BMW E90 Panic Alarm Coding: How to Enable SONDERTASTE_PANIKALARM

On the E90, the panic alarm is enabled by changing SONDERTASTE_PANIKALARM in the CAS module from nicht_aktiv to panikalarm. After coding, holding the trunk button on the fob for about five seconds sets off the alarm siren and the hazard lights. If the car has no factory alarm hardware, the coding writes but nothing happens. What is the panic alarm for? The panic alarm is an emergency function that lets the driver deliberately trigger the car's own anti-theft alarm. It is there for the moment in a car park when you want the siren to pull attention your way. Once the alarm sounds, pressing any fob button or switching the ignition on stops it. The function runs through the car's factory DWA alarm system, so no extra hardware needs to be fitted. Module: CAS Parameter: SONDERTASTE_PANIKALARM Original value: nicht_aktiv New value: panikalarm Trigger: trunk button on the fob, held about 5 seconds Prerequisite: factory alarm hardware (DWA) must be fitted Risk: low, fully reversible Which E90 model years does it cover? Community lists mark this parameter for model years 2006 through 2009. There is no mark for 2010 or 2011, which does not prove it fails there but does mean no verified record exists. Reading your own CAS data before coding remains the most reliable answer. • Marked for the 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 model years. • On a car without alarm hardware the parameter writes but the function stays dead. • You can tell your car has an alarm if the siren sounds when a door is opened while locked. • Model-year coverage comes from community-compiled E90 coding lists; the binding source is your own car's FSW/PSW data. How do you code it? The change is a single value edit in the CAS module. OBDThink is an independent BMW coding and diagnostics app and is not affiliated with BMW AG. Note that this field is not the usual aktiv/nicht_aktiv pair; you select the word panikalarm directly. Enter the wrong string and the module either rejects the value or the function quietly does nothing. • Park in the open rather than an enclosed car park, then switch the ignition on without starting the engine. • Connect to the car with OBDThink and select the CAS module. • Read the coding data and save a backup before you change anything. • Find the SONDERTASTE_PANIKALARM line and set the value to panikalarm. • Write the change, then switch the ignition off and lock the car. • Hold the trunk button for five seconds and confirm the siren sounds. Before testing, use OBDThink to check the alarm module for stored faults; an existing DWA fault will stop the panic alarm from ever sounding. How do you revert it? Reverting means returning the same line to nicht_aktiv. If you kept a pre-coding backup, restoring it is the cleaner route, because it also undoes any other line that changed during the write without you noticing. Module: CAS Parameter: SONDERTASTE_PANIKALARM Revert value: nicht_aktiv Option 1: set the value to nicht_aktiv and write Option 2: restore the pre-coding backup Check: hold the trunk button 5 seconds, no siren should sound What should you weigh before enabling it? Because the function is loud and attention-grabbing, accidental triggering is a genuine nuisance. Carrying the fob in a pocket where the trunk button gets pressed for a long time can set the siren off in the middle of the night. Review how you carry the key after coding. Some countries and municipalities issue noise penalties for vehicle alarms that sound without cause. Use the panic alarm only in a real emergency; triggering it repeatedly just to test the function disturbs the neighbourhood and contributes to draining the battery. What if the siren does not sound? The first thing to confirm is that the car really has a factory alarm; coding does not create alarm hardware, it only connects what is already there to the fob. The second common cause is an alarm siren whose internal backup battery has reached the end of its life. The third is a value written as something other than panikalarm, so read the CAS data back and check the line by eye.