[keith4.7]

2002 Dakota Crew Cab. 208500 miles. Purchased new.
When I use the key fob to unlock my Dakota, sometimes it honks the horn 3 times. It was doing it so I changed the batteries in the fob. Now it is doing it more. Seems to depend on where I am when it happens. My wife says I am hitting the button wrong. Any adjustments to change the frequency or ???

 

[ImperialCrown]

This doesn't sound like a factory VTSS, but possibly a dealer-installed Mopar EVS (I or II) alarm system. Did you get an instruction book in the glovebox with it?
In the EVS II instruction manual, the 3 chirps means that the RKE transmitter being put into Programming mode for some reason. It could be from unintended button-pushes or some other problem like a system reset? Use the manual for diagnosis. Page 13 explains the Programming mode. Do the door locks cycle when this happens? You should be able to exit the mode. If it keeps recurring, something is possibly mis-wired or defective? You can select/deselect alarm options. :

K6859319.PDF

 

[keith4.7]

Thanks for the PDF. This is an original factory system. Don't know the model # of the system. I haven't found a manual on it. Guess I'll just live with it.
There wasn't a separate manual for the alarm system. Maybe I should try what the PDF shows to see if it will fix it.

 

[ImperialCrown]

If it is VTSS, there may be a fault code stored in the CCN (cabin compartment node) module which is part of the instrument cluster and may be best handled by the dealer with a scan tool.
Any red dot flashing in the instrument cluster when arming the system?
I have not heard a VTSS chirp 3 times at once. See what your owners manual says? It's trying to tell you something.

 

[keith4.7]

I changed the battery in the fob and now it seems to beep more now. The build sheet shows the alarm as "Sentry Key Theft Deterrent System".
The owners manual says "If something has triggered the system in your absence, the horn will sound three times when you unlock the doors. Check for vehicle tampering".
I think they system has become corrupted. I found instructions on how to reprogram the keyless remote, so will try it and hope it gets reset.

 

[valiant67]

You may find that one of thr sensors is bad. Likly there is one per door and possibly one for the hood. Sometimes the system has a test mode built in where you can trigger each sensor to see if it responds as expected. I'll look and see if there is one in my 1999 Dakota service manual this weekend. If there is you can try it on your 2002.

 

[Doug D]

How old is the truck battery? I have had weird electrical issues when the battery gets "old" even though it has a full charge.