Hi All! I just joined and happy to be a new member and 1 month old Crossfire owner. Last month (July 2012) I purchased a Blue 2005 Crossfire LTD Roadster with 27,500 miles. I am from L.A, California but I currently live in Nashville TN.

One week after I took delivery of my Crossfire from a great dealership in KY I discovered the now famous detached heated rear window problem. Besides this, the D-Ring Locking mechanism was also broken. One of the linkage rods had jumped off the center pin and the driver side hook would not engage and lock down into position.

After a couple of weeks of emails the dealership replaced the top and locking mechanism with brand new OEM Parts at NO CHARGE. This they did in good faith and as an extreme gesture of EXCELLENT Customer Service even though my 2005 Crossfire did not originate in one of the 7 states where Chrysler decided they would extend the warranty on the detached heated window problem. I give this dealership 10/10 Points, FIVE STARS, and I say, they are TOP NOTCH in my book!

The problem I am now having right after they replaced the top and locking mechanism is that in the full and locked position with top in place and locked down, the LED light in the rocker switch on the center console stays on. When you drive away and get to 10MPH+ the alarm starts beeping and the LED light flashes in sync with the beeping. When I slow back down below 10MPH and coast to a stop, the beeping stops and the LED light is still on but no longer flashing. If I repeat the last few steps, I get the same results. If you continue to drive for a while the beeping will eventually stop. I understand the seat belt warning beep will eventually stop beeping if you ignore it.

When the top is put down and stowed away and you get the cycle complete confirmation beep - everything is normal. You can drive off and no LED light ON and NO Beeping. The problem is only present in the top up and locked down position.

Any insight is appreciated. I read the thread here on the "TOP WON'T WORK" and looked at the associated great pix showing the sensor switches close up but I don't think this thread addresses the same problem I'm having. My Crossfire is back at the dealership but they took it back to the local Top Shop that replaced the top to trouble shoot it.

Thanks for your input.

Luis

 

So you checked all sensors to make sure that they "click"? The one in the trunk is the most troublesome, do a double check to make sure none are stuck in a closed/open position.

 

Thanks for the reply. How many sensors are there and where are they located?

 

The symptoms described point to the top locked sensor switch that is located in the header bar.
This switch tells the electronics to lower the windows when the top is unlatched, and also tells the electronics that your are allowed to exceed 9 MPH without alarm when it senses that the top is locked down.

Pizza, you are welcome to correct me if I am wrong, I defer to you as the top expert ...

 

That would be my first guess, since the top MOVES, the trunk sensor and the one in the frame over the passenger's head must be ok. It DOES sound like the sensor in the windshield frame is not "telling" the TCM that the top has been secured and locked, until it does, the system's cycle is not considered complete and the light stay on, violating the nine mph rule would cuase an alarm, putting the top down silences the alarm because the windshield sensor is not EXPECTED to close when the top is stowed away.

I would suggest they replace the sensor in the windshield frame and see what they get it to do. (I guess you could look in the manual and measure the voltage from that sensor at the module. I am at work, can't remember if that sensor is wired to the Body Control Module or the Top Control Module.)

WAIT A MINUTE:
Maybe check to see that the hooks are working right to "grab" the sensor, I remember the sensor being in the passenger side hole in the frame, you can use a skinny finger or screwdriver and "work" the sensor by hand. Mabye a screw or something is in there keeping it from moving? Maybe the whole latch assembly isn't REALLY fixed right and therefore not pushing the switch closed?

Kinda sounds mechanical to me - switch may be ok, but maybe the latch stuff isn't pushing on it right.

 

see see see ?
I said PG was the 'TOP' man .....

 

As always, Pizza always pulls through with roadster answers

 

this is where that switch( sensor ) is located :

 

I too have just experianced the window fall out problem. I have a couple of questions ref my beeping problem. First, the Chrysler dealership has replaced my top, but, charged a $250 co-pay. Has anyone else had to pay this co-pay?

Now to the bigger problem.....The top goes down fine and works like it always did however, when I put it up, the top comes up to the stopping point and then keeps "hunting", i.e going up and down about 6 inches. This stops when I take my finger off the switch. When I pull the top all the way down to secure it, the red light starts blinking and the beeper begins. To add to the mystery, now my trunk will not release/open with the top in the up position! The trunk works fine with the top in the down position.

Any thoughts or suggestions? The dealer is dragging their feet in fixing the problem. To add insult they want me to pay for the repairs. HELP

thanks,
Dave Philip

 

Thanks to all of you for the quick diagnosis and expert comments from Pizza. Your 2nd hunch/afterthought was dead on. It turns out, apparently and so far, the dealer has isolated the problem centered around the new D-Ring locking mechanism linkage that the Top Shop installed. They said that the linkage rod has a ball at the end with an adjustment nut. It seems that this linkage rod was not touching on the sensor switch enough to activate it so after adjusting the nut the linkage rod is now close enough to the sensor and everything is good. There was nothing wrong with the switch.

