Is anyone having problems with the keyless entry keypad on the door?

[Barsoom]

I thought I noticed some issues with the keyless entry keypad on my 2013 FFH last week, but held off on posting anything. Today, the issue seemed to happen again.

 

I was trying to use the lock feature by pressing the 7-8 and 9-0 buttons simultaneously. It's been working before, but a few times the keypad has become unresponsive to the point of locking up. Once this happens, it won't even accept my unlock code.

 

I do recall reading in the manual that if you try too many invalid codes, the panel will shut down for 1 minute (anti-scan), but I didn't do that. I tried to enter the lock code several times. When that didn't respond, I used the keyfob to lock the doors and then unlock them again so I could try the keypad one more time. Unlocking via the keyfob is also supposed to reset the anti-scan lock-out, but that didn't work either.

 

Has anyone else had issues with this? I have an appointment with Ford Service next week to look at the global open/close one-touch, so I'd like to know if this is a recurring issue too.

 

Thanks.

[jeff_h]

Mine has been fine, I used it last weekend to lock the fob in the car, used the 7-8 & 9-0 to lock it (found that you have to hold for about 1-2 seconds to make it lock rather than quickly touching them) and came back several hours later and unlocked and drove away.

[TurboTi]

Can't help you there. All we use ours for is unlocking when we don't have the fob. It's easier to just hit the lock button inside, or hit the ridges on one of the outside door handles. The method you describe above sounds like the hardest way to do it. Why even worry about it?

[Barsoom]

I worry about it because it's there. It's a feature that I want to know works correctly. If it's not working correctly, what else is not working correctly that I ought to know about?

 

I didn't put this into the original post, but last week as I put the car in reverse to pull out of my parking space, I noticed through the rear-view mirror that my trunk was open. I don't recall pushing the trunk button under the dash (although I could have had a brain freeze), but I do recall pushing the outside buttons. The 4-5 button will open the trunk within a few seconds of entering your unlock code (2-3 unlocks the rest of the doors).

 

So I wondered if, somehow, my keypresses got buffered into a memory that got executed later, causing my trunk to open without my realizing it.

Edited March 20, 2013 by Barsoom

[Barsoom]

Mine has been fine, I used it last weekend to lock the fob in the car, used the 7-8 & 9-0 to lock it (found that you have to hold for about 1-2 seconds to make it lock rather than quickly touching them) and came back several hours later and unlocked and drove away.

 

That was my experience, too. I needed to hold it for 1-2 seconds for it to read.

 

I wanted to have more than one data point, though, so I've been trying it on and off for a few days now, if only to save the battery in the fob by avoiding unnecessary presses. After all, the key panel is right there just staring at me.

[kaleido]

My keypad has worked like crap since I got my car in December. My dealer agreed with me and replaced the keypad four weeks ago. It is better, but still works only about 50% of the time. I'm going to try Bersoom's suggestion of holding it longer. My service manager had the same success rate as I did making it work. Last week I had the BCM module replaced because Ford Tech thought that would fix my Headlamp Exit Delay feature as described on page 68 of the manual. The dealer first told me that Ford Tech thought the module would fix the Headlamp Exit Delay, but after replacing it the dealer told me my car doesn't have the Headlamp Exit Delay feature. They also told me that the module DID fix my automatic high beam feature that dims my highbeams when a car is approaching. I questioned this because I thought I read there is a sensor behind the inside mirror that senses an approaching car and I couldn't see this sensor. Turns out I DON'T have auto dimming highbeams on my car, they come with another package. The dealer also thought the module replacement might also fix my keypad problem, but it hasn't.

[gdn]

Mine has been fine, I used it last weekend to lock the fob in the car, used the 7-8 & 9-0 to lock it (found that you have to hold for about 1-2 seconds to make it lock rather than quickly touching them) and came back several hours later and unlocked and drove away.

Interesting question - don't have ours yet - should be this weekend, but if you put the fob in the car and then lock the door - can't anyone just walk up to the car and touch the handle and unlock the car? I thought if the fob was within a certain distance all you had to do was touch the handle to unlock?

 

I like being able to lock the fob in the car - but I thought anyone would be able to just touch the handle and unlock the car if the fob was nearby or in the car.

[akirby]

Interesting question - don't have ours yet - should be this weekend, but if you put the fob in the car and then lock the door - can't anyone just walk up to the car and touch the handle and unlock the car? I thought if the fob was within a certain distance all you had to do was touch the handle to unlock?

