Poor Key Fob Design - 2015 Ford F-150 Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.com

Poor Key Fob Design - 2015 Ford F-150 Long-Term Road Test

This update to Edmunds' long-term 2015 Ford F-150 details the truck's key fob design, which just isn't very practical.

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daryleason

It's funny. I have a 2013 F-150. When I was buying replacement key fobs, I saw where people were modding these key fobs for the previous bodystyle.

sxty8stang

Is there a keyfob design with similar functionality that you think is really good, Josh?

meng_mao

@68stang
there's plenty of keyfobs with a panic button that don't press themselves. I've never had it happen to me.

jeepsrt

This happened to me about 5-6 times on my 2011 Grand Cherokee Overland in the 10 months I owned it. It annoyed everyone at work, coming by my office saying " your Jeep's alarm is going off AGAIN". I prefer the key design on my '12 F150 even if it doesn't have keyless start.

aspade

I've never known anyone to hit the panic button on purpose. Ever. We've all bumped, leaned against, and grabbed them wrong many times over. Even pretending for the sake of argument that you were panicking, the daily false positives in every parking lot make it unlikely that Samaritans would come running.

The most obvious solution would be the ability to turn off panic response in the vehicle settings. I've never encountered that.

The next best solution is to disassemble the fob and disable the button. Either cram some sort of shim underneath the button so it can't be depressed all the way or else knock the micro switch off the PCB entirely.

henry4hire

Same thing happens with some KIA fobs I had as well. Annoying!

allthingshonda

The worst part about this key fob design is accessing the physical key. Most have the physical key attached to the ring on the fob that goes on your key ring. Press the release button and the fob detaches from the key leaving the physical key on your key ring. Ford requires you to pull the fob completely apart, like when you replace the battery, to get to the physical key. Annoying when you want to give the fob to a valet and keep your keys to secure the glove box; and a complete pain in the @#& if you walk up on the truck with a dead battery and need to unlock the door with the key.

On all of the Honda products I've owned you have to press and hold the panic button to sound the alarm. The panic button is also recessed and narrow so it takes a very deliberate push on the button to activate it.

gregsfc1

I've got the XL model with a more basic keyless entry FOB but with the same flip style; the panic button is in the same spot, but is slightly different having only three function buttons, instead the five shown here, and it has black plastic divisions between the function buttons, instead of the chrome color. I usually keep mine in a cargo pocket when out in town, and I secure it at work so that I'm not carrying it around while working. Mine has never gone off, but it did in my VW with a flip-out key, but the VW had the panic on the side, and that was a horrible spot for a panic button.

explorerx4

My 3 year old Fusion has the same fob. I don't recall having any problems with it being activated by mistake. I do usually keep it in a jacket pocket.

adantium

May I suggest you don't keep any keys attached to the fob. That spare key is useless since there's a spare key blade inside the fob. I'm not sure what that other key is for. But if you take those keys off I don't think it will go off in your pocket as much.

EDJ

ANYONE KNOW IF MY 2015 F150 WILL START WITHOUT A KEY FOB, JUST THE KEY?