Drivers in the Dark, Part 1
Over the last several months we have been contacted by two drivers of U.S. cars sold and likely built overseas who could not find a back-up spot to drop the key fob in the event of the fob’s battery dying. Well, a good deal of sleuthing and a hunch resolved one of these cases.
First, we have to acknowledge the diligent work of one of the vehicles owners. He sent pics of all the spots we could think of that might be used as a back up slot and noted which style key was in use. Then after the hunch, he took the time to perform the test we suggested. The other driver essentially gave, up or possibly found an answer elsewhere and didn’t let us know.
The car in question was a Chevrolet Malibu. The owner’s manual was available and was dead wrong, which is, of course, the true source of the problem. The year, make and model in the U.S. has a back up slot in the center console.
As you can see from the photo he sent (right), the client’s car does not have this slot.
It also uses a flip key, which suggested a spot like that is used in the Cruze (right) or first generation Volt. No such plug in spot exists in the Malibu in question.
Part 2
Then, we got hold of a new, 2017 Cruze. And like a handful of other GM models, the back up slot had been moved to one of the cup holders. And, unlike European cars, the spot goes unmarked.
And while the Cruze did not use a flip key, it suggested a possible solution to our overseas client. He removed the battery from the fob and dropped it into the front cup holder, and was able to start the car (the fob will be recognized from the back up slot in GM vehicles, at least temporarily, even with the battery actually missing). He is relieved to have an actual back-up plan.
The moral of the story for drivers of U.S. designed vehicles sold overseas is this (and we include Ford as well just in case, although we have not seen this come up). If the battery in your key fob is dead, there is still a back up plan. However, your owner’s manual may not reflect it. Try each and every one of the dozen or so back up spots found on our pages. We are pretty confident one of them will get you going.
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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
A disturbing trend appeared in the recalls (2015) we tracked since our last newsletter. Six recalls were issued involving automated electronic systems, including safety systems directly and indirectly. And they simply got more troublesome through the course of the month.
Subaru 
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, the back up slot is in the front cup holder. 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.
New in 2019, the Transit Connect uses push button start for the first time. The back up slot is also in the cup holder. The rubber mat at the bottom of the cup holders needs to be removed and Ford recommends removing the mechanical key as well. Lay the key fob in the front cup holder with the buttons facing up and the unlock button towards the front of the vehicle. Step on the brake and start the vehicle as normal using the Start / Stop button.
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.
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.
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.
The 2017 Escape has a new back up location (see below for earlier Escape models), which is changed again in 2018.
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.
And in 2019, the back up slot for the Escape is back at the front of the center console, beneath a mat that must be removed (right). The new Bronco, introduced in 2021, shares this location. A fob-shaped depression will be seen once the mat is removed. Place the fob on the spot with the buttons up. Once it is placed, use the Start /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.
New in the 2015 Mustang, the 2017 Fusion, and the 2018 Expedition (as noted previously), the backup slot is hidden under one of the cup holders.
The new all electric Mustang Mach E has a back up slot at the front of the center console storage area, next to the 12-volt power outlet (right). Place the remote control in the slot as shown (2) with the buttons facing up (or out).Once the remote control is in position, press the Start / Stop button while stepping on the brake to activate the high voltage battery.
Push Button Start is new to the Ford Pick-up line in 2015, first with the F-150, and it has two back-up start options. If the shifter is on the steering column, look inside the center console to the rear for the slot. Note that there are two console storage areas. The one needed and shown is beneath the center bench seat.
If the shifter is on the center console, 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. 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.
In the F-250 or larger truck, the slot is located beneath the tray to the left of the cup holders in the center console. Remove the tray and the cover from the center console. The slot, which is in the shape of the key fob, or Intelligent Access key, will be exposed.
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.
Why Are All My Windows Down??
Who Opened the Windows?
Here, we discuss a feature found in cars from a number of manufacturers that catches people with their pants down. Or rather with their windows down. So, this is not about a fault or a system failure or a warning light, but about something working exactly as it is supposed to, but doing so seemingly at random on its own.
Can it be Shut Down?
From what we’ve discovered only Mercedes and some vehicles made by the Volkswagen Group offer the option to close everything again using the lock button. The Honda we had for demonstration (below) did not.
So, what is causing the surprise window openings can be explained by accidental button presses. Whether carried in a bag or in a pocket, something pressing on the unlock button for an extended period can and will activate the feature, if the key fob is within 50 feet or so. Remember that while the fob’s keyless access can only operate within 18 to 24 inches of the vehicle’s door handle, the buttons on the key fob will work from a much greater distance.
For a fob carried in a pocket, preventing this may be a simple as turning the fob over on the key ring. The buttons will face the other way if your keys tend to rest in the pocket the same way each time.
If it is carried in a bag, the nature of keyless open and start can easily lead to the fob migrating to the bottom of the bag. Anything and everything sitting on top of the fob can and will activate the feature.
To finish the discussion of the functions of the actual convenience feature, the windows will stop short if the button is released, and will continue down if it is pressed and held again. Some vehicles require the unlock button to be pressed and released once before the convenience feature will work.
In Honda and Acura vehicles, the feature can also be activated by holding the mechanical key turned to the right in the key cylinder, but this will not happen accidently. Also, turning and holding the key back to the left will close the windows and sunroof.
The feature can be disabled in Ford, Lincoln, Toyota and Lexus vehicles, but you’ll need your dealer. In fact, the feature in a Toyota and Lexus must have first been activated in this way.
So, if ever you find your windows wide open one day, don’t panic — find a new way to carry your key fob.
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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