Pacifica and hand controls

[Stsmark]

The B&D in my 2019 Sienna has no alarms either. I asked the tech at the dealer and he said it depends on the model. Mines a 6 way, has the completely useless bypass switch but it does nothing but turn on a alarm.
The manual I read off of B&D’s site said it should not alarm unless more than 4” from full forward.

[Stsmark]

Here’s from B&D:
Your Transfer Seat Base may come equipped with an Interlock System that promotes safety during vehicle and seat base operation. The Interlock System ensures that the Transfer Seat Base is returned to the Driving Position, which is defined as fully swiveled forward, within four inches of the full forward position and in any vertical position that is comfortable. Once the vehicle is in operation the interlock prevents accidental movement of the Transfer Seat Base.
Emergency Override
If an emergency arises, the override switch on the interlock module will bypass all safety features and allow the Transfer Seat Base to move with the Vehicle running. This feature is to be used for emergencies only. The interlock will sound an audible alarm and an indicator will be lit until the switch is turned off and, if the vehicle is on, the Transfer Seat Base returned to the Driving Position.

[Automotive Innovations]

The VMI battery backup (deploy) system is to be used if your main battery dies. You shouldn't be using it if your van is running.

nope, your wrong.

fwiw: if it was ever designed to run stuff with a dead battery it would also operate the sliding side door just like a real back up battery in a full size van.

its for running the ramp when it wont work.

if it has a good battery it will run the ramp with a dead main battery after you open the door, but 99.9% of the time its going to be used to override all the safety features, micro switches and computers.

also of note in most used/older vans the battery is weak or dead, so if the charging circuit fuse isn't blown and the battery is weak or dead most of the time you can run the ramp with sure deploy if the van is running.

if the battery is weak (and the van is not running) you can easily get the ramp stuck out and then need to go to the crank back up.

[McDuff]

Stsmark, have you tried moving your seat more than 4" while the engine is running? Mine is the 6way also, if it was installed "by the book", you should get an alarm.

In my case, I run the 6way way back for transferring while my engine is still running, so the alarm was going off the whole time, a real p.i.t.a.

Maybe Patrick's base has the sensor misplaced or his driving position is only an inch or so from the "allowed" 4 inches.

[HACKNSACK44]

nope, your wrong.

I don't know how I'm wrong. From VMI chat.

Quick question about the backup battery for the deploy system
JR Flynn 10:58
OK
Charles Hackney 11:00
If your main battery dies how can you use the deploy system if your power sliding door won't open
JR Flynn 11:00
You will need to manually open the door first
then hit the sure deploy button
Charles Hackney 11:01
Ok so you can still open the sliding door manually
JR Flynn 11:01
Yes you can
If you are unsure the local dealer can show you
Charles Hackney 11:03
Thanks for the info
Read
JR Flynn 11:03
You are welcome

The backup battery is strictly to be used if your main battery dies
JR Flynn 11:15
Yes that is correct
Charles Hackney 11:15
Not for anything else
JR Flynn 11:15
Correct

[Automotive Innovations]

I don't know how I'm wrong. From VMI chat.

Quick question about the backup battery for the deploy system
JR Flynn 10:58
OK
Charles Hackney 11:00
If your main battery dies how can you use the deploy system if your power sliding door won't open
JR Flynn 11:00
You will need to manually open the door first
then hit the sure deploy button
Charles Hackney 11:01
Ok so you can still open the sliding door manually
JR Flynn 11:01
Yes you can
If you are unsure the local dealer can show you
Charles Hackney 11:03
Thanks for the info
Read
JR Flynn 11:03
You are welcome

The backup battery is strictly to be used if your main battery dies
JR Flynn 11:15
Yes that is correct
Charles Hackney 11:15
Not for anything else
JR Flynn 11:15
Correct

bad information.

ask them what to do when the main battery isn't dead but the ramp wont deploy

i'll guess

You will need to manually open the door first if it didn't open
then hit the sure deploy button

or i have a older van and was deploying the ramp with sure deploy with the van turned off.

the ramp is now stuck out what should i do

i'll guess

start the van and let it run for a few min
then hit the sure deploy button

i'm also going to guess the difference is someone reading cards on a flow chart vers someone who actually knows how it all works.

i only know of one person there i'd ever ask questions (if he hasn't retired) and his name isn't flynn

also fwiw: it takes 2 buttons to run the ramp via sure deploy.

the first button turns sure deploy on the second one actually runs the ramp in and out.

[Patrick Madsen]

I miss Tiger when he was at VMI. He'd tell you what's what and send parts. Course it's all changed now.

[HACKNSACK44]

bad information.

ask them what to do when the main battery isn't dead but the ramp wont deploy

i'll guess

You will need to manually open the door first if it didn't open
then hit the sure deploy button

or i have a older van and was deploying the ramp with sure deploy with the van turned off.

the ramp is now stuck out what should i do

i'll guess

start the van and let it run for a few min
then hit the sure deploy button

i'm also going to guess the difference is someone reading cards on a flow chart vers someone who actually knows how it all works.

i only know of one person there i'd ever ask questions (if he hasn't retired) and his name isn't flynn

also fwiw: it takes 2 buttons to run the ramp via sure deploy.

the first button turns sure deploy on the second one actually runs the ramp in and out.

