how to get new keys made if you don't have a key code that supposedly comes with the keys when new.

silverflash

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so my 2021 ranger didn't come with the key code that page 53 of the manual says to keep in a safe place. is this a big deal if i were ever to need another key made? Say if i lost both original keys. can i get a key made without the key code and if so, how many hoops are there to jump through? is there a cost besides actually making and programming the key in that case?

my dealer says he doesn't know what i am talking about as new cars don't come with key codes he says. manual says otherwise. he says just come in with vin and they can cut a key and program it. their parts are closed but i'd bet if i called 10 dealers i'd get 10 different answers.

thoughts?
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Radioman

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so my 2021 ranger didn't come with the key code that page 53 of the manual says to keep in a safe place. is this a big deal if i were ever to need another key made? Say if i lost both original keys. can i get a key made without the key code and if so, how many hoops are there to jump through? is there a cost besides actually making and programming the key in that case?

my dealer says he doesn't know what i am talking about as new cars don't come with key codes he says. manual says otherwise. he says just come in with vin and they can cut a key and program it. their parts are closed but i'd bet if i called 10 dealers i'd get 10 different answers.

thoughts?
My 2020 Lariat came with a key code. It is about 1" wide and 4" long. It has a UPC which I assume it the key code.

Personally, I would nag the dealer for the code, but that's me.
 

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My 2020 Lariat came with a key code. It is about 1" wide and 4" long. It has a UPC which I assume it the key code.

Personally, I would nag the dealer for the code, but that's me.
Kent I have the same on mine. It's still attached to the spare key hanging in my gun safe. IIRC even my Tacoma had one of these so OP you should defiantly contact someone higher up at your dealer about this.
 

P. A. Schilke

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my key codes are in the glovebox with the manual...right where they were when i got the truck.
i hope theres some checks in place should some grubby meth head break into my truck and steal the tags...but i'll deal with that when it happens.

in todays age though, i dont think the dealer is wrong either, i'm sure the vin is a good starting place at the dealer level to access key codes in the computer system somewhere.
might need more verification, but heck, how hard would that be, vin registered to joe blow. joe blow is here and has valid ID....done
Hi
so my 2021 ranger didn't come with the key code that page 53 of the manual says to keep in a safe place. is this a big deal if i were ever to need another key made? Say if i lost both original keys. can i get a key made without the key code and if so, how many hoops are there to jump through? is there a cost besides actually making and programming the key in that case?

my dealer says he doesn't know what i am talking about as new cars don't come with key codes he says. manual says otherwise. he says just come in with vin and they can cut a key and program it. their parts are closed but i'd bet if i called 10 dealers i'd get 10 different answers.

thoughts?
Hi Bill,

I think the same things apply to the side cut keys. The codes are 1 through 5 and are five bit. We used to have a key measurement device for double cut, top and bottom that would read the code one bit at a time. I think the same thing applies to the side cut keys. If you can get the measurement of each bit you can develop the key code yourself. I do not have the values but I guess you can search for these dimensions. Worst case just measure each key position from the notch to the flat part of the key, and retain this. Eventually you can convert it to a bit number between 1 and 5. Eg...54125.

Back story. When I first hired into Ford Light Truck Engineering, I had to take an Econoline over to Engineering Engineering for some build parts for a 1974 Prototype F series. The Econoline was a two tone of Dark green and Light Green. It was an automatic trans vehicle. So back the our building I parked the Econoline. Later that day I had to chase over to General Products for an air cleaner. I opened up the door to the Dark green and Light green Econoline, put the key in the ignition and cranked the starter motor to start the vehicle which started and rocketed into the vehicle on the next row with quite a bang! WTF??? It was a manual column shift. Totally confused on how it was an automatic in the morning and a manual in the afternoon, I noticed the exact paint job Econoline about 5 spaces down...My truck it turns out... To have two Econolines painted the same and the keys matched was just astounding to me... Turns out there are only about 100 different key codes at that time.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired
 
OP
OP

silverflash

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called ford 3x, got sent to a survey 2x prematurely while on hold and 3rd time to a parts type of line. neddless to say the surveys got all 1's. They never called me back. I called my dealer's parts dep and he finally told me that ford stopped sending key codes with new cars about 6 months ago. Even though manual says i should have one. Not sure if it's BS or not. I have my sales guy making calls and i called sales mgr to voice my frustration. It's like nobody knows anything about it. Some rough times were are living in.
 