 

I like being able to lock the fob in the car - but I thought anyone would be able to just touch the handle and unlock the car if the fob was nearby or in the car.

 

You can't lock the car with the keyfob inside unless you use the keypad. If you lock it with the keypad it stays locked until you unlock it with the keypad or with the other keyfob. It also disables the keyfob inside the car so that if someone breaks the window or somehow gains access they can't drive away.

[gdn]

Very cool - I like those kinds of smarts built in, but as much as I've read and watched about this car - I had not come across this. Nice smarts !

 

Thank you.

[boogs]

I worry about it because it's there. It's a feature that I want to know works correctly. If it's not working correctly, what else is not working correctly that I ought to know about?

 

I didn't put this into the original post, but last week as I put the car in reverse to pull out of my parking space, I noticed through the rear-view mirror that my trunk was open. I don't recall pushing the trunk button under the dash (although I could have had a brain freeze), but I do recall pushing the outside buttons. The 4-5 button will open the trunk within a few seconds of entering your unlock code (2-3 unlocks the rest of the doors).

 

So I wondered if, somehow, my keypresses got buffered into a memory that got executed later, causing my trunk to open without my realizing it.

Possible that u hit the trunk open button on the fob? I do that accidentally from time to time.

[Barsoom]

It happened again yesterday. I was paying more attention this time.

 

At lunch yesterday (coincidentally parked in about the same space as before), my keypad locked up again while trying to use the 7-8 & 9-0 buttons to lock the car. After lunch, I used the keypad to enter my code to unlock the car and drove back to work. After work, I used the keypad to unlock the car. Inside the car, instead of relying on the auto-lock when the car is engaged, I pressed the lock button on the door. That's when the trunk opened instead. I must have done that last week, too.

 

I'm not sure what really happened, as I was not paying fullest attention throughout the day to the keypresses. I am now.

 

Instead of pushing a button to awaken the keypad, I'm now swiping my hand down the panel to turn it on, and then start pressing buttons. Not sure if that matters, or if my first keypresses to awaken the panel are also being taken as the first digit in my code.

 

So something is definitely going on with this system, if the driver's door lock button can cause the trunk to open.

 

I suggest that others try using the keypad for a short time to see if any glitches happen elsewhere. I will keep you posted on this thread to future anomalous behaviors.

[kaleido]

That was my experience, too. I needed to hold it for 1-2 seconds for it to read.

Ha! That's the answer! Mine now works every time, hold it for 1-2 seconds for it to read. I'll have to tell my dealer that tomorrow so he can look smart to the other customers. He couldn't get mine to work good either and replaced the whole keypad.

[galangg]

It happened again yesterday. I was paying more attention this time.

 

At lunch yesterday (coincidentally parked in about the same space as before), my keypad locked up again while trying to use the 7-8 & 9-0 buttons to lock the car. After lunch, I used the keypad to enter my code to unlock the car and drove back to work. After work, I used the keypad to unlock the car. Inside the car, instead of relying on the auto-lock when the car is engaged, I pressed the lock button on the door. That's when the trunk opened instead. I must have done that last week, too.

 

I'm not sure what really happened, as I was not paying fullest attention throughout the day to the keypresses. I am now.

 

Instead of pushing a button to awaken the keypad, I'm now swiping my hand down the panel to turn it on, and then start pressing buttons. Not sure if that matters, or if my first keypresses to awaken the panel are also being taken as the first digit in my code.

 

So something is definitely going on with this system, if the driver's door lock button can cause the trunk to open.

 

I suggest that others try using the keypad for a short time to see if any glitches happen elsewhere. I will keep you posted on this thread to future anomalous behaviors.

 

I guess it could be an unintended result of that combination of pushes that causes it too? Like the video games that have hacks when you do a certain set of things in a particular order to get an unexpected result.

[Barsoom]

Hacks? Hmmm... I've read stories of the Chinese chip manufacturers putting back-door access into the firmware of their chips, buit I'd hate to think that there's a back-door code that can unlock my car, and that my fumbling stumbled onto it.

 

The panel is supposed to lock out after 35 keypresses (5-digit code x 7 wrong tries). I can see the panel locking up because of me not pressing the buttons right, or maybe parking the car with the panel facing the afternoon sun and the whole thing getting too hot to register my fingers touching it properly (although this was at lunchtime with the sun overhead).

 

But why would the trunk open hours later after pressing the lock-door button on the inside? What internal wiring or programming is allowing THAT to happen?