Many thanks to technology, security measures are now being installed in several machines and even automobiles to ensure that they are protected at all times. Modern cars now have security systems that protect them against unwarranted theft, leading to a financial loss on the owner's part.

A key security system in modern cars now includes the anti-theft system, which has become popular in many car models. A popular car model that uses the anti-theft system is the Ford F-150. This feature ensures the car is always kept secure. As with every technology, it has its pros and cons.

The pros being that it keeps your car secured most times, and the con is that the anti-theft system, no matter how developed it is, can malfunction at any time. It becomes a problem when your Ford F-150 anti-theft system malfunctions, especially when you have no idea how to unlock the system though it is your car.

Many persons have fallen victims to this mishap, and sometimes it can be very infuriating. Not to worry anymore, in this article, you will learn how to reset the anti-theft system in a Ford F-150. So if this is your car or you are planning to cop this car model, stick around as you might learn a thing or two for yourself.

What causes the anti-theft system in a Ford F-150 to malfunction?

The anti-theft system in a Ford F-150 is built to last and perform its duties to the maximum. However, sometimes the system can experience a little glitch. So, what triggers this glitch? The Ford F-150 is built with transponder key configurations that enable you to power it simultaneously with your car engine.

Once powered, you can use your unique key to start your car’s engine effortlessly. Resetting the anti-theft key in a Ford F-150 can be done from the driver’s seat while using the reset codes. That is how it works, but sometimes it could be more complex than that. It could be a maze of issues, but the primary reason is that the remote has a dead battery in it.

If your Ford F-150 is not new or has been with you for a while, you need to get your remote checked from time to time to avoid running into problems.

Apart from the remote being dead, the car’s battery may be dead, and it would cause the anti-theft system not to respond to any commands. This is why it is also necessary to pay attention to your Ford to avoid running into any unprecedented hitches. Also, it could be that your car has a damaged door lock.

This will trigger the anti-theft system not to work as it should, or you have a faulty immobilizer chip in your car key that is affecting the system from working properly. These are some of the main reasons why the anti-theft system in a Ford F-150 may malfunction.

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How to get your Ford F-150 out of the theft mode

To know if your Ford F-150 is secured, the security light starts to blink, and in this mode, the car cannot start because of the immobilizer. When the car engine doesn't start, it means your F-150 is experiencing anti-theft issues.

To get your Ford F-150 out of anti-theft mode, you will need to perform these steps as fast as possible. Failure to process the listed steps in 30 seconds results in repeating the same steps. The steps are:

1. Turn off the key ignition and ensure all the doors in your car have been properly closed.

2. Now, insert the key in the ignition and turn it to start. If it is a keyless car, the press starts to turn the engine on.

3. In a fast sequence, push the power door to unlock the button thrice.

4. Again, turn the car ignition off.

5. Repeat step 3.

6. Turn the car engine and press the car horn to listen to the sound it makes.

7. Press the unlock button once, and then the lock button also immediately.

8. After repeating step 7, the horn should make a noise showing that the anti-theft system has been turned off.

9. To confirm this, turn the key ignition off, and the horn will again make a small noise. This means that the anti-theft system has been deactivated.

How to reset the anti-theft system in Ford F-150

To reset the anti-theft system in a Ford F-150, you will need one reset key and two originally programmed keys to start the reset process. Thereafter, You can use one key to start the car engine.

The steps involved in the anti-theft system reset are:

1. Using a programmed key in the ignition, turn the key to the on position. The car engine should not come on, only the ignition. In this step, the anti-theft security light should come on or blink.

2. With the key in the ignition, wait for 10 minutes before turning the ignition off.

3. If the anti-theft light on the dashboard did not display in step 1, turn the ignition off, and now use the second programmed key.iii. Turn the ignition on and off, and then remove the second programmed key.

4. Using the one reset key, turn the ignition on for just a second and immediately turn it back off.

5. With the key still in the ignition, not turned on or off, observe if the security light on the dashboard comes on. If it does, remove the reset key because the anti-theft system in your Ford F-150 has just been reset.

6. If the above doesn’t yield any results, repeat the process yet again. And if it still fails, get a professional to help you with the anti-theft reset process.

How to turn off the anti-theft system in three methods

In turning off the anti-theft system in most cars, there are three methods to do this. Anti-theft systems, as said earlier, can falter from time to time and can cause a scene even if you are the owner of the car. To avoid this, it is best to know how to disable this system if you have the right car key.

Check the key and cylinder

A dead key cannot disable the anti-theft system in a car. If you try to open a car with a dead key, it will raise a false alarm, and so to avoid this, always replace the battery when it shows some signs that it is getting too weak to perform.

Also, check the door lock cylinder. If there has been a theft attempt made on your car, the lock cylinder would have been tampered with. Therefore trying to open the car even with the right key will trigger off the car alarm.

Trying to start the car

When the anti-theft system is activated, it locks the car engine in the process. And sometimes, it may falter and refuse to deactivate, locking the car’s engine with it. If the security light on the dashboard is still blinking, the system is working. To disable it, leave the key in the ignition for 10-15 minutes.

The system will recognize the right key and turn it off. If the light has successfully gone off, leave the key in the ignition for about 3 minutes before trying to start your car again. If it does not work, repeat the process till the light goes off, and you can start your car without any restrictions.

Insert the car key into the car’s door

The third method to turn off the anti-theft system is to insert your car key into the door on the driver’s side. Try to turn the key while still in the door hole, and leave it for 30 seconds. Doing this will alert the anti-theft system that it is the right and authorized user of the car and will be able to deactivate the system.

Sometimes, all you need to do is turn the key in the door hole back and forth, and the system will give way. After this, try to start the car’s engine to ensure that the system has been fully disengaged.

Sometimes, the immobilizer keeps the car from coming on when it is active. You can disable the immobilizer by inserting your car key into the ignition and turning it on. Allow the ignition to stay that way for 15minutes. During this period, the system will recognize the key and reset itself. Check if the security light has stopped blinking, which means the immobilizer has been effectively disabled.

Conclusion

The anti-theft system in cars, especially in a Ford F-150, is in place to keep your car secured when you are aware and when you are relaxing. This system can sometimes get triggered and give off false alarms, especially after a theft has been attempted on your car.

To disable the alarm immediately without help, follow through with all of the steps mentioned above, and you are on your way to curbing false alarms. For folks looking to find out how safe the Ford F-150 is, I wrote a complete and detailed guide on that; check it out.

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