Good morning everyone. I hope one of you can offer some helpful advice.

Vehicle info: 2006 Escape Hybrid, 2.3L 4 cyl. AWD, VIN: 1FMCU96HX6KC06468

Issue: No crank, no start, with theft light flashing.

I drove it in the morning, started fine and drove fine. Parked it for about 6 hours and when I came out it would not start. The lights on the dash seem to light up fine, but I noticed the "Theft" light flashing rapidly when the key is turned to the "Run" position. Not sure if this is related or not, but I noticed that the ABS pump wasn't running when I unlocked the doors with the key fob. Sometimes when I push the break pedal I can hear the ABS pump running.

I tried pushing the key harder into the ignition switch while turning it to the run position to see if was a loose/worn out switch or module, but that didn't do anything.
I tried the hidden "Jump start" button. It came on green and flashed rapidly after 8 minutes, but still no change.
AAA guy tried jumping it with a jump pack, but again no change. Ended up getting it towed back to my house.

I took out the battery (Duralast Gold installed in Dec 2019) to get it checked at Advance Auto and it was fine, but low on voltage, around 11.5 v. I charged it over night and am heading out now to reinstall it. I will hook up my OBD scanner to see if I get any codes. My scanner is pretty basic, so not sure it will tell me much.

What should I be looking for to determine if this is PATs issue, ignition switch/module, PCM issue, or something hybrid related? FYI, I only have 1 key available right now, the spare is 60 miles away (might have to road trip to get it.) The key I have says it has a removeable battery, pic below. It's not the key fob to unlock/lock the doors, just the key to start the vehicle, i.e. the key has no buttons. Could the battery in the key have failed and cause the PATS issue? If I figure out how to take the key apart and replace the battery, will it have to be reprogrammed? I would then only have 1 key (and its 60 miles away.)


Thanks for your help and let me know if there is more info I can provide to help you help me.

Dave

 

If the THEFT light is fast-flashing, then PATS prove out has failed for whatever reason. and the vehicle is disabled.

Yes. Replace the battery and see if that does the trick, it should if the problem is a dead battery. It's probably a CR2032 or similar cell. Open it up and see.

What you have there is a hardware store "clone". Its manufacturer recommends replacing the internal battery every two years to prevent failure.

 

I put the 12v battery back in and checked for DTCs, there were none present. I have a Autel AL-519, its pretty basic, so it wouldn't surprise me if there some DTCs and I can't see them.
I also changed the battery in the key (CR1632) and still no change. THEFT light is still fast-flashing when I turn the key ON.

When I turn the key to START, I hear a click behind the dash. That leads me to believe the ignition switch/module is working.
I noticed one of the lights on the dash is a Red Triangle with an Exclamation point in it and the LCD display says "Stop Safely Now". Not sure if those are because it won't start or indicators of why it won't start.

Not sure where to go from here. I think I may need to find a laptop and download the FORSCAN tool, maybe that will tell me something.

Suggestions?

 

Road trip to get the spare key.
Yes, at some level.
Those are likely the result of it not starting, perhaps the cluster bulb prove-out.

 

So the good news, I got the spare key, which happened to be the original Ford key, and voila, started up first try!!

The bad news, the first key I was using (after market replacement) still doesn't work. I assume it lost its programming somehow. I have no idea what caused this key to fail in the first place, so this could easily happen again. FYI, when I replaced the battery in this key, the new battery had 3.22v and the old battery had 3.06v. So I don't think it was a dead battery that caused this in the first place.

I guess the other bad news is that now I only have 1 working key, so off to the Stealership to get a replacement key programmed. But hey, its running again, so I'll take it.

Thanks projectSHO89 for your advice and assistance.

Dave

 

There's always the old "redneck PATS bypass".

Have a couple of cheap keys cut.
Pull the shroud off the column.
Pull the transceiver ring off the cylinder.
Put the working key inside the ring, secure it in place, verify the cheap keys work, stuff the key way up under the dash, put everything back together and keep your $2-300 instead of giving it to the dealer.

Of course, for a fraction of that, you can DIY adding new PATS keys if you want to do it "right".

It's a 15 year old car.