Your vehicle may have a content theft-deterrent alarm system. With this system, the SECURITY light, located on the instrument panel cluster, will flash as you open the door if your ignition is off.
This light reminds you to activate the content theft-deterrent system when leaving your vehicle.
To activate the system, do the following:
- Open the door.
- Lock the door with the power door lock switch or with the remote keyless entry transmitter. The SECURITY light should come on and stay on.
- Close all doors. The SECURITY light should go off after about 30 seconds. The alarm is not armed until the SECURITY light goes off.
If a door is opened without the key or remote keyless entry transmitter, the alarm will go off. Your vehicle's lamps will flash and the horn will sound for 30 seconds. The lamps and horn will then turn off to save battery power.
Remember, the content theft-deterrent system will not activate if you lock the doors with a key or use the manual door lock. It activates only if you use a power door lock switch with a door open, or with the remote keyless entry transmitter. You should also remember that you can start your vehicle with the correct ignition key if the alarm has been set off.
Here is how to avoid setting off the alarm by accident:
| • | If you do not want to activate the theft-deterrent system, the vehicle should be locked with the door key after the doors are closed. |
| • | Always unlock a door with a key, or use the remote keyless entry transmitter. Unlocking a door any other way will set off the alarm. |
If you set off the alarm by accident, unlock the driver's door with your key. You can also turn off the alarm by pressing the unlock button on the remote keyless entry transmitter. The alarm will not stop if you try to unlock a door any other way.
Testing the Alarm
The alarm can be tested by following these steps:
- From inside the vehicle, roll down the driver's window and open the driver's door.
- Activate the system by locking the doors with the power door lock switch while the door is open, or with the remote keyless entry transmitter.
- Get out of the car, close the door and wait for the SECURITY light to go out.
- Then reach in through the window, unlock the door with the manual door lock and open the door. This should set off the alarm.
If the alarm does not sound when it should, but the vehicle's lamps flash, check to see if the horn works. The horn fuse may be blown. To replace the fuse, see Fuses and Circuit Breakers .
If the alarm does not sound or the vehicle's lamps do not flash, the vehicle should be serviced by an authorized service center.