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Hi


Hi Bill,

I think the same things apply to the side cut keys. The codes are 1 through 5 and are five bit. We used to have a key measurement device for double cut, top and bottom that would read the code one bit at a time. I think the same thing applies to the side cut keys. If you can get the measurement of each bit you can develop the key code yourself. I do not have the values but I guess you can search for these dimensions. Worst case just measure each key position from the notch to the flat part of the key, and retain this. Eventually you can convert it to a bit number between 1 and 5. Eg...54125.

Back story. When I first hired into Ford Light Truck Engineering, I had to take an Econoline over to Engineering Engineering for some build parts for a 1974 Prototype F series. The Econoline was a two tone of Dark green and Light Green. It was an automatic trans vehicle. So back the our building I parked the Econoline. Later that day I had to chase over to General Products for an air cleaner. I opened up the door to the Dark green and Light green Econoline, put the key in the ignition and cranked the starter motor to start the vehicle which started and rocketed into the vehicle on the next row with quite a bang! WTF??? It was a manual column shift. Totally confused on how it was an automatic in the morning and a manual in the afternoon, I noticed the exact paint job Econoline about 5 spaces down...My truck it turns out... To have two Econolines painted the same and the keys matched was just astounding to me... Turns out there are only about 100 different key codes at that time.

Best,
Phil Schilke
Ranger Vehicle Engineering
Ford Motor Co. Retired
In the mid 90s we would often travel to Dearborn (from KTP) for work related business. Usually flew either company plane or SWA. Car rentals were normally Taurus's from Budget. One of our guys came out of the Dearborn Inn one morning unlocked what he thought was his car, started it up and got out to clear a couple inches of snow off the windshield. When he got back in, he noticed a newspaper on the passenger seat. Knowing that he didn't put it there he decided to investigate. Turns out his car was a few spaces down.

We always wondered what the driver of that car thought when they came out to find their car already warmed up and the snow cleared off. The Dearborn Inn was my personal favorite place to stay, but their hospitality didn't include car warm up and snow removal.:LOL:
 

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called ford 3x, got sent to a survey 2x prematurely while on hold and 3rd time to a parts type of line. neddless to say the surveys got all 1's. They never called me back. I called my dealer's parts dep and he finally told me that ford stopped sending key codes with new cars about 6 months ago. Even though manual says i should have one. Not sure if it's BS or not. I have my sales guy making calls and i called sales mgr to voice my frustration. It's like nobody knows anything about it. Some rough times were are living in.
You can contact Ford via their twitter account. I have had much better responsiveness using Twitter.
 

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I can personally attest to that fact that there are only so many combinations for keys.

First instance: I had a 1978 Dodge Omni and I locked the keys in in. A buddy had a 1973 Dodge Dart. His key unlocked my car.

Second instance: I had a 1978 Mercury Zephyr and another buddy had a 1978 Ford F150. Our ignition keys were exactly the same, door keys were different. As long as we left our vehicles unlocked, the other could take off in it with his key.
 

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same here, but a little odder. My 1975 Pinto key worked a friends 1977 Pinto, but her key would not work my car.
A co-worker who had worked as a Ford Service writer had one key which worked 2 vehicles. He had one side cut for his 1976? i am thinking Ford Elite and the other side for his farm ford pickup.
 

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That was the nice thing about the old two sided keys. You could cut each side different. My dad did that too. One side was for his F150 work truck and the other side was for the family Country Esquire station wagon.
 

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Dealer parts CAN make side cut key without the original key. Code HAS to be sourced from Ford only and be prepared for extensive proof of ownership.
 

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Dealer parts CAN make side cut key without the original key. Code HAS to be sourced from Ford only and be prepared for extensive proof of ownership.
It used to be easy to get a key cut, no info needed but the code, then in the late 80's or early 90's when that actress was killed by someone who got a key to her car cut, they made it a law to prove ownership.
 

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Can someone post an image of the Key code tag? Block out your code!
My truck was a demo so I am not sure I have one, but would be nice to know what it is I am looking for visually.
thx in advanced
 

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Can someone post an image of the Key code tag? Block out your code!
My truck was a demo so I am not sure I have one, but would be nice to know what it is I am looking for visually.
thx in advanced
I think this is it, maybe. They were attached to the 2nd key fob.

key.jpg
 

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I think this is it, maybe. They were attached to the 2nd key fob.
Thanks Tom!
I have the lower one, but not the upper. The back side of mine has a sticker with what may be the key code or its the inventory #, a bar code of this number, and the VIN.
The number in question is T999999 (letter T with 6 digits) is your key code in this format?
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