Has anyone experienced this before? Sometimes when my wife pulls the key out of the ignition it makes that ding ding ding sounds as if it's saying the key is still in the ignition (or something is left on). In which case she would turn the car back on and shut it off and pull the key to stop it from dinging. But what we have noticed is that it would start dinging/chiming on it's own somewhere through the night and in the morning, the battery is dead. How can I cure this issue?

 

Hi ttype,

What year/make/model is your vehicle?

 

Sorry about that. It's a 2006 Pacifica Limited

 

Is the dinging/chiming the only symptom that you're aware of that leads to the dead battery? Do you know if the cluster stays on at all?

 

Yes the cluster still stays on. It acts as though the key is still in the ignition when it's not.

 

The Cluster gets its’ ignition status from the BCM. It also has a hardwire feed that is a wake-up. The Cluster requires the wake-up signal to be removed and the ignition bus message to indicate locked before it will power down. I would highly recommend having your local dealership inspect all of the power and the ground circuits at the BCM and the cluster.

 

Try putting a drop of WD-40 on the key and working it in and out of the key slot a few times. There's a little mechanical thing in there that senses the presence of the key. It can get stuck.

Won't cost anything and won't hurt to try it.

 

Yes it has happened to me, I've pulled the key out and it keeps dinging. It happened several times. Now the damn clunker is in the driveway showing service immobilizer. Tow truck is here in 10 mins.