Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting What's Special About Ford Non-PATS Ignition Keys?

Since my ride originally came w/ 2 ignition keys & I needed more to accommodate the amount of drivers in the family, I originally went the everywhere-but-dealer route for duplicate keys. Even tho the blanks & cuts appeared identical, none of them worked!

Finally went to the friendly Ford dealer & obtained more duplicates (oddly enough, for free) & they worked!

What's the difference?

Tnx in advance for replies

There is nothing special about the non PATS key. Anyone with a good key cutting machine should have been able to duplicate it for you. I suspect that either they were not experienced or the key machine needs repair.

hey guys don't the keys have a chip or something in them that has to be there in order for the car to start. i also had extra keys made just in case i locked myself out. the keys fit perfect but when i tried to start the car guess what? nothing happened!!! i also had a car starter put in and they had to use the spare key to put in some little device so the automatic starter would work (it's a viper alarm/starter system and dudes do i love it). the viper systems can reach a longggggggggggg way and start your cars!

Originally posted by scainerrt:

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hey guys don't the keys have a chip or something in .....

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Only the 98+ v6 engines have PATS {Passive Anti-Theft System).

On cars with PATS, there is a chip in the key that communicates with the ignition. If the key has no chip or the wrong chip, no ignition.

Mine was faulty once and my key would not disable the PATS. They had to replace some sort of module to fix it.

The keys also have to be programmed to work with your car. I think you have to have at least 2 working keys to do that though (maybe it is one). Should be outlined in owner's manual.