Questions and Answers

Ford Windstar Honks And Flashes Q. Hi. I own a 2000 Ford Windstar that has a unique problem that the Ford technicians tell me is impossible. We have driven the car about 45,000 miles. The car was purchased new from a local Ford dealership. Intermittently the amber lights on the front of the vehicle flash and a horn honks. The only way to stop this is to unlock the car.

This problem happened a few times a year or so ago, but now it happens several times per week, but only when my wife is at work. She can see the vehicle from her office window and no one is near the vehicle.

Here is the unique part of the problem. The "horn" that is honking is not the car's horn! The "horn" is honking from the area behind the passenger's side sliding door.

The dealership service people tell me there is no horn in that area and that is the end of the conversation. But, there is something in that area that honks like a horn. Any suggestions?

Bob

A. I think the dealership service people should attend more of the Ford training classes. There is a horn back there and it is for the Passive Anti-Theft System (PATS).

The clue that led me to the PATS was the lights flashing with the horn. The PATS module has self diagnostics and will store a Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC). The Powertrain Control Module (PCM) will also store some PATS DTCs.

The fact that it only happens when she is at work is significant. And the fact she can see the vehicle from her office tells me she parks in the same place every day. It is distinctly possible that there is something in close proximity that is radiating an Radio Frequency (RF) signal that is interacting with the PATS system.

If she parks relatively close to the building the source of the RF may be inside the building. It is also possible the RF signal can be coming from a nearby construction site. Microwave towers, cell phone towers and high voltage power lines are also sources of strong RF radiation. These are all things known to interfere with vehicle electronics.

Have her try park as far from the building as possible where she can still keep an eye on it and see if it still happens. If it doesn't happen when she changes parking spaces, then you can have the Ford dealer replace the PATS module and chances are the new module will have a different frequency that won't be affected by RF radiation.

Please, let me know what you find out with this problem.