Dude I don't know what to tell you. I am telling you what we did on our 2014 VMI Sienna when the main battery was DEAD. My wife manually opened the door then pushed the top button for 10 seconds which made it beep then she pushed the second button and the ramp came out after getting out of the van she pushed the second button again and the ramp went back in. It's that simple. Here is pdf from VMI that shows the sure deploy system. https://www.vantagemobility.com/wp-c...hure_11_sm.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx9EzFpWGwI

[Automotive Innovations]

I miss Tiger when he was at VMI. He'd tell you what's what and send parts. Course it's all changed now.

did he finally retire?

mind you my questions were always really hard problems to figure out but he was the only one that could ever help, everyone else was working off a flow chart.

[Automotive Innovations]

Dude I don't know what to tell you. I am telling you what we did on our 2014 VMI Sienna when the main battery was DEAD. My wife manually opened the door then pushed the top button for 10 seconds which made it beep then she pushed the second button and the ramp came out after getting out of the van she pushed the second button again and the ramp went back in. It's that simple. Here is pdf from VMI that shows the sure deploy system. https://www.vantagemobility.com/wp-c...hure_11_sm.pdf


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx9EzFpWGwI

i get it all too well and it will clearly serve that function, but its not even close the its primary use.

a more interesting question would be why did the van and battery die with your wife in the van?

thats not something you usually/ever see happen.

did the alternator let go and the van was driven until it was out of battery power and the van just died?

[Patrick Madsen]

Last I heard, years ago, he had MS or Parkinson's and retired or was taking time off. Kind of hard to find out thru VMI nowadays as they aren't the original owners who had heart. Tiger was the best. He figured out I had a partially burned wire in a matter of a few second, that caused me thousands trying to figure out what it was that was causing my van the challenges it had.

[HACKNSACK44]

i get it all too well and it will clearly serve that function, but its not even close the its primary use.

Primary use? That is its only use. It doesn't run the system the main battery does. Anyway my wife and I were traveling we pulled over to get some sleep and when we woke up the battery was dead so we used the sure deploy system to get out of the van while we waited for a jump.

[Automotive Innovations]

Last I heard, years ago, he had MS or Parkinson's and retired or was taking time off. Kind of hard to find out thru VMI nowadays as they aren't the original owners who had heart. Tiger was the best. He figured out I had a partially burned wire in a matter of a few second, that caused me thousands trying to figure out what it was that was causing my van the challenges it had.

if we talk on the phone again ask me about some tiger stories.

he's the best!

[Automotive Innovations]

Primary use? That is its only use. It doesn't run the system the main battery does. Anyway my wife and I were traveling we pulled over to get some sleep and when we woke up the battery was dead so we used the sure deploy system to get out of the van while we waited for a jump.

This will be my last reply to this and while you clearly don't get it, its ok you don't need to.

yes its primary use is not for when the primary battery is dead.

its primary use is for "when the standard electronic control system is not functioning"

while it clearly worked for what you needed it for, its not what its primary use is, never mind the very silly notion of it being its only use.

again its primary use is for when "the electronic system is not functioning" and while its a small weak battery at best, its almost always going to work better to run the system with the van running.

from vmi's site

VMI introduces a new electronic primary backup system. The SURE DEPLOY* gives the customer a simple way to operate the VMI Northstar In-Floor ramp when the standard electronic control system is not functioning.

As of July 1, 2007 all Chrysler/Dodge minivans with the Northstar in-floor ramp, are being produced with the SURE DEPLOY installed as standard equipment.
It bypasses the VMI 5 control system as well as other existing system elements
A backup battery, independent of the vehicle 12V system provides continuous power to the SURE DEPLOY system
The backup battery is charged from the vehicle electrical system using a built in “smart” charger and charges primarily when the vehicle is running
Eliminates physical exertion required by the customer to operate the manual crank to deploy the Northstar ramp
Operation is controlled by a simple mounted key pad strategically located to be easily accessible from either inside or outside of the vehicle, on the
C Pillar
Basic protections are built into the controls to prevent inadvertent operation and to prevent children from easily operating the now primary backup system
In a recent product demonstration, 9 out of 10 dealers recommended that VMI offer the SURE DEPLOY as standard equipment.

[HACKNSACK44]

This will be my last reply to this.

yes its primary use.

while it clearly worked for what you needed it for, its not what its primary use is, never mind the very silly notion of it being its only use.


from vmi's site

VMI introduces a new electronic primary backup system. The SURE DEPLOY* gives the customer a simple way to operate the VMI Northstar In-Floor ramp when the standard electronic control system is not functioning.

As of July 1, 2007 all Chrysler/Dodge minivans with the Northstar in-floor ramp, are being produced with the SURE DEPLOY installed as standard equipment.
It bypasses the VMI 5 control system as well as other existing system elements
A backup battery, independent of the vehicle 12V system provides continuous power to the SURE DEPLOY system
The backup battery is charged from the vehicle electrical system using a built in “smart” charger and charges primarily when the vehicle is running
Eliminates physical exertion required by the customer to operate the manual crank to deploy the Northstar ramp
Operation is controlled by a simple mounted key pad strategically located to be easily accessible from either inside or outside of the vehicle, on the
C Pillar
Basic protections are built into the controls to prevent inadvertent operation and to prevent children from easily operating the now primary backup system
In a recent product demonstration, 9 out of 10 dealers recommended that VMI offer the SURE DEPLOY as standard equipment.

I'm glad this is your last reply because you don't make any sense at all! What you copied and pasted from VMI is exactly what I have been saying. The backup battery is strictly for the sure deploy system ''Eliminates physical exertion required by the customer to operate the manual crank to deploy the Northstar ramp'' Yes it charges off of the main battery when the vehicle is running but it has nothing to do with the system running of the main battery. If the backup battery dies or is disconnected the system will still run off of the main battery.