As a side note I had a similar issue with an aftermarket remote start on an suv. It was programmed to work off the factory fob. 3 clicks of the lock button would activate the remote start. It functioned correctly about 75% of the time. It was installed at the dealership so I took it back and they said sometimes based on where the timing belt is the remote start system fails to activate and the clicking I would hear was the system basically shutting down because it was unable to start the engine. I took the suv to my local Best Buy where I lived at the time that had really good techs that did tons of remote start systems. Took them about half an hour to find that the dealer didnt install the system correctly. Two wires were hooked up wrong. Got that issue addressed and never had a single fail to start from then on. Just sharing a remote start experience from the past your post reminded me of.
In the event your issue returns you may want to consider taking it to an aftermarket installer. Many times those guys are super skilled as they have to know all vehicles and how each system interacts, etc. Plus the ones I've used are always quick to call in to their network of tech guys for help when they are stumped.

 

Thanks that's good advice. What started to happen with my issue as it evolved, was that the regular push button start problem became more of a frequent occurrence. I wondered if it had something to do with the sensitivity of the brake pedal in relation to the start button as, more often than not, when I went to start the truck the memory seat etc. would move into position and the screen would come up and then instruct me to apply the brake (which I was doing) in order to start the truck. I would then hit the start button again and sometimes it would start other times it wouldn't sometimes for several minutes.I had made a video of this problem as well as the remote start and when I showed the tech he told me the brake was likely unrelated because in the video, the start buttons light was flashing in a sequence that indicated everything was in place for the truck to start. Fortunately they where able to duplicate the problem at the dealers and hopefully this is it for this particular gremlin ... time will tell.

 

Just an FYI.... aftermarket shops can't diagnose or service factory Ford remote start systems.

The reason why is because factory Ford systems are software controlled, not add-on modules like aftermarket. So there's no such thing as a bad installation.

In a nutshell, if the factory remote start doesn't work, it means there's a problem with the truck. The remote start itself is never the issue. In the OP's case it was a bad starter.

 

While there are good and bad techs and some dealers are better than others, there's something to keep in mind..... intermittent problems that do not throw a trouble code are nearly impossible to track down even for the very best technicians in the business. Often times the problem has to be replicated.

The first dealer you went to could have tried once to replicate and couldn't and gave it back (being lazy), or they could have tried 100 times and never replicated it. Just can't be certain.

Either way it's good you've got the problem fixed and that it wasn't anything major.

 

I get the same in my 1991 F250 custom (it's for sale by the way, can I post that here? lol). Hit and miss. Come to find out, this is a problem with Fords forever. Could be a problem with trucks in general, but my cousin is a mechanic and works on Fords a lot, and this is what he told me.

Battery terminal corrosion. Stay on top of it. Batteries in parallel could exacerbate the problem. More than one SPOF.

 

I know what you mean. The situation with the last dealer is something that has kind of developed. When my doors wouldn't shut they assured me for the first three visits that I was imagining things (although there was a known recall at the time). Eventually I videoed the problem and the service receptionist sent the video to Ford at which point they agreed there was a issue. When I took in a video of the start scenario, they told me not to even bother showing it to them because it would be of know benefit and again, as far as they could see there was no issue. They said often the best scenario is if the vehicle doesn't start as then it can be towed in for them to examine, which wasn't ideal for me. Maybe we just don't have good chemistry, sometimes it just goes that way.

 

All aftermarket remote start systems are software controlled as well. Most any electrical device has software running as it's engine/brain or whatever. Otherwise it would just a be a box.
You are kidding yourself if you don't think there are bad installations in any kind of electrical system. Could be the system itself, could be a million things with all of the wiring these trucks have along with all of the electronics. In a nutshell mistakes and failures happen everyday. Even at the mothership of Ford.
Maybe you have a better understanding of how the remote start system works than others including myself. It's an add on box that tells the truck to start when a button is activated on the remote. Same thing happens with an aftermarket part and I bet if we did the research we likely find the same company that Ford outsources for the remote start makes aftermarket remote start systems as well.
I can't speak to how well Ford secures it's software but based on how deeply Forscan easily dives into it and then factoring in the reality that most techs are hackers in disguise I wouldn't be at all surprised to see them do all kinds of things that Ford says they can't. Just an FYI. At the end of the day Microsoft designed the sync system and that is an open door for hackers to do lots of things to the electronics on these trucks.

Not to derail the OP's thread here for sure but it's a truck and like every other truck it is far from perfect because man made it. Trying to keep that in check with the fanboys and actually helping the OP should be the goal here but is sometimes lost...

 

 

 

I have a similar situation going on with my 2017 6.2L, I turn the key and get all the lights except the glow plugs and engine lights, and then it won't turn over. This has happened twice, the last time has left me stranded in Georgia. I tried everything from disconnecting the negatives on both batteries and waiting for about 10 mins, reinstalling them and still nothing. The tow truck driver couldn't jump start either. He checked the cables and the connections to the starter. All were tight and no corrosion. Truck has 19K miles on it. The dealer can't replicate it and the only code is an intermittent error code. This happened yesterday and they still have the truck.

 

I have replace batteries I have replace key fob batteries I have replaced the APIM, After replacing the API him he got better for several weeks but eventually went back to the same issue. Multiple Ford dealerships look at me like deer in the headlights no answers.

 

I’ve had this exact problem on my ‘19 350 6.7 and after months and rounds with the dealer, under warranty for me. They replaced the power control module and harness under the hood and that did the trick. They claimed one of the pins in the module wasn’t consistently passing the correct voltage resulting in the intermittent issue just like you described. This was really frustrating for me because it left me stranded a few times when I would run to town to come back to find my truck won’t start for hours at a time.