My 2007 has the factory installed alarm. I keep it in a locked garage and so I don't arm it. Still, it frequently goes off. Sometimes if I open the drivers door, sometimes if I open the hood, sometimes if I open the passenger door. It even goes off sometimes with the key in the ignition. Any ideas? This thing is driving me nuts.

 

That's not right. How are you locking your doors? If you're using the key fob, it is arming the system. If you manually push down the door locks, then it shouldn't arm it. Regardless it should not be going off whenever you open the car door or trunk. Check your SJB (smart junction box) to see if there is any water around it. Sometimes the cowl drain gets clogged up and water floods into a seam that drips onto the SJB, shorting it out and causing massive electrical issues.

 

I keep it in a locked garage, and so I'm not locking the car at all. It can happen when I'm working on the car and have opened and closed the doors several times, or in the morning when I first open a door after it has sat overnight.

 

This sounds like an electrical issue. Are you sure this is the factory active anti-theft system and not a dealer installed "Ford" PowerCode system? If your overhead console has two little "speakers" facing the driver and passenger, you have the factory active anti-theft system.

I recommend taking it to the dealer for a diagnosis, and to at least check the passenger side floor area for wet spots. The SJB controls almost everything electrical in the S197.

The factory anti-theft system has triggers from the hood, doors, interior (motion sensors), and a tilt sensor to detect if your car is being towed away.

 

Yes, it's the factory installed system. I took it to the dealer yesterday, and after 4 hours of poking and prodding, they couldn't find anything wrong. They said unless they can duplicate it there, they can't fix it. I'm not about to leave my car with a dealer for 2 days.

I also checked the SJB, it's bone dry.