Disable panic alarm on key fob.

[edmscan]

I have a 2007 Yaris HB RS model with power locks / panic alarm on the fob ... and I was wondering if it is possible to disable the "Panic Alarm" feature. It has gone off accidentally on me a couple of times and my neighbors don't appreciate it.

So .. can I get this panic alarm disabled ?

[CTScott]

You can't disable it programatically, but the trick I use is to pop open the remote and stick a piece of tape on the circuit bard where the pad for the panic button would make contact.

[edmscan]

Thanks for the reply, it is appreciated .. I will see about making the change. All I know is that my neighbors will be happier as it has gone off twice by accident. I am just amazed at the range that the fob has.

[Revsson]

How does that compare to going off at 3:30 am in an underground parking garage?
Nobody complained....that I know of.... It's happened to me twice, too.
Usually when my hands are full and fumbling with the fob. Thankfully, I don't have to
work those early hours too often.

[LugNut]

I'll do that tape trick -- I routinely set off the alarm accidentially due to lots of keys in the pocket.

Yes, the remote does have amazing range even through walls. Too far IMHO -- I sometimes worry I've accidentially hit the unlock button (see above). But it is nice that there's an auto-relock feature, if no doors have been opened.

[edmscan]

^ See below ..

[edmscan]

UPDATE: My fob .. is unable to be modified that I could see. I took it apart and it is all wrapped in plastic and I couldn't take it all apart. I have vision challenges .. so I wasn't going to chance anything. Oh well .. sucks to be my neighbors. The only good thing .. is that the panic alarm only goes off for 1 min. I figure that I can just ignore it if it does go off. I just plan on handling my keys very carefully so that the panic alarm doesn't go off.

[LugNut]

I took mine apart too, and didn't get the mod done. The electronics are in a module that just falls out of the black plastic key body (after prying the body open).

The keypad's input is through a thin, black rubber membrane. And that membrane seems stuck-well to the module. I chickened-out, for now at least, because I didn't want to tear the membrane, nor lose any water/dust resistance, by peeling it off. (There was quite a bit of dust in the key body.)

[edmscan]

Originally Posted by LugNut

I took mine apart too, and didn't get the mod done.

Maybe CTScott will come back and give us some more information (pictures maybe) on how to do what he has described. It didn't look like an easy task once I had my key fob disassembled.

[CTScott]

Sorry guys. My Yaris don't have the OEM fob, so I was going by the last one that I did this with, which was on my 04 Xterra. I just took apart a Yaris key and the membrane is sealed to the plastic body on the internal mechanism, so you can't do my tape method. You can simply remove the red panic button or snip the nub off the back of it, or crazy glue it to the body.

Key Fob.jpg

[edmscan]

Originally Posted by CTScott

Sorry guys. My Yaris don't have the OEM fob, so I was going by the last one that I did this with, which was on my 04 Xterra. I just took apart a Yaris key and the membrane is sealed to the plastic body on the internal mechanism, so you can't do my tape method. You can simply remove the red panic button or snip the nub off the back of it, or crazy glue it to the body.

Attachment 51678

Thanks for your response. I will keep this in mind going forward.

[LugNut]

Well ... one of the unintended consequences of installing much louder horns is that this panic-button problem now has a much worse outcome! Here's the thread for the horn upgrade:

http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=51510

But I found a way to reduce the improper panic-button activations. Supplies needed:

A small piece of rough sandpaper
A clean rag and some Windex
A fresh tube of Testors Plastic Model Cement (red and white tube, not green)

Using the sandpaper, rough up slightly the lip of black-plastic that surrounds the red panic button to give tooth for the glue. Then dampen the rag with the Windex, and clean the fob to remove the dust and oils. Let dry.

Then apply, carefully, a ridge of cement on the black plastic, all the way around the panic button, being very careful not to let the glue get into any of the buttons' edges. Let dry for a half hour.

Apply another ridge of cement on top of the first. Let dry overnight. Then lightly sand the top of the ridge to take off any burrs.

The end result is a ridge around the offending button, and so far it has worked well for me in reducing false alarms.