Launched in 1994, the Passport is built for tough terrains and long weekends.
It’s packed with tech and safety features which can sometimes cause various beeps, chimes and noises.
If you’re unsure why your Honda Passport keeps beeping, this article is here to help.
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Honda Passport Beeping
Beeping from a Honda Passport is most commonly caused by the auto-lock walk-away feature however other possibilities include the seatbelt sensor, navigation alerts, a short in the electrical wiring, a key fob left in the car, a door isn’t shut properly or a light bulb is blown in the gauge cluster.
There could be a number of reasons why your Passport keeps beeping and more often than not there’s a simple reason why.
Simple Common Causes
- Fob still in the car – some people have left a spare set of keys in the trunk
- Car is not in P (park)
- Door is open whilst the car is running
- Car is not shut down completely
- Auto-lock walk-away feature
- Traffic alert on navigation
Auto-lock Walk-Away Feature
If you’re hearing a beeping noise when you walk away then this is likely caused by the auto-lock walk-away feature.
A continuous beeping could be indicating that the walk-away auto-lock function has not activated and your Passport is still unlocked.
This can happen for a few reasons, namely:
- The smart entry remote has been left in the vehicle
- A door, the hood or the rear hatch is not closed properly
- The Passport has not been turned off and you left the vehicle with the smart entry remote
- Its possible you walked away from the vehicle too quickly – stay within 5 feet of the vehicle when you get out and close all the doors and then wait until you hear a second beep before walking away.
- Your mobile phone or other electronic devices could be interfering with the smart entry remote signal.
To enable the walk-away auto-lock feature its very simple.
- With the vehicle in park and the ignition on, go to the ‘Home’ screen on the display and select ‘Settings’.
- Then select ‘Vehicle’
- Then select ‘Door/Window Setup’
- Then select ‘Walk Away Auto Lock’
- From here you can either choose ‘On’ or ‘Off’
Now when you exit the car with the fob and all the doors and tailgate are shut properly, the car will beep once whilst you’re still in close proximity.
Then, when you are at least 8 feet away it will beep again to signal that everything is now locked.
Listen for both beeps to certain its locked.
Seatbelt Sensor
Another common cause for beeping is related to the passenger seatbelt sensor.
The sensor itself may be broken or it might be triggering a beep if there is weight on the passenger seat such as groceries or a pet.
A simple test for this will be to fasten the seatbelt and see if the noise stops.
It’s a good idea to ensure all doors and the rear hatch are shut properly too.
Accessory Plugged in 12V Outlet
Sometimes your Passport for whatever reason won’t like some of the accessories you plug into the 12V Power Outlet.
Some owners have found by disconnecting their charging devices/electronics from the outlet the beeping has ceased.
Gauge Cluster Bulb
If a bulb blows in your gauge cluster then your Passport may start beeping at you to try and signal that there is a problem.
It’s hard to alert this issue to the driver otherwise.
This could be an airbag warning light that’s gone out, so just have a thorough inspection of the lights on your gauge cluster to make sure there lit up properly.
The best time to do this is just as you turn the key in the ignition and everything should come on.
Lane Departure Warning
If your Passport is equipped with LDW then you can have a beep included as a warning and this is normal.
Road Departure Warning
Road Departure Warning is designed to beep also, this is completely normal, it may even pull the steering to get you back on track.
Seat Memory
Some Passport owners have had success at getting rid of unknown beeps by resetting their seat memory – also known as the Driving Position Memory System.
How to reset the seat memory will vary depending on model year so it’s best to look in the owner’s manual for how to do this.
You may also be interested in our article: Honda Passport Tune-Up & Maintenance Costs (Complete Guide)
Honda Passport Beeps Three Times
If you hear multiple beeps this is likely related to the walk-away auto-lock feature. If you walk away too quickly, this can trigger the three beeps to warn you the car has not been locked.
The owners manual states:
When all doors have been closed and the smart entry remote is inside the vehicle, or if the smart entry remote is not detected within about 8 feet (2.5 m) of the vehicle, the auto-lock function will not be activated.
If you step too far from the vehicle (more than 2.5 feet), before hearing the first beep and you walk away you will hear the triple beep.
Try adding a slight pause before walking away from the vehicle and make sure the panel/computers are completely shut down with a Honda screen with a logo.
Alternatively, just open and shut the door again – this has worked for some owners.
