Hello,

2002 Ford EX V10 4x4, 64 K miles, Just bought in April. Just finished dumping a ton of money into suspension, transmission front seal, headers and new exhaust.

just got back from a 2,500 mile round trip to and from Colorado......Ex ran great

However, I just went out to start it up. It acted like it had a dead battery. As soon as I turned key back to off position the antitheft started going off......it repeated the same thing about 7 times. Still won't start.

Any idea what is wrong? My bank account can't take it anymore.

 

Do you have another key to try?

Sounds like the chip in the key lost its programming.

I have one OE ford key and two aftermarket keys for my Ex, the aftermarket keys are seem to forget the PATS code pretty regularly. If you have two other working keys programming a third is easy. If you only have one working key you need a locksmith or Forscan.
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I only have one key. Not even sure if it's the factory key.

Will the local Ford dealership be able to square me away with a new programmed key?

 

Yes, but 1) it's going to be expensive compared to a locksmith or DIY and 2) ONLY if there's nothing wrong with the rest of the PATS system. If there is, then it will have to be fixed first which is more expense.

 

Unfortunately, Ford dealers no longer support making keys / programming keys for trucks this old ( at least the four dealerships I called around the greater San Antonio area don’t).

I called one of those mobile locksmiths. Dude came to the house , cut and programmed me two more keys ( I also only got one key when I bought the Ex).
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Check your overdrive switch on the shifter. If it isn't working you blew a fuse due to the wiring being frayed. It happened to me and left me stranded as well.

 

That fuse won't cause the OP's reported problem. If you have a diesel, OTOH, it will leave you dead on the side of the road but it won't look like a PATS problem.

 

UPDATE TO PROBLEM

So quite simply I ended up disconnecting the battery.

When I reconnected the battery a few minutes later, as soon as the connection was made the alarm started going off again......I immediately pushed the key FOB unlock button. The alarm then stopped....i then went and started it. BOOM it started right up!!!

So everything seems to be working at this time....However I'm still weary of the problem being resolved completely.. I noticed that the ABS light comes on occasionally and then goes off on its own......The cruise control button also does not work and has not worked since I bought it the EX 4 months ago....

Im wondering if I will continue to have minor electrical isssues.....maybe I just need to go through all fuses and relays and check connections and replace accordingly.

By the way i did have a locksmith come to my house and reprogram a new ignition key and also cut me a new door key. The locksmith said what ever issue i was having had nothing to do with the keys unprogramming themselves.

One other thing I noted was that inside the fuse box under the steering dash, there was a small black box with a flashing red light. The box also had a small button on the side of it....I assumed it was reset button for the alarm or anti theft. Pushing the button did not seem to do anything in regards to the alarm...does this sound like a factory set up for the anti theft, or more of a aftermarket alarm the previous owner installed?

 

Right,,,because locksmiths are known electrical troubleshooting experts on every vehicle made regardless of make or year,,, they're not one trick ponies at all or anything.

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Sounds like it's time for ForScan to pull codes, and check if the cruise control fuse fix applied to your model year, and possibly a bad clock spring.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...re-hazard.html

https://forscan.org/home.html

 

Get rid of that box with the light and all the wiring that goes with it. That is not factory equipment.

 

I had this same issue with my 2002 Ex, and had to get new keys made. I had extra keys made, but they weren't genuine Ford keys. Getting new Ford keys made all the difference and I haven't seen the same issue since then.

Also, I keep an extra key in the Ex in a small combination key hider just in case I ever need a second one.

 

Yeah me too, but it can't be the crappy aftermerket keys loosing their progrmaming,,,, you know,,,,, becasue the locksmith said.
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