Ford Key Fob Battery: What To Know
Photo by Andre Tan on Unsplash
You probably use your Smart Key every day starting and getting in and out of your vehicle. Why not? It’s easy. It’s convenient, and it’s better than carrying around a set of dangling keys. The only problem is that, like using batteries, your Smart Key batteries will die. Read this article about Ford key fob battery: what to know.
How Not To Get Stranded With A Dying Ford Key Fob Battery: What To Know
If your key fob doesn’t work and it has just started to act up, don’t panic; you can still get into your vehicle and even start it and drive away.
- Your Smart Key has a physical key in it: On the flip side or the back of your Smart Key is a crucial release for your physical key. You can slide or push the release to unlock the physical key that will unlock the driver-side door to access the power locks to unlock the rest of the vehicle.
- Starting your vehicle with the physical key: Some models may have a physical ignition keyhole you can use to start your vehicle. If it does, you can start your vehicle with the physical key until you have fixed your Smart Key problem.
- Starting your vehicle with your dying Smart Key: Once you have made entry into your vehicle, you can use your dying smart key to start your vehicle via a Smart Key outlet. This outlet is usually located in your glove box, but to be sure, check your owner’s manual, so you don’t have to search all over the place.
- Insert the Smart Key: Once you have located the Smart Key outlet, insert your Smart Key in right side up and with the narrow end going in first. Now you should be able to press the brake as you always would and hit the start-up button, and everything should work fine. This little trick won’t keep working, so putting “change battery in Smart Key soon” on your list of things to do is highly recommended.
GET THE SAME INSIDER INFO THAT DEALERSHIPS USE
The CoPilot app is the smartest way to buy a car. Built using the same technology that dealerships use, we’ll show you everything you want to know about each listing - like how long it’s been on the lot, or if there are similar vehicles at a better price nearby.
Your Smart Key Doesn’t Work, But You Don’t Think That’s The Problem
There is a possibility that your Smart Key isn’t working for reasons other than a bad battery. The first thing to do is access your physical key from your Smart Key (explained above) and gain entry to your vehicle.
- Bad vehicle battery: Once you have access to the inside of your vehicle, you can check to see if all the bells and whistles are going off like they usually do, you should also have interior lighting as well. If all the normal stuff is not working, then you can assume your battery is dead. If your battery is dead, sliding your Smart Key in the provided outlet won’t start up your vehicle, you’ll need more maintenance than that
- Bad actuator: the actuator is a mechanism that sits behind the door panels of each door that has power windows. These parts control the gears, pulleys, and other dives that work the power windows. If these parts go, your door locks will still work, but you’ll only be able to work them manually. CoPilot recommends you seek out your dealership as there could be something more pressing wrong that caused the actuator to go bad.
- Key fob damage: If the battery isn’t dead, but the Smart Key has seen its day, this could be why it’s not working. Key fobs are only made of plastic and sometimes we can put them through hell excepting them to take the punishment. If your Smart Key is badly damaged, you might be able to manipulate it into working for a little longer, but consider getting a new Smart Key soon.
Signs of a Dying Ford Key Fob Battery: What To Know
It’s easy to think of your Smart Key as something that will live forever, but like any battery-operated device, the battery will eventually die. And unlike spinning the remote control batteries for your T.V. until they just won’t work any longer, it’s not a good thought process when it comes to your Smart Key.
If you wait long enough and keep pushing the envelope with a dying Smart Key until it’s finally completely dead, you might not only get stranded, but you might also have to have your key reprogrammed or have the Smart Key replaced, both of which will cost more than a battery.
Pay attention to these four issues to make sure you stay on top of a dying Smart Key before it is completely drained.
- The Smart Key works inconsistently
- You have to press the buttons more times than usual
- The distance in which the key works gets shorter and shorter
- Warning on the dashboard alerting you to the problem
If these problems are ignored, you very well could be strained somewhere and you would have no one to blame but yourself.
THE BEST CARS FOR SNOW
Winter driving impacts young and experienced drivers alike. We’ve compiled a list of the best cars for snow, so you can get from Point A to Point B as safely as possible.
Replacing Your Ford Smart Key Battery
If you don’t know if you can replace your battery yourself, you can probably take a few minutes and had to the parts store or the dealership and they can help you. But if you’re a do-it-yourselfer, replacing your Smart Key battery is not that big of a project.
Find out what battery your Smart Key uses: You can do this by looking in your owner’s manual, looking online, or your local parts store can surely help you with this problem. Using online resources is okay, but make sure your source is reputable, there are a lot of different key fobs and different size batteries for them.
Pull out your physical key from the Smart Key: As mentioned above, your Smart key will have a release somewhere to pull out the physical key.
Use a very thin small flathead screwdriver: Find a place where you can slip into the seems of the two-piece device and slowly separate the Smart Key.
Locate the battery: Located inside will be your battery. It will be the small thin circular item on one side of the Smart Key half. You should be able to pop it out of its position easily with your small screwdriver or even your nails.
Replace and Test: Your new battery should fit right in the old battery’s place with the positive side up. You can gently snap the Smart Key back together and test to make sure everything went well.
THE BEST USED MINIVANS ON THE MARKET
When it comes to hauling a lot of people and cargo, the minivan is hard to beat. We’ve factored in reliability, affordability, and functionality to create this curated list of the 8 best used minivans on the market today.
Preparing for a Dying Ford Key Fob Battery
Your best defense against being stranded is being prepared. If you can have an extra set of Smart Keys working and ready to go in places that are easily accessible to you, that is a great line of defense.
Buying more than one battery for your Smart Key is also very smart. They’re small and easy to keep around in locations like your glove box, purse, junk draws, work, and home. They are also pretty affordable, so not having extras is kind of being lazy, and that might end up biting you in the ass.
One last thing you should know about your Ford key fob, as explained above, you can still get into your vehicle and start your vehicle even if your Smart key is dying, but if you wait until it’s completely drained, you might get stranded.
Get a Curated List of the Best Used Cars Near You
The CoPilot car shopping app is the easiest way to buy a car. Tell us what you’re looking for and we’ll search the inventories of every dealership in your area to make you a personalized list of the best car listings in your area.
Only looking for newer models? CoPilot Compare is the search engine for nearly-new cars. Only see cars five years or newer with low mileage — CoPilot Compare is the best way to find off-lease, early trade-in, and CPO cars.
The best part? CoPilot is built using the same technology that dealerships use to buy and sell their inventories, so we have more info on each vehicle than competitors. CoPilot doesn’t work with dealerships, so there are no sponsored posts or other shady practices — just the most info on the best cars. Check out our About Us page to see how CoPilot works.
