Did the body control module in my ACR get a poltergeist

[Martin]

Here's a weird one. I went to start up the ACR today, and when I got close to it (it sensed the key), the locks started locking and unlocking, and the windows started going up and down. Then, the doors popped open on their own. I was kind of scratching my head at that one.

That's something that I've never seen before. Battery voltage was a bit low, but not horrible (car started). I start the car every week and run it from idle to around 2000 RPMs until the oil gets to at least 200 degrees and it started up just fine last weekend and the poltergeist was not present.

Anyone else experience something like this? The only other weird thing that I've had go on with the car is that the driver's side window went out a few weeks ago (loud screeching/grinding sound when closing the door or running the window all the way down). From there, the window stuck in a position about an inch from the normal top. I got the DSE kit to fix the windows, but now I'm completely baffled at these weird electrical issues.

I put a charger on it and I'm going to see if that makes a difference in an hour or so.

Really weird. I think maybe it's pissed off at me for even thinking about selling it.

[Steve-Indy]

Very interesting. As you know, these Beasts are quite voltage sensitive.

One cannot help but wonder if by chance some electrical connector was "disturbed" in the door during the window repair.

It will be interesting to hear about any recurrence and/or resolution.

[Martin]

The strange thing is that I haven't done the window repair yet - I've been holding off on that until I can get a good appointment. So, no chance that anything got disturbed.

Something is definitely amiss. The HVAC system is making "sounds" when the car is off and the key is nowhere near it - I can hear the servos whirring around. That, and while I was sitting in the car warming it up, the passenger door kept popping open on its own. I'd slam it shut, and then five minutes later it would pop open again. That freaks me out - what if I was going around a left hand turn and the passenger door flies open? Makes me a bit worried to drive the thing now.

I guess it's time to take it in for a check-up. I can't imagine what's going on with it - all these behaviors are very bizarre and make no sense at all.

[Steve-Indy]

Some things remind me of 2013-4 troubles.

If full charge to battery offers no relief, agree with dealer checkup. BCM may need reflash...or, new BCM.

[Martin]

It'll be at the dealer for the window repair, so I figure I can add this to the list of things to check. It's definitely replicable - I just went back out to test something else out, and the passenger door was ajar again and I could still hear the HVAC system making whirring sounds like the blend doors were opening and closing even though the car was off and the key was nowhere near. I keep a tender on it, so for all I know, those servos have been going non-stop for the past week or more. If it keeps doing that, I'm going to disconnect the battery until I can get an appointment at the dealership - the last thing I want is for the whole dash to come out to replace a worn servo or broken blend door a few years down the line.

[swexlin]

Very weird Martin. I've followed all the Gen 5 issues on here for years, and this is the first of heard doing these weird things. There was the door handle recall (I had it done a couple years ago), but never the servos, etc, going with the car off.

Try putting the car in Hibernation Mode. It shuts some systems down. See if it still does it, I'd be interested to know. I always use Hibernation mode, in addition to a tender, as my car sits weeks at a time (3 weeks now, and counting...for instance).

[EZ 2B Green]

You could try disconnecting the battery for 15-20 minutes to give the system a hard reset.

[Martin]

It is seriously weird - this is the first time any car I've ever owned has done these things. Even Italian or British cars that had scary electrical systems...

The HVAC servo noise, and the door popping open for no good reason is just totally bizarre. All I can think of is that there's a ghost in the machine :) I'm going to attach the charger to the battery again and let it go at full tilt for another hour, get the battery fully charged (it's showing 14.4V on the dash at this point with the engine running, but when I went to start it initially, it was showing 13.5 in ACC mode with no engine running), and then disconnect the battery overnight to reset all the computers.

Never in my life have I sat in a running car and had the windows randomly go up and down, and then the door pop open on it's own. I had a laugh a bit at it because I'm assuming the car is just plain pissed at me. It reminds me of some posting rant I made years ago about all the electronic crap that they're putting in the Gen V - it's definitely a love/hate relationship. With the ACR, I was wishing that they'd remove all the electronic crap and just leave it bare bones. I'd even be happy with manual roll-up windows, no AC, and no radio.

When it all gets figured out, I'll wager that the battery is just plain bad. It's less than a year old, but these Mopar batteries have gone south on me so many times that I lost count. Seeing as these cars are super sensitive to the battery (even if the alternator is powering everything), I'm guessing that it's the battery that the controller isn't happy with.

[Policy Limits]

Always keep on a battery tender when not in use.

[Martin]

Well, it "seems" to be OK now. I have a feeling I need a new battery, though. The passenger door isn't popping open, and I can't hear the HVAC servos whirring constantly. One thing I verified is that the doors now lock properly - yesterday, I tried locking them and they didn't seem to want to lock - or they would lock and then mysteriously unlock. Now, they stay locked so I'm not as freaked out about driving it. When the doors are locked, and stay locked, they don't pop open. Keeping my fingers crossed that this is just a battery issue - although I really don't want to spend the coin to replace what is generally regarded as a brand new battery (less than a year old).

[ViperGeorge]

Well, it "seems" to be OK now. I have a feeling I need a new battery, though. The passenger door isn't popping open, and I can't hear the HVAC servos whirring constantly. One thing I verified is that the doors now lock properly - yesterday, I tried locking them and they didn't seem to want to lock - or they would lock and then mysteriously unlock. Now, they stay locked so I'm not as freaked out about driving it. When the doors are locked, and stay locked, they don't pop open. Keeping my fingers crossed that this is just a battery issue - although I really don't want to spend the coin to replace what is generally regarded as a brand new battery (less than a year old).

You should be able to get the battery tested to see if it is in fact bad.

[Steve-Indy]

Martin, IF you suspect battery and plan to replace same...remember that Dodge now requires the battery in question to be in the car so that it can be tested and the VIN confirmed simultaneously. At least that was the story given to me at dealership.