Ford Symbols
Ford SymbolsSo, what is that light on your dashboard? What follows is easily the most complete list available of symbols and warnings that may appear in and on your car’s dashboard or instrument cluster.
The following are warning lights and indicators found in vehicles built by Ford. Click the link to the right of each one learn more.
How They Are Presented
They are ordered primarily by color and roughly by importance. First up are red, followed by red with yellow/amber/orange options, strictly yellow/amber/orange symbols (depending on how you see the color!), then blue and green symbols and finally white and gray scale symbols.
There are now well over 100 of them, so search carefully!
Need the symbols for another manufacturer? Click here!
Models examined include EcoSport, Edge, Escape, Expedition, Explorer, F-150, F-250, Fiesta, GT, Fusion, Mustang, Mustang Mach E, Ranger, Taurus, and Transit.
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Remember that only proper service and repair procedures will ensure the safe and reliable operation of your car. In addition, proper safety procedures and precautions, such as the use of safety goggles, the right tools and the equipment should be followed at all times to eliminate the possibility of personal injury or improper service which could damage the vehicle or compromise its safety.
These posts are for information sharing purposes only, and should not be used in lieu of an OEM service manual or factory authorized service procedure. We are not in the auto repair business nor do we publish automotive service manuals. Nothing we include on these pages and posts has been reviewed, approved or authorized by any vehicle manufacturer.
Technology is always changing and what is current and accurate today may be literally out-of-date and inaccurate tomorrow. And when it comes to the current state of flux in the auto industry, nothing is more true.
The author has 25 years of automotive experience and has assembled the most extensive collection of symbols and warning lights anywhere (over 1,000!) and can help you open and start any keyless start car with a dead key fob battery. BA, St. Joseph’s College, ME: MS, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY
First a word of caution concerning the Ford GT. Its latches are entirely electronic, the result being that, in the event of a power failure while inside the car, a back up plan is necessary. There is a strap on each pillar alongside each seat, as seen n the image to the right. Pull it to release the door.
In the Taurus, Expedition (before 2018) and Flex the Intelligent Access key slot is to the rear or the side of the console and points up. The key is slipped in vertically or horizontally depending on the slot’s shape, with the buttons facing out, as in the image shown. After inserting the key, use the Start / Stop ignition button and brake pedal to start your vehicle as usual. If it fails to start, turn the fob so that the buttons face back and try again. Once the vehicle is started, the key can be removed from the backup slot, if you wish.
In the updated (2018) Expedition, and (2025) Explorer (with bucket seats — see well below for column shift models) models the back up slot is in the front cup holder (Expedition) and rear cup holder (Explorer). There is a two-piece mat at the bottom, and the front piece needs to be pulled away. It is a loose fit and slips out easily. Drop the key fob into the slot with the buttons facing the back of the vehicle and start it as normal.
In Explorer and Fusion models, the slot is found near the Auxiliary, USB and power ports in the center console, like the one shown. The Intelligent Access key is slipped in with the buttons facing out (in the Explorer we had, the vehicle started with the buttons facing either direction) and the key ring up.
Transit
The new Ranger compact pick up also uses a cup holder, the rear one. Place the key fob in the cup holder making sure that it is centered and is parallel to the brake handle, as can be seen in the image at right. The truck can then be started by stepping on the brake and using the Start / Stop button as normal.
The Edge back up slot is inside the center console, but actually beneath the the front of the console (right). It is difficult to see, but it can be felt as raised tray just the right size for the remote control. Slip the remote onto the tray with the buttons up and press the Start / Stop button while stepping on the brake as normal.
Escape
In the 2018 Escape, the back up slot is found in the front cup holder. The bottom is marked with radiating lines meant to indicate radio waves. Remove anything that may be in the cup holder and set the fob inside, as shown in the image at right. Once it is placed, use the Start /Stop ignition button to start the vehicle while stepping on the brake as normal.
Bronco, Maverick, Transit (2024 and later)
/Stop ignition button to start the vehicle while stepping on the brake as normal.
The EcoSport, introduced in 2018, also uses a location in the front of the center console. Drop the fob into the slot with the key ring up and the buttons facing the back. After inserting the key fob, use the Start / Stop ignition button and brake pedal to start your vehicle as usual. And again, the key fob can be removed from the backup slot once the vehicle is started, if you wish.
