Operation

OPERATION

The ElectroMechanical Instrument Cluster (EMIC), sometimes referred to as the Cab Compartment Node (CCN), is used to control and integrate many of the functions and features included in the Vehicle Theft Security System (VTSS). In the VTSS, the EMIC/CCN receives inputs indicating the status of the door ajar switches, the liftgate ajar switch and the ignition switch. The EMIC/CCN will process the information from all of these inputs, internally control the security indicator as appropriate, and send electronic messages to the Front Control Module (FCM) over the Controller Area Network (CAN) data bus. The FCM internally controls the output to the hazard warning lamps and sends a control output to energize or de-energize the horn relay as appropriate.

Following are paragraphs describing the operation of each of the VTSS features.

ENABLING

VTSS should be learned off the vehicle configuration message from the FCM when the EMIC/CCN gets replaced.

ARMING

Passive arming of the VTSS occurs when the vehicle is exited with the key removed from the ignition switch, the headlamps are turned off, and the doors are locked while they are open using the power lock switch. Active arming occurs when the "Lock" button on the Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter is depressed to lock the vehicle. For active arming to occur, the doors must be closed and the ignition switch must be in the Off position when the RKE transmitter "Lock" button is depressed. The power lock switch will not function if the key is in the ignition switch or the headlamps are turned on with the driver side front door open.

Pre-arming of the VTSS is initiated when a door or the liftgate is open when the vehicle is locked using a power door lock switch or when the RKE transmitter "Lock" button is depressed. Pre-arming will not occur if the key is in the ignition switch or the headlamps are turned on with the driver side front door open. When the VTSS is pre-armed, the arming sequence is delayed until all of the doors and the liftgate have been closed. The VTSS will remain in "Pre-Armed" mode for up to seventeen seconds after all doors and the liftgate have been closed.

Once the VTSS begins the passive or active arming sequence, the security indicator in the instrument cluster will flash rapidly for about seventeen seconds. This indicates that VTSS arming is in progress. If the ignition switch is turned to the On position, a door or the liftgate is opened, a door or the liftgate is unlocked by any means, or the RKE "Panic" button is depressed during the seventeen second arming process, the security indicator will stop flashing and the arming process will abort. Once the seventeen second arming sequence is successfully completed, the security indicator will flash at a slower rate, indicating that the VTSS is armed.

DISARMING

Since this model is not equipped with lock cylinder switches, passive disarming of the VTSS is only possible if the vehicle is equipped with the optional Sentry Key Immobilizer System (SKIS). On vehicles with SKIS, turning the ignition switch to the On position using a valid SKIS key will passively disarm VTSS. Active disarming of the VTSS occurs when the vehicle is unlocked by depressing the "Unlock" button of the RKE transmitter. Once the alarm has been activated, either disarming method will also deactivate the alarm. Depressing the "Panic" button on the RKE transmitter will not disarm the VTSS.

POWER-UP MODE

When the armed VTSS senses that the battery has been disconnected and reconnected, it enters its power-up mode. In the power-up mode the alarm system remains armed following a battery failure or disconnect. If the VTSS was armed prior to a battery disconnect or failure, the technician or vehicle operator will have to actively or passively disarm the alarm system after the battery is reconnected. The power-up mode will also apply if the battery goes dead while the system is armed, and battery jump-starting is attempted. The VTSS will be armed until the technician or vehicle operator has actively or passively disarmed the alarm system. If the VTSS is in the disarmed mode prior to a battery disconnect or failure, it will remain disarmed after the battery is reconnected or replaced, or if jump-starting is attempted.

TAMPER ALERT

The VTSS tamper alert feature will sound the horn three times upon disarming, if the alarm was triggered and has since timed-out (about eighteen minutes) or if the battery has been disconnected and reconnected. This feature alerts the vehicle operator that the VTSS alarm was activated while the vehicle was unattended.

INTRUSION ALARM

The intrusion alarm is an exclusive feature of the export premium version of the VTSS, which is only available in certain markets where it is required. When the VTSS is armed, the intrusion module uses a hard wired outputs to control an ultrasonic transmitter and receiver which allows the module to monitor the interior of the vehicle for movement. If motion is detected, the intrusion module sends an electronic message to the EMIC/CCN and the FCM over the CAN data bus to invoke the visual alarm features, and sends an electronic message to the siren over a dedicated serial bus to invoke the audible alarm feature.

The motion detect feature of the intrusion module can be disabled by depressing the LOCK button on the RKE transmitter three times within 15 seconds during VTSS arming, while the security indicator is still flashing rapidly. The VTSS provides a single short siren chirp as an audible confirmation that the motion detect disable request has been received.

The intrusion module must be electronically enabled in order for the intrusion alarm to perform as designed. The intrusion alarm function of the module is enabled on vehicles equipped with this option at the factory, but a service replacement module must be configured and enabled by the dealer using a diagnostic scan tool. Refer to the appropriate diagnostic information. The intrusion module monitors the conditions of the transmitter and receiver sensors as well as the siren, and will store fault information in the form of a Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) if a system malfunction is detected. The intrusion module can be diagnosed, and any stored DTC can be retrieved using a diagnostic scan tool. Refer to the appropriate diagnostic information.

SENTRY KEY IMMOBILIZER SYSTEM

The Sentry Key Immobilizer System (SKIS, sometimes referred to as the Sentry Key Remote Entry System (SKREES), ) is designed to provide passive protection against unauthorized vehicle use by disabling the engine after about two seconds of running, whenever any method other than a valid Sentry Key is used to start the vehicle. The SKIS/SKREES is considered a passive protection system because it is always active when the ignition system is energized and does not require any customer intervention. The SKIS/SKREES uses Radio Frequency (RF) communication to obtain confirmation that the key in the ignition switch is a valid key for operating the vehicle. The microprocessor-based SKIS/SKREES hardware and software also uses electronic messages to communicate with other electronic modules in the vehicle over the Controller Area Network (CAN) data bus.

Pre-programmed Sentry Key transponders are provided with the vehicle from the factory. Each Sentry Key REmote Entry Module (SKREEM), sometimes referred to as the Wireless Control Module (WCM), will recognize a maximum of eight Sentry Keys. If the customer would like additional keys other than those provided with the vehicle, they may be purchased from any authorized dealer. These additional keys must be programmed to the SKREEM/WCM in the vehicle in order for the system to recognize them as valid keys. This can be done by the dealer using a diagnostic scan tool or, if Customer Learn programming is an available SKIS/SKREES feature in the market where the vehicle was purchased, the customer can program the additional keys, as long as at least two valid Sentry Keys are already available.

In vehicles equipped with an export premium version of the VTSS, the SKIS also controls an electronic shaft lock module on the steering column that locks the steering shaft from rotation unless a valid key is detected in the ignition lock cylinder. The SKREEM communicates with the shaft lock module over a dedicated serial bus to monitor and control the shaft lock function.

The SKREEM performs a self-test of the SKIS and the shaft lock module each time the ignition switch is turned to the ON position, and will store fault information in the form of a Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) if a system malfunction is detected. The SKREEM will also send an electronic message to the instrument cluster if a fault is detected, and the instrument cluster illuminates the security indicator or displays a textual shaft lock error message in the Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC) as appropriate. The SKIS can be diagnosed, and any stored DTC can be retrieved using a diagnostic scan tool. Refer to the appropriate diagnostic information.