Self Locking Nightmare

[subquark]

This has always been my unrealistic biggest fear! Even when I fill up in any car, over my entire life, I roll down the window enough to stick my arm in and make sure I have the keys in my hand before closing the door (I go so far as to "jingle" them in my hand to make sure they are really there!). I do this even in the rain or New England winter.

Reading what happened to you and your pic of a smashed in window has just reinforced my paranoia over this!

Guess it's not enough to tape a spare key to a leafspring, gonna have to tape a phone too for the Ford App! =D

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[NotBudule]

If it HAD to be a window , drivers would have been my LAST option , especially if I had wet kayak butt...

 

[ZCoker]

now that the whole story is out and we all now know you were "bass fishing" we can understand why your options had become limited. Even if your phone was capable of making a call and in your hands, I wouldn't call a tow truck either. They are crooked and you would be paying him to keep quiet about your "fishing spot"

you learned a valuable lesson going to a remote area, late at night without a back up plan or for that matter a better plan. an expensive lesson.

FYI, if the keys are in the ignition, the doors wont lock. so perhaps just leave them in there.
other options have been discussed, ie keypad, take a spare key or fob that stays in your "tackle box" with your shovels.
there is no explanation for why your truck randomly locks.
mine doesn't do it, nor have any fords I've owned in the past.
either you have an electrical glitch, or you're doing something you don't realise.

Thanks, man, for getting it! Yes, I leaned a lesson that night (related to the keys and that truck only): never get out of that truck unless keys in hand. Everglades is vast, so no worries on fishing spots.....there's some biguns out there at night! And, yes, if I had somehow had the ability to call a tow truck or a locksmith, they would've probably charged me more than the cost to replace the friggin window lol let alone find me! My whole point here was to see if anyone else had a similar issue, or at least to forewarn folks as to a "potential" of this happening to them with their Ranger.

 

[WingShot]

I'm notorious for running out of gas and losing my truck keys. It never happens in a convenient place. I keep a spare key hidden now, and always a gas can when I hit the road.

I was turkey hunting in a pretty remote place a few years ago and lost my keys in the woods. Was able to find a spot with very spotty cell phone coverage and was able to get a hold of the Princess and relay the situation. She called USAA and they called the Division of Wildlife. It was like that old "telephone game", where each time the situation was repeated the story would change a little bit. A couple hours later I made it back to the road and there was a full on search party out looking for me. Wildlife officer told me they didn't know if it was a lost or injured hunter, but were erring on the side of caution.

 

[dapakattack]

Hi Zane,

Since you have an XLT you should have a key lock on the driver's side door. What I and others have done is had a key cut that only works on that door (i've then used one of those magnetic key boxes and hid it on the frame of the truck). I'll add the link to that thread once I find it.

Extra Key Thread

Keys Made w/out Code

 

[ZCoker]

This has always been my unrealistic biggest fear! Even when I fill up in any car, over my entire life, I roll down the window enough to stick my arm in and make sure I have the keys in my hand before closing the door (I go so far as to "jingle" them in my hand to make sure they are really there!). I do this even in the rain or New England winter.

Reading what happened to you and your pic of a smashed in window has just reinforced my paranoia over this!

Guess it's not enough to tape a spare key to a leafspring, gonna have to tape a phone too for the Ford App! =D

It's modern tech. A regular vehicle with a regular key lock would not lock itself. Just the way it is with the newer vehicles. My last F150 had a regular key lock, yes, the kind you stick in the door and turn lol. What I did with the spare is put it on a wing nut hidden inside one of the frame tubes near the rear. Was well hidden and always there when I needed it. The newer keys today have an electrical fob, so water might wipe them out, is why I do not do that with my current spare.

 

[dano42]

I actually had this happen to me, except it was in my '13 Silverado at the time. I got out of the truck and the keys were still partially in the ignition, closed the door, and 5 seconds later, 'click-click'! It was done. Fortunately I called my wife and she brought the other key fob. I felt pretty stupid after that one. Another reason for a push button start.

 

[ZCoker]

Hi Zane,

Since you have an XLT you should have a key lock on the driver's side door. What I and others have done is had a key cut that only works on that door (i've then used one of those magnetic key boxes and hid it on the frame of the truck). I'll add the link to that thread once I find it.

Extra Key Thread

Keys Made w/out Code

There it is! The solution! Simple and very effective. This is what I did with my last truck and didn't even think to do it with my Ranger because of the remote entry fob deal. Thanks much. This will solve the problem very well.

 

[got3fords]

Thanks for the explanation on having to resort to a rock. That totally sucks and I would hate to have to deal with that situation. I have a keypad and use it a lot. Kayaking, biking, running. You can mount it anywhere you want, even out of sight like inside the fuel door. Having said that, I am planning to also get a non-fob key. The keypad battery supposed to last several years, and it will let you know when it's getting low, but you just never know. And the app is not always reliable.

 

[ZCoker]

Thanks for the explanation on having to resort to a rock. That totally sucks and I would hate to have to deal with that situation. I have a keypad and use it a lot. Kayaking, biking, running. You can mount it anywhere you want, even out of sight like inside the fuel door. Having said that, I am planning to also get a non-fob key. The keypad battery supposed to last several years, and it will let you know when it's getting low, but you just never know. And the app is not always reliable.

Yeah, it totally sucked to break that window and, man, was that thing HARD to break! And expensive. I'd hate to think of a head hitting that glass! I like all the electrical solutions like keypad, etc. but good old mechanical only means are about the best way to go, IMHO, at least to unlock the vehicle. So getting a regular key made to unlock the driver's door and hiding it is the way to go, at least on my XLT since the driver's door has a regular tumbler key-lock.

 

[Chris M]

dumping bodies i presume???

"...Florida Man....."

 

[Toytec]

Around here ACE Hardware will make a side cut valet key (no chip) and do it cheap.

 

[ZCoker]

the laminated glass is there for a reason with the airbags.
with regular tempered glass, if an airbag deploys, the glass goes and then the support for the airbag is gone, and therefore your protection as well.

I remember a number of years ago as a VFF, trying to extricate a guy from a rolled over Durango, and it had these super strong windows. literally an axe was bouncing off of them. Definitely standard glass breaking tools were not working.
but, the bonus to the driver was the cab wasn't crushed in either from the extra support to the A and B pillar.

The lessor of two evils, maybe. One cannot break laminated glass if trapped inside with ordinary tools. From what I've read, the laminated glass is more to prevent ejection as opposed to your suggestion of airbag support. It's to comply with one of the rules the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) passed in 2011. It's known as Ejection Mitigation, and it requires stronger windows to keep occupants inside the car during a rollover. Regardless, it's tempered now and I had that choice with the window glass company.

 

[DakotaGuy]

This is why even with a smartphone app the optional Securicode keypad is well worth the additional $95. I don't have the keypad on my 2019 and I really miss it. I ordered it on my 2022.

 

[mailbox4449]

I used to have one of those magnetic "hide a key" boxes under the bumper/frame years ago. I know the XLT I ordered still uses an actual key (with a chip in FOB). I bet I could just duplicate the key part in the same event as this, and hide that?? The door still has an actual key hole, so a key would be cheaper than the key pad in my case

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