Mustang, Fusion, Expedition
In 2024, Ford moved the Mustang back up start slot to the bottom of the center console. Remove the mat covering the bottom — as well as anything stored there — and place the fob in the fob-shaped depression with the buttons facing up.
Mustang Mach E
F-150, Explorer, F-150 Lightning
If the shifter is on the center console through 2016, the slot will be under the rubber mat in front of the shifter. Remove the mat and insert the Intelligent Access key with the buttons facing up.
In 2017, trucks with the shifter on the center console have the back up slot moved to one of the cup holders. Through 2020, the front cup holder is used, but it is moved to the rear cup holder starting in 2021. All Lightning models use the rear cup holder. Remove the mat at the bottom (see image) by pulling the tab and stand the key fob up in the slot, buttons forward. Then press the Start / Stop button while stepping on the brake as normal.
F-250
The compact Focus has five variations alone, with the Escape and C-Max sharing two of them and the Fiesta sharing one. The fifth Focus variation belongs to 2016 models only. All are located on the right side of the steering column near the windshield wiper lever. And see below for Fiesta and Focus models built after 2020 and not sold in North America.
If you see the transmitter symbol, which may have a key or tower in between the radiating lines, and you have a three button Intelligent Access key, slip the key into a small slot beneath the symbol, as shown.
If you have a five button Intelligent Access key, place the key against the transmitter symbol, as shown in the image, and start the vehicle. The vehicle will recognize the key, even if the key’s battery is dead. Use the Start / Stop ignition button and brake pedal to start your vehicle as usual.
If you see a cover, like the one shown above, there are two options. If a small slot or notch is visible, as seen in the image, pry off the cover using the mechanical key and insert the Intelligent Access key, as shown.
If the covering does not have a slot or notch to pry off the cover, which will include Fiesta models, simply hold the Intelligent Access key against the cover, similar to the five-button process shown above and as shown here, and start your vehicle using the Start / Stop ignition button and brake pedal as usual. The vehicle will recognize the key, even if the key’s battery is dead.
In 2016 and going forward, Ford made a change in the Focus. The back-up slot will be found at the bottom of the center console. It will appear as a depression in the floor of the console in roughly the shape of the key fob.
console storage compartment with the buttons facing up.
Fiesta and Focus models built after 2020 feature a small storage area in front of the shift lever on the center console. The area’s rubber mat must be removed, much like the pick up trucks with center console shifters seen earlier. There is even the mark of a key with lines radiating from it to point out the location (top arrow). Place the fob as shown (lower arrow) with the buttons up. Step on the brake and start the car using the Start / Stop ignition button as normal.
Finally, if you happen to have the GT model, the back up location is a storage tray at the front of the center console beneath its rubber mat, like the Fiesta and Focus above. Lift the mat and place the key fob with the buttons up, as shown in the image. Step on the brake and start the car using the Start / Stop ignition button as normal.
message to Step on the Brake. Press the brake pedal very, very hard when trying to start the vehicle again to be sure that the release switch behind the pedal is engaged. Or wait a few minutes and try again.
(IA) (remote control or ‘clicker’) key styles. Two of the key fobs use a sliding release on the back side to release the key. Two new key fobs use a push button to release the mechanical key, and one is much easier than the other to use. Another holds the key inside the fob itself and is really difficult to remove.
To release the mechanical key blade in your IA key fob, slide the release on the back of the transmitter and pull the blade out. You can now use the mechanical key to unlock the driver’s door.
(pull is straight up and off) to access the key blade. Its awkward and may take some practice. That mechanical key can now be used to unlock the driver’s door.
To remove it, push the buttons on either side of the key fob.
It has a push button on the front of the mechanical key itself near the key ring space. Simply push the button and pull the mechanical key away from the IA key.
the 2016 Edge and later models have since been added to this list.
The Ford Expedition is updated for 2018, and features another way to hide the key hole. The door handles are a single piece. The key hole is easily exposed by simply pulling the driver’s door handle. It is seen angled outward at the back end of the handle. Insert the mechanical key and turn clockwise. Remove the key and release the handle. The door will open on the next pull. Note that the alarm will sound in a minute or so if the car is not started in time.
GT
Competition Series GT, the key hole is on the top of the hatch.
The new all electric Mustang Mach E uses electronic latches. A button above the door handle (right) is pressed and the door pops open. If the key fob is dead, the vehicle offers is no opportunity to use the mechanical key to get inside. However, the car can be accessed with an app on your smart phone or using the keyless entry code panel on the door post.