There will probably be the occasional circumstance where you find yourself needing to access your Ford F-150 when you don’t have the key. These can involve situations like going to the beach, where you don’t want to risk losing your keys in the sand or worse yet, in the water. You may also find yourself in the unfortunate situation where you mistakenly locked your keys in the vehicle and need a way to unlock the doors without contacting a locksmith. Regardless of the reason, Ford has designed a keypad feature on many of its vehicles where owners can simply press a secure, five-digit code that will unlock the vehicle for them, without the presence of a key or a key fob.
This is a wonderful feature to have available, but let’s say that the factory code falls into the wrong hands (for example, a scorned and bitter ex-spouse) and you need to reset the code to something different. Perhaps you’ve simply forgotten what the code even was to begin with, or it was never provided to you when you bought the vehicle, and now you want to set it to something that you’ll easily remember in the future. Below, we’ll walk through how to retrieve your Ford door factory key code, and how to reset a Ford F-150 door code without the factory code.
How to Retrieve the Factory Key Code
Note: the following steps have been tried and tested on various years of Ford F-150’s, but the same instructions can be derived and applied to other Ford models that have the keypad option available as well.
For vehicles that have a regular key
Two working, programmed keys for the vehicle are required to complete this process.
Take the first key, insert it into the ignition, and turn it to the Accessory mode until the screen lights up; this should take about 4 to 5 seconds. Do not start the vehicle. Once the accessory system is active and the screen on the dash is updated, turn the key back to the Off position and remove it. Next, insert the second key and follow the same exact steps – turn it to Accessory, and wait for the screen to appear. Again, do not start the vehicle. After about 3 to 5 seconds, the factory code will appear for you on the screen.
For vehicles that utilize key fobs (“Push to Start” or start button feature)
Two working, programmed keys for the vehicle are required to complete this process.
Since these steps will need to be completed without inserting any keys into an ignition for the onboard computer to detect, the computer must instead be able to read the chip in the key fob. To accomplish this, there will be a hidden, dedicated slot for you to place the fob into that will function in lieu of the ignition. In most cases, this slot can be found in the center console area, either under the console tray liner or under a liner in one of the cupholders; the actual location is going to be different with each vehicle.
Once you locate the slot for the key fob, insert the first of the two key fobs into the slot, and then push the Start button so that the accessory feature activates. Do not start the vehicle. Allow about five seconds for the system to read the fob and update the screen on the dash, and then push the Start button again to turn the vehicle off. Remove the key fob from the slot. Now, repeat the same steps using the second key fob – insert the key fob into the slot, press the Start button so that the accessory options are activated, and wait for the screen on the dash to update. Do not start the vehicle. After about 4-5 seconds, the factory code will appear on the screen.
Using the Keypad to Program New Codes, Store to Memory, and More
There is also functionality with the keypads on the doors, specifically the ability to program new factory key codes, and also programing to specific keys for the vehicle so that memory settings are established when the specific key unlocks the vehicle. There is also a way to unlock all the doors using the keypad (instead of only unlocking the driver door, which is the default), as well as a way to unlock the tailgate, that will be covered below.
The option to reset the code from the outside is completed using the keypad to enter the new code you wish to use. This can be done by following the steps below; note that there does not need to be a pause between any of these steps.
To reset the code using the keypad on the door
Start by closing the vehicle door (the vehicle does not need to be locked to complete this). Enter the factory code into the keypad, and then press the “1-2” button. Next, key in the new five-digit code you want to use, and then press the “7-8” and “9-0” buttons simultaneously to save the code and lock the vehicle. This will store the new code you have entered and apply it as the new factory code.
To reset the code, and assign it to a memory slot
Start by closing the vehicle door – as before, the vehicle does not need to be locked to complete this. Enter the factory code into the keypad, and then press the “1-2” button. You may hear the locks cycle after pushing the “1-2” button; this is normal. Enter the new five-digit code you want to use. Now, to assign it to a memory slot, press either the “1-2” for slot 1, “3-4” for slot 2, or “5-6” for slot 3. After pressing the button associated with the memory slot, you will hear the locks cycle again. Enter the new factory code again, and press the same memory slot again to confirm your entry. You will hear the locks cycle again once this is successful.
To unlock the vehicle using the keypad, and unlock all the doors
With all doors closed, enter the factory code into the keypad, and then press the “3-4” button. This should function to unlock all doors on the vehicle.
To unlock the vehicle using the keypad, and unlock the tailgate
With all doors closed, enter the factory code into the keypad, and then press the “5-6” button. These steps should work to unlock the tailgate.
To lock the vehicle using the keypad
Should you ever find yourself in the position where you need to lock the vehicle from the outside and you do not have your key with you, you can lock the vehicle by closing all doors and then pressing the bottom two buttons on the keypad simultaneously (the “7-8” and “9-0” buttons), and it will lock the vehicle.
Having the ability to lock and unlock the vehicle using the keypad on the door of your Ford F-150 is a helpful benefit, and knowing how to retrieve your Ford door factory key code, as well as how to reset a Ford F-150 door code without the factory code, will empower you to fully use the feature available. Next time you need a way to lock your vehicle without the key, or need to remember what your factory key code is, these steps should help you.