA in the future, because it seems like there’s plenty of demand and precedent for a dog mode. I also referenced dog in addition to kids, as separate solutions. Key in car for kids and press motion sensor off button when I get out of the car and my dog is in there. Never had an alarm triggered by my dog or kids.

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[SuzzyQ]

Thanks for digging into this. But I agree that it's poor design, and the work-around is not really a solution.
They need to allow for permanently disabling this.

Absolutely agree. I was able to turn off rear seat alert until I received the new updates (what ever version it was) and was able to leave my dog in car for short errands and the alarm not go off. You need to lock the car when parked in a store lot etc. it’s very annoying , unnecessary to constantly turn off alerts every time you leave the car. If you turn it off then it should stay off! Safe zones are a good idea, but how’s your car to know your at a safe zone unless your doing the same thing repeatedly like we have to now?

 

[sockmeister]

Absolutely agree. I was able to turn off rear seat alert until I received the new updates (what ever version it was) and was able to leave my dog in car for short errands and the alarm not go off. You need to lock the car when parked in a store lot etc. it’s very annoying , unnecessary to constantly turn off alerts every time you leave the car. If you turn it off then it should stay off! Safe zones are a good idea, but how’s your car to know your at a safe zone unless your doing the same thing repeatedly like we have to now?

The only other workaround is to Remote Start your car, and just keep refreshing it every 15min. On an EV, the power draw is negligible.

 

[SuzzyQ]

More likely software version mismatch between sync and the module that controls the motion sensor or improper software download on your particular car that’s causing the problem. Like I said, it’s working perfectly for me and many others. You’re assigning blame to an engineer because you can’t get yours to work. It’s a warranty issue if pressing the button to turn off motion sensors when you exit the car with your dog in it doesn’t work. The toggle switch to disable it that doesn’t stay switched off is an issue, but again it has a solution that’s designed into the car. It should be fairly easy to recreate for your dealer so they can resolve the root cause of the issue, which is not the person that wrote the software. They will also likely address it in some OTA in the future, because it seems like there’s plenty of demand and precedent for a dog mode. I also referenced dog in addition to kids, as separate solutions. Key in car for kids and press motion sensor off button when I get out of the car and my dog is in there. Never had an alarm triggered by my dog or kids.

I will try this, thanks

 

[cmtaylor963]

The only other workaround is to Remote Start your car, and just keep refreshing it every 15min. On an EV, the power draw is negligible.

What's annoying is Ford has limited us to 2 remote start events and 1 extension. You're required to enter and start the vehicle after that. I always forget to turn off schedule departure times when my car is at the airport. When I get back, I can't remote start my vehicle to warm it up because it's already over the limit from preconditioning in the morning and evening. Having departure times tied to a location would help.

 

[sockmeister]

What's annoying is Ford has limited us to 2 remote start events and 1 extension. You're required to enter and start the vehicle after that. I always forget to turn off schedule departure times when my car is at the airport. When I get back, I can't remote start my vehicle to warm it up because it's already over the limit from preconditioning in the morning and evening. Having departure times tied to a location would help.

Even then, for dog mode, I think 30 minutes of runtime is enough for most people!

Now I'm actually curious if the 2 remote start limit is imposed by the app, or the API. I'm working on a side project widget, so I might test this out. Maybe we can bypass the limit.

 

[67 Stang Convertible]

I think they're STILL getting auto-re-enabled when walk-away lock is active.

Well let's see a video to test it. Someone put there kid or dog in and walk away after the select to turn the Sensor request "off". I have no dog and my teenager would just roll her eyes at me; so need other volunteer.

 

[67 Stang Convertible]

Right now, sounds like the very best workaround is a piece of tape over the interior sensors. Then you can still use the walk away lock and you don’t have to be hassling with trying to keep the interior sensors off.

I should add that the engineer told me that “motion sensors” includes both interior and exterior sensors (there is some sort of exterior sensor to prevent someone from jacking up your car, etc.). So the tape fix won’t fix a ferry problem (that would be sweet to live somewhere I’d need to take a ferry).

One day, if Ford implements safe zones, I might forgo the tape. But for now I just don’t see another consistent solution and I’m sick of the darned alarm going off.

Just seems like engineers pushing over a dog mode software patch is the answer........Ok, I know; don't hold my breath waiting for Ford to push over a OTA patch.

 

[blink]

Alarm and double honking is a pain in the ass and a deal breaker if the newest software (roof fix + software update) doesn't fix it.

I'm using paak, sitting in the drivers seat waiting for my partner who went in to buy some stuff from the store. Car is off. See him getting back, without thinking I reach over and open the passenger door for him. And the alarm goes off.

Or if we stop for him to pick up something quick. If I don't stop the car before he gets out, it will double honk. Doesn't matter I'm sitting still wearing my seat belt. My car is double honking to inform me the passenger left the car while it's on and standing still.

Same with passenger getting in the car. If I stop to pick up someone waiting by the road, it will double honk if I don't stop the car before they open the door and get in. So even when I'm stopping for 30 secs to pick someone up, I need to turn the car off.

I don't know how common these issues are in newer cars as this is my first new car. But if these things are gonna be pretty common problems, I think I'll stick with buying older cars that don't have the technology for these bothersome issues to occur. Car alarm going off when I'm in or near the car with my paak shouldn't happen

I just want to be able to open and close, start or stop my car whenever I want without thinking "I need to hurry turning the car off beofre my partner gets out". or "oh he came back from the store too fast, I need to make sure to let him in the car the exact right way so the alarm doesn't trigger"

It's just a type of mental load I can't be bothered with. And I live in a small, rural and peaceful area where this kind of noise stands out. Being a car in the parking lot with 5 other cars, an elderly couple and a couple of teenagers walking by and alarms blaring left and right. Bah

 

[generaltso]

Alarm and double honking is a pain in the ass and a deal breaker if the newest software (roof fix + software update) doesn't fix it.

You can turn off the double honk with FORScan.

 

[nrevezzo]

Why are there motion sensors inside the car? If the car is locked and someone breaks in the alarm should sound. Are they concerned someone can break in/out from the inside?

 

[ERIC8585]

If this works the same as in the Mustang Coupe, you don't have to interact with the prompt every time if you want all the sensors enabled. It will pop up but that will be selected by default so you can just get out and lock the car.
If you truly don't want the sensors ever to be on and this is bugging you that much, I would think a square of black electrical tape over the sensors would effectively disable them permanently. Or perhaps they could be unplugged, though that might throw a fault code.

As for the ferries, I think that's a difference sensor. There's an inclination sensor to sound the alarm if the car is jacked up to either steal the wheels or tow the car. Basically it records the angle of the car when the car is locked and then if that changes by more than a slight amount, the alarm goes off.

We want the sensors disabled when something is left in the car that moves around when the car is locked. That's the purpose of the setting and prompt to turn them off or not. At least that's how it should work.

 

[ERIC8585]

The only other workaround is to Remote Start your car, and just keep refreshing it every 15min. On an EV, the power draw is negligible.

You can add 15 min intervals to it instead of refreshing every 15 min.

 

[ERIC8585]

Just seems like engineers pushing over a dog mode software patch is the answer........Ok, I know; don't hold my breath waiting for Ford to push over a OTA patch.

Or just make the setting work like it should. There's no need to change the name. What's the point of disabling motion sensors if it auto turns itself back on when the car is locked? They're already off when it's unlocked.

 

[sockmeister]

You can add 15 min intervals to it instead of refreshing every 15 min.

Yes, that's what I was referring to. But you can only do so twice before you're locked out.

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