The keyless entry keypad let me down big time

[broncozaur]

I've been mostly happy with MY2023 Badlands but this weekend's experience was beyond subpar. I went on a leaf-peeping mountain bike ride in the Rockies with my buddy, his kid, and two dogs. When we returned to the car, the keypad would not unlock it. The LED would blink once and that's it. I've waited 5, 10 and 20 minutes with no success. We were dressed for a warm day, but by then the sun was setting and the temps were dropping fast. We had to descend lower down the mountain and start a fire to stay alive. Then I had to climb the mountain in search of reception and eventually had enough to send a pin to my wife, who would drive with a spare key from over 3 hours away. We spent half the pitch-black, moonless night huddling by the fire as we were being surrounded by a herd of bugling elk and howling coyotes, which drove the dogs crazy and scared the kid. When I got home, the keypad started working again. When I brought this up to Ford today, they scoffed and said, "Oh, it happens sometimes, you just gotta wait a few hours."

P.S. My plan B was to smash a window. I wanted to push that moment away for as long as possible since I am planning on taking the car on a camping trip this week and wouldn't have the time to get it replaced.

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[ColbyLang]

FordApp will unlock your doors

 

[Brian_B]

FordApp will unlock your doors

Not if you are out of cellular range

 

[Ducati1098]

Although this is probably a rare occurrence, I would never rely on the keypad out in the middle of nowhere.
If you don’t want to carry your fob, I would at least bring the small physical key inside of it next time.

 

[RobWTX]

Get one of these magnetic holders, hide it under the vehicle somewhere

 

[Sandy56]

Get one of these magnetic holders, hide it under the vehicle somewhere

Was just about to comment this. Had one on my work truck for a while and worked great. Never came off

 

[ChrisB351]

Not if you are out of cellular range

Was able to send pin to wife...

 

[broncozaur]

Was able to send pin to wife...

Yes, but I had to hike far away from where the Bronco was. There was absolutely no cell reception nearby. The Bronco needs to be in the cell range as well for this to work.

 

[swami37]

Should’ve left key outside. If you were in the middle of nowhere, who’s gonna bother with your car?

 

[ColbyLang]

A nearby rock makes a great key too

 

[TPadden72]

Although this is probably a rare occurrence, I would never rely on the keypad out in the middle of nowhere

If I can carry a firearm I can certainly make a kid carry the FOB.

Tom

 

[ChrisB351]

Yes, but I had to hike far away from where the Bronco was. There was absolutely no cell reception nearby. The Bronco needs to be in the cell range as well for this to work.

The app will lock/unlock from anywhere

 

[Lucky Nut]

Sucks dude, but I'd smash a window over hiking down the mountain and starting a fire to stay alive surrounded by wild animals, especially with a kid. My wife would probably also tell me to smash a window when I asked her to drive 3 hours .

 

[TPadden72]

The app will lock/unlock from anywhere

Uh... don't think so:

"Yes, unlocking a Ford with the FordPass App requires cell service for both your phone and your vehicle, as the app communicates through Ford's cloud servers via a cellular connection."

The "Phone as a Key" feature uses Bluetooth for short-range proximity, but the initial command to unlock or lock the doors, as well as the vehicle's confirmation, depends on a constant connection between your phone, the FordPass servers, and your vehicle's FordPass Connect modem.

 

[allagash24]

That sucks. I got the keypad to be able to leave my keys in when biking or kayaking. I don’t trust the app to work as it has failed under normal circumstances.
My wife would have left me to the coyotes though so I’d be smashing a window or trying to flex it enough to get a stick in.

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