does key have a 'chip' in it?
 

Since I've locked my keys in the truck twice now [insert Homer Simpson DOH!] and my spare was out of town, I went to the local hardware store to make a spare today. He said it had a chip in it and a spare wouldnt work, since it was a 'new ford' (my 350 in pic below). Maybe it does, IDK, but I'd be pretty darn surprised if it did. One thing I didnt realize when I was there is it would probably still open the door without a chip though, right? Thats all I really need it for is those times I lock myself out...

You can have a regular key made to open the door. The chipped key is only needed to start the truck.

Thanks for the speeedy reply!

But just for my own curiosity, they do all have chips in em now?

That is correct, they have a chip. Apparently Ford made some changes to the 2011 models that make it even more sophisticated. I bought chipped key blanks for my '07 on eBay for a tenth of what the dealer wanted to charge, but as of now the blank keys for the 2011 models aren't available. My remote/key is $250 from the dealer, or I can get a chipped key without remote for about half that. Fortunately I have the keypad entry system on my truck, although if I lose the key I'm still screwed. I have always had an extra key hidden on the truck somewhere, so I'm watching to see when the keys become available to the general locksmith trade.

What is the purpose of the chip anyway. Methinks its so the auto companies can charge an exorbitant price for extra keys. Do people really steal keys and go make copies first in an attempt to steal your car? If it were up to me I'd just put a starter button in somewhere hidden and not even bother with keys lol.

scububbs

You can go to the dealer & get the key with just the black head - NOT the remote head (with lock/unlock). Then if you have both of the originals the manual tells you how to program the new key. My Dealer it was like $38 per key. It has to be a "SA" coded key like your originals....
Drawbacks - if you use the key to unlock the door - the message center tells you to start the car to stop alarm... Also the key generates the message "ignition fault" or something but it just flashes & goes away...

I have aways carried the ignition (remote or key fob) alone and a "cut" key on my house/office keychain for backup... also the dog makes me leave the truck running when I go into stores some & I need to lock it while running...

I'm sure the chipped key is an attempt to cut down on theft, but from everything I've read professional car thieves always find a way around this stuff. I suppose it at least stops the old technique of popping out the ignition ring and starting the vehicle with a screwdriver.
Where I live F150s are the most popular truck to steal, and they're usually across the Mexican border an hour after they're stolen. Once the ignition improvements came along they started pulling the trucks onto a flatbed and driving them away. You sure don't need a key to do that.

I think PATS (Passive Anti Theft System) showed up in '08 for SD's. Without the key with the chip, the PCM won't start the truck. My Dad had it on a '99 Explorer and they broke in and stole stuff, busted the ignition trying to start it but it didn't go nowhere.

I have not heard any credible stories of anyone getting around it.

You can get a key cut without the microchip for unlocking the doors, it just won't start the truck. You can also get the keys with the microchip fairly cheaply from E-Bay and other places. As long as you have two PATS keys, you can program more by yourself. If you only have one, you have to have the dealer do it.

Thanks for the info. Guess I dont know a whole lot about auto theft. Break ins and such are pretty common, and the few times someone I have known got a vehicle stolen the robber had the key (I think).

Well went back to the hardware store and $3 had my spare key for lockouts. And you all are right, out of curiosity I put in the new spare, all the dash lights and such turned on like normal, but nothing happens when turned to start.

Were the SD's that late to the game? F150's got it in '99. I've often wondered if our '09 XL F450 has a chip because the key head is so small but I couldn't imagine any truck made now doesn't have it.

Yup, it's about security and trying to prevent hot-wiring or screwdriver activation. This is a pretty simple system designed to keep the amateurs and mouth breathers out. Still relatively easy for a professional to work around.

If you think this is a pain, don't buy a Lamborghini! From what I understand, Lambo will not sell replacement keys, period. And the keys, locks, and PCM are all hard coded together - no options to "learn" new keys. Last I heard, NO thieves had yet to figure out how to work around it!
The down side: If you lose all your keys, it is many thousand dollars to re-equip the car to a new key set, and the factory requires multiple hoop jumps (proof of ownership) before they will ship the parts.

I'm pretty happy with BMW's middle of the road approach: Keys are hard coded, and quite the pain to get. The intent is that they are ONLY available through the factory in Germany. The coding is quite proprietary and confidential. To get one, I have to bring in the car, the title, and the registration to prove it is mine. Then the dealer can order it for me. The key comes from Germany, but they ship it international express and usually takes 2 days.

I keep hearing people say that professionals can get around it. I've just never heard of any instance where it has been done, nor how it would be done. Short of having Fords WDS or IDS software and quite a bit of time to work.

This is what the Ford PATS key looks like. At least all of the ones I've seen. I'm not sure if the much later models, like 08 and above are the same.

Genuine Ford Mercury Transponder PATS Chip Key F/Ship: eBay Motors (item 180534017426 end time Nov-13-10 07:51:20 PST)

As far as I know, not even all new trucks come with PATS. It's either an option of part of a higher trim level.

Trucks got PATS in 08. I think all Excursions had the PATS option.

Odd, my '07 has normal keys.

Yes, the heavier duty trucks get advancements later. It wasn't until the SD that the F-250+ got airbags (except for the LD 250 in 97-98).
I would imagine that the 450+ still do not have chipped keys due to them being a higher duty truck.

Yep, the excursions had them stock.

You can also program the second key with the AE scanner, as long as you have one working key, and some time. I think it was 10 min I had to wait till I could get into the programming system, but I still needed the one key.
Most insurance should have a lower rate for curtain things if you have the pats key, (immobilizer). At least we do here in BC.