Number of key fobs that can be programmed to a vehicle

[DarkHorsePremium]

This is more curiosity. Does anyone know how many key fobs you can program to the car?

Didn't find anything specific on ford.com, or searching here. AI says 4.

Just curious if this is accurate? I would expect it's 4.

The mobilizer on my Subaru's would accept 4. However, the remote start was a separate fob, So you could typically only do two fobs and two remote start fobs.

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[KABStang]

I purchased an extra fob identical to the first two and was able to fully program it using instructions I found online. Good to have three programmed in the event you lose one, as you need two to program another.

 

[DarkHorsePremium]

I purchased an extra fob identical to the first two and was able to fully program it using instructions I found online. Good to have three programmed in the event you lose one, as you need two to program another.

Agree. I got a free one from RAH performance with an order. It's a knock off, no pony emblem and from China, but Im going to program it anyway.

 

[Yamazuki]

I know a lot of things have changed in the automotive world over the last few years, and our mustangs may not be the same, but my niece's mid-teens Ford Escape has as many as 5 or 6 fobs programmed to it.

Both of the fobs she had quit working so I ordered a couple off of Amazon and added them via Forscan. When I got in there I found that there were already 3 or 4 (my memory is good, it's just really short) fobs programmed to the vehicle. Without knowing for sure if the el cheapo Amazon fobs were going to work, I didn't want to risk completely immobilizing her car by wiping out the old fobs; so I just added the new ones and everything worked fine.

I'll admit, I was surprised through. I assumed 4 was the max and that adding any more would fail.

 

[GhastlyTT]

4 is max on the current model Fords. It was 8 previously. I know this because I have KEYDIY PAAK boxes in both my Mustang and F150 that I bought the programmer for, learned how to use, and programmed the keys in my vehicles myself. Hit the limit at 2 attempts each (on top of the 2 originals) and had to pay Ford to wipe both vehicles' keys before I understood what I was doing. Oops!

 

[Yamazuki]

4 is max on the current model Fords. It was 8 previously. I know this because I have KEYDIY PAAK boxes in both my Mustang and F150 that I bought the programmer for, learned how to use, and programmed the keys in my vehicles myself. Hit the limit at 2 attempts each (on top of the 2 originals) and had to pay Ford to wipe both vehicles' keys before I understood what I was doing. Oops!

I don't want to get too far off the rails and completely derail the thread, but how do you like the PAAK setup? How hard are they to get set-up, and what all does a person need to do something like this? Rough est. on cost would be nice to know as well.

 

[GhastlyTT]

I don't want to get too far off the rails and completely derail the thread, but how do you like the PAAK setup? How hard are they to get set-up, and what all does a person need to do something like this? Rough est. on cost would be nice to know as well.

They've really worked out awesome for me and I havn't been left stranded a single time. After using Ford's native PAAK implementation in my Mach-E, I had to have it in all my cars going forward. KeyDIY was the only easy option when I was looking last year but there are others now like XHORSE. I picked up a programmer and learned to use it through trial and error like I said, but any locksmith certified in the brand you pick should be able to add it to your car as long as the fob is compatible with your car and frequency. I paid 85 for each of my KeyDIY PAAK boxes and 400 for their programmer.

 

[Yamazuki]

They've really worked out awesome for me and I havn't been left stranded a single time. After using Ford's native PAAK implementation in my Mach-E, I had to have it in all my cars going forward. KeyDIY was the only easy option when I was looking last year but there are others now like XHORSE. I picked up a programmer and learned to use it through trial and error like I said, but any locksmith certified in the brand you pick should be able to add it to your car as long as the fob is compatible with your car and frequency. I paid 85 for each of my KeyDIY PAAK boxes and 400 for their programmer.

Thanks for all the info!
I read through the f150 thread about it as well and saw that you weren't able to get it programmed through the normal (Ford) process of adding a new fob, but then looking at a few of the videos on programming it really seems like that should have worked. I'm curious if Forscan now has PATS programming for our cars and if that would work instead of their programmer.

Also, just looking at the KeyDIY option, they appear to have several different models available, but I'm assuming it's the general 'ZB' type that worked for you?

 

[DarkHorsePremium]

@Yamazuki,
No worries. Interesting convo. Have at it.

 

[GhastlyTT]

Thanks for all the info!
I read through the f150 thread about it as well and saw that you weren't able to get it programmed through the normal (Ford) process of adding a new fob, but then looking at a few of the videos on programming it really seems like that should have worked. I'm curious if Forscan now has PATS programming for our cars and if that would work instead of their programmer.

Also, just looking at the KeyDIY option, they appear to have several different models available, but I'm assuming it's the general 'ZB' type that worked for you?

It's a multiple step process. First you need the PAAK box and to tell it to be a Ford key. The "ZB" is the generic programmable you'd want. The other is specific to Toyota. Their programmer tells it to imitate a modern Ford FOB and ensure it's on the vehicle's frequency. You then add it to the vehicle like any other new spare Ford key using the 2 originals and the backup key slot. The only thing PATS support in FORSCAN would have done for me is save me the $180 I had to pay the stealership to wipe my bad keys so I could finish the project when I finally figured it out

 

[Yamazuki]

It's a multiple step process. First you need the PAAK box and to tell it to be a Ford key. The "ZB" is the generic programmable you'd want. The other is specific to Toyota. Their programmer tells it to imitate a modern Ford FOB and ensure it's on the vehicle's frequency. You then add it to the vehicle like any other new spare Ford key using the 2 originals and the backup key slot. The only thing PATS support in FORSCAN would have done for me is save me the $180 I had to pay the stealership to wipe my bad keys so I could finish the project when I finally figured it out

Ah okay. That's the part I was missing. So the PAAK box is coming 'blank' and has to be told how to talk to the vehicle before it is able to be added as a key; and the programmer is taking care of that step when it's being added to the PATS on the vehicle it seems.

It's starting to sound like the process is similar to what I went through a few years ago with my dad's 08 Super Duty when it needed new TPMS sensors.
You can get the Ford ones for whatever they were, $150 each maybe, or the aftermarket ones from the parts store that are 100% guaranteed to work for your vehicle.

Sure they are.

Right after you spend a week online researching TPMS systems and figure out you need to buy a $400 programmer so you can tell the 'universal' ones you bought how to talk to your vehicle.

I like the idea of it all, just not the cost of a programmer that will probably only get used once.
I'm going to have to look at some of the newer options rather than the KeyDIY version and see if there is something that maybe comes with a built in programmer or something at a more reasonable cost.

Thanks again for sharing your experience with this!

@DarkHorsePremium
Thanks for allowing us to hijack your thread with this phone as a key talk!

 

[DarkHorsePremium]

Guys
Love it. This is exactly the type of dialogue I was hoping to inspire. I'm a returning Ford guy, who is just starting to get my feet wet again. So much has changed. Hopefully your dialogue will help somebody else in the future. ie, Adding a aftermarket TPMS, electronic key, etc.

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