Related: Honda Passport Alarm Going Off? (12 Causes & Solutions)
Honda Passport Fast Beeping
Rapid beeping is an indication that the auto-lock walk-away feature has failed, and the vehicle is not locked. Make sure you manually lock the vehicle using your key fob is you hear the fast beeps.
The Honda owners manual states:
Auto lock function operation stop beeper
After the auto lock function has been activated, the auto lock operation stop beeper sounds for approximately two seconds in the following cases.
- The smart entry remote is put inside the vehicle through a window.
- You are located too close to the vehicle.
- The smart entry remote is put inside the tailgate.
- If the warning beeper sounds, check that you are carrying the smart entry remote. Then, open/close door and confirm the auto lock activation beeper sounds once.
Other possible reasons are outlined below.
Scenario 1:
If you walk away from the Honda Passport while the tailgate is still closing, once it closes fully and the key fob (you) is out of range, the fast beeps tell you that the doors are not locked and you have to do that manually with the key fob.
This is linked to the auto-lock walk-away feature, its important to make sure you stay within range until the tailgate has shut properly.
Scenario 2:
If you walk away from your Honda Passport whilst its still running with your key fob in your pocket this can cause a series of fast beeps.
This won’t necessarily stop the vehicle running, however if you or someone else were to drive off without the key fob, once you have stopped and turned the car off you would be unable to start it again.
The fast beeps may also be because you have not fully closed the tailgate, a window is ajar or a door in not fully closed.
Honda Passport Beeping While Driving
If your Honda Passport is beeping while you are driving this is most likely caused by the traffic alerts on the Navigation system.
If you have the Navigation screen active, you will see the text update also.
If, however, you have any other screen active you will just hear a chime sound.
When you switch to the Navigation screen, by pressing the traffic icon it will show you where the traffic is.
The only way to turn it off is to completely deactivate traffic updates.
If, for example, you use WAZE, you can turn off the XM Traffic updates from the NAV settings Menu.
This is easy to do and will stop the beeps.
Related: 12 Best & Worst Honda Passport Years (With Facts & Stats)
Why Is My Honda Passport Beeping When I Open the Door
If your Honda Passport is beeping when you open the doors this may be because you have left your lights on or there is a short in the electrical wiring either in the ignition cylinder, steering column, or the seat belt sensor.
This beeping could also be related to the auto-lock walk-away function, as previously mentioned.
If there is an electrical connection fault in the wiring then this will activate a chime or warning sound as the car thinks you haven’t fastened your seatbelt or left the key in the ignition and is alerting you not to lock the doors until you have the keys out.
Honda has a reputation for their ignition switches wearing out and shorting and there have been several recalls for this.
To see if your Passport was affected by this recall you should do a check on Honda’s website, you’ll need your VIN number.
Honda Passport Doesn’t Beep When Locking the Doors
If your Honda Passport does not beep when you lock the doors, this means that the Keyless Lock Answer Back feautre is turned off.
When you exit your Passport and lock it using the fob, you have the option of having beeping ‘on’ or ‘off’.
This can be adjusted using the Keyless Lock Answer Back feature.
This can be set from the display unit.
- Go to menu
- Using the scrolling wheel, go down to ‘Settings’
- Then scroll down to ‘Vehicle Settings’
- Then scroll down to ‘Door/Window Setup’
- Then scroll down to ‘Keyless Lock Answer Back’
If it’s on ‘Off’ the car will make no sound when you lock it.
If its ‘On’ it will beep when you lock it
Then just use the return / back button to get back to the main screen.
Honda Passport Chirping Noise From Engine
If there’s a strange chirping sound coming from your Passport’s engine then this could well be related to the fuel you are using. And this is a common problem across several Honda models.
Some owners have noted that this is to do with fuel that contains ethanol and the sound is normal – the ethanol in the gas makes the fuel pump make that sound.
This problem is accentuated though if you use low-quality, cheap gas.
Changing the fuel pump will likely not make the noise go away.
So we advise trying higher quality gas, failing that it’s best to speak to your dealership.
Related: 8 Honda Passport Locking Problems (Solved & Explained)
Resources
https://owners.honda.com/vehicle-information/manuals
https://owners.honda.com/help/customer-relations
https://owners.honda.com/service-maintenance/recalls
https://owners.honda.com/vehicle-information/information/2022/Passport/manuals
https://owners.honda.com/vehicle-information/information/2020/Passport/manuals