Here is the latest email from my "Way beyond the call of duty" dealershiip where I purchased my Crossfire... and no, I did not pay a Co-Pay. In fact, they drove 2 1/2 hrs from KY to Nashville to pick up my Crossfire and left me a 2012 Jeep Compass/Latitude as a loaner until my Crossfire is fully repaired.

Luis,

We were able to hook up our computer to your car and isolate the issue to the right side switch. (He means driver side) The switch is operating normally, the new latch mechanism for the right side was out of adjustment and not fully engaging the switch letting it know the top was closed.

I want to drive it a few times with the top closed to insure the repair is complete and has resolved the issue.

I will email you tomorrow concerning the status and completion of the repair.

Thanks,

Larry

 

Well, if I could get a new top for $250 I'd be fine! But I will defer your question to those who have dealt with this.

"Hunting"... not sure what you mean. I know this is a clue, just can't get my mind around what is going on.

As to the trunk not opening, that does not add to the mystery - it kinda tells us what is going on!

See, the trunk is locked by an electric lock ONLY FOR THE 24 SECONDS THAT THE TOP IS MOVING UP OR DOWN. Now, what it sounds to me is that when you put the top down, all is well and the TCM unlocks the trunk.

When you put the top UP, the cycle does not complete and IN THE MIND OF THE TCM, the top is not done moving, so it will not unlock the trunk!

Let me think about this for a minute...

EDIT: It's late and I've got to get to bed. Obviously, the replacement of the top was done incorrectly - perhaps they just left a wire off or something not adjusted right - but it IS their problem! I want to blame the SAME thing as the Luis experienced - the headliner switch is not getting closed, and therefore the TCM is not completing it's cycle.

The problem with THAT theory is this "hunting" thing you speak of. I've got to get you to explain what it's doing better (or make a short video clip of it and show us!)
My thinking is we have a sensor not reporting travel/position correctly. This can be due to a wire left off somewhere or a damaged/maladjusted sensor that is therefore "lying" to the TCM.

Sure wish I understood this "hunting" thing... that seems like a clue but I am CLUELESS over it.

 

I am actually happier than you are at this point! I made my living for 30 years diagnosing defective electronics - don't get to do that anymore, as now I design/deploy radio systems. I miss trouble shooting!

 

I have a video of the top cycling up/down in its final up position, but,having a problem posting it on the forum. Is there another email address I could send to you guys?

 

You can sent it to me at wr8y at hot mail dot com
It will go into my junk folder, so name it "topvideo" and I will filter for it.

 

When I get time, I'll make that a YouTube video and post it for everyone else to see. But I am sure it's a sensor in (probably) the rear bow travel cylinder(s) OR a maladjustment somewhere during top replacement.

But I really think it's a sensor not telling the TCM that the rear bow has traveled enough OR the latch's sensor that pulls the rear bow hook tightly to the decklid.

I am surprised it goes down properly. I am on a business trip in Michigan and I am unsure I can download the service manual with THIS connection (took forever for your video to load) - but I'll try.



Anyway, it's obvious in the video that the TCM does not 'think' the top is fully up and that is why you are getting alarms. Since the top IS up, it's gotta be a sensor that is not telling the TCM what is going on.

My first gut feeling is the sensor(s) on the rear bow cylinders. They are actually IN the top itself, you can see them (I think) once the bow/window is raised, and after the decklid is raised (cant remember now, maybe raising the decklid isn't even necessary to see them).

To be clear, the "rear bow" is the semicircle frame at the back of the top that contacts the black strip on the decklid. There is a latch/hook thing that sticks down from the bow and into the lid, this hook is latched hydraulically, very tightly.

Some questions:

When you go to put the top DOWN, do you hear the SNAP from the rear bow mechanism unlatching? (This happens first, then the rear bow and window flip up. It is an annoying and crude sounding noise.)

Also, does the rear bow seem to be tightly secured in it's latch?

Can you pull the bow up from the deck or do you have any whistling noises when going, say, 65 mph - indicating that the bow is not latched? (Wait ten or fifteen minutes after putting the top up, for pressure to release, before trying this. You should not be able to pull the bow up at all.)

Answers to those questions will get us started.

Here is your video:
http://www.flipshare.com/view.aspx?n...IyQTc3Njk4&nT=

 

I have the same problem. It looks like I lost sensor in the windshield frame (on the right side).

Where can I buy a new one ?

 

That part is just a striker pad that attaches on top. The switch is about 1 1/2 inches onside. Try to fish it out and glue it back on top. Look at the one on the other side.

 

Thanks Zeracer.
I don't understand what you mean with "Try to fish it out...." The part it's gone (lost).

 

I see it in the bottom left hand corner of your photo.

 

Indeed it is thetr. 😀
Thanks again Zeracer.