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"No Key Detected" and Car Won't Start


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Ok, this happened to me last night..

 

I have the keys in my pocket, unlock the door using the handle sensor, get it, push down the brake, press the engine start button... and nothing happens.

 

Then the left-side dash screen lights up and says "No Key Detected" The buttons on the remote work fine, to unlock the doors, lock the doors, etc. I tried using the remote-start key combination, and that did start the engine. But then as soon as I tried to shift out of park, it went off again. Also, every time my girlfriend opened the passenger side door, it would set the alarm off.

 

My next idea (after calling Ford's assistance center and being told the only thing they would do is tow me to the nearest dealership) was to disconnect the battery and hope that would force a hard reset of the computer system. I popped the hood and got out, then got back into the car a minute later to dig under the seat for my toolkit to loosen the bolts on the battery connectors. Just as an act of defiance I tried to start it again, and this time it worked.

 

From where I sit, this is a major headache of a problem. This is a 2012 Edge Limited, with less than 6000 miles on it. I shouldn't be needing to worry, every time I drive somewhere, if the damned thing is going to turn on so I can drive home again.

 

Anyone have any ideas about WTF is going on?

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I'm sure this'll make me sound like an idiot, but what emergency slot? And put what in it?

 

I'll try to be nice about this. Go get your owner's manual and read it. Now. There is a slot (I think it's in the console) where you put the IA fob that's right next to the receiver in case the signal from the fob is too weak to be read.

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May be as simple as bum keyfob battery or loose connection in there somewhere, but yea the emergency slot should keep you from being stranded. Have the dealer check it out, that's what warranties are for, good luck. :)

 

P.S. on a related note, this whole IA thing has ruined me - I don't think I'll ever be able to buy another car now without something similar....First world problems LOL

Edited by Scorpio
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I went through a similar issue this spring. Car refused to start even when I inserted the key into the "emergency slot". I opened the manual reading up the procedure to confirm I'm not suffering from another moment of stupidity. I called my dealership and the service manager picked up. We confirmed I used the correct procedure. Next, I called AAA and waited a few minutes. Just for grins I tried starting the car which worked. Called AAA to cancel my tow call and drove to the dealership. Diag code came up indicating a faulty key fob which the deakership ordered. Yes, only thing we could chase.

 

I've never encountered the problem again.

 

I tried different batteries for the key fob too, but no clue why except maybe a bad key fob like the diags stated.

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  • 1 month later...

I've had my 2013 Edge Limited AWD for just 2 weeks and yesterday I had this same problem at just 517 miles. I have no clue what triggered it, but I'm thinking it might have been something to do with closing liftgate with the key fob? That was the only thing I did that was out of the ordinary. As soon as I got back in the car I pressed my foot on the brake and pushed the start button, but I got the "No Key Detected" error message, which at 517 miles really freaked me out. I tried to start it normally a few times, with no success. Took the fob out of my pocket and placed it on the console, no luck. Touched the key to the start button and also the headliner area (heard that there's an antenna there), but no luck. Tried the second fob, no luck. Waited an hour, no luck. Of course, not only wouldn't the car start, but the "touch" function on the door handles didn't work either. The numeric key pad worked ok, so at least I wouldn't get locked out of the car. I started the car with the fob in the emergency slot, thinking that would reset it, but when I shut the car off and tried to restart, the key still wasn't being detected. BTW, when I had these problems, the brake pedal seemed harder to depress than usual. Honest.

 

I waited another hour and tried again, but still no luck unless I used the emergency slot. The whole accessory/run/on/off cycle seemed really messed up, I couldn't get the accessories to turn off the way they normally do, as if something was really out of cycle. When I opened the door I expected the radio to turn off and the seat to slide back, but instead the radio stayed on and the seat stayed forward, even though the engine was off. By this time I was getting really confused about what the right sequence really was, or where I was in the sequence because I had tried so many different things.

 

I had the strange feeling that the problem originally occurred when I shut the rear liftgate using the liftgate button on the fob. So just for giggles, I figured I'd open the liftgate from the fob and close it with the button on the interior trim panel, the way I normally do. The car started right up after that and I haven't had the "No Key Detected" problem since then, and the accesory/on/off cycling seems normal again. I'm sure it was just a coincidence with the liftgate, but I figured I'd mention it for what it's worth.

 

Glad it finally worked, because my next move was going to make a cone-shaped hat out of aluminum foil, wave the fob in 13 counter-clockwise circles with my left hand, and push the start button with my left big toe while grabbing the antenna with my right hand through the pano roof. I was running out of other ideas and this was the only other sensible thing I could think of.....

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It's there. I promise.

 

The manual says "Insert the IA key into the slot with buttons facing out and with key ring up."; this to me indicates a vertical slot. The only slot I could find (it was dark) was a horizontal one, under the 12v plug, on the front wall of the console.

 

OK, so give me another hint.

 

It would be nice if the manual had a picture as well...

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Ohhhh, you're so close cv27. You actually found it, and it is in fact horizontal. The slot is about 2" directly below the 12v plug, dead center in the front wall of the consule, just below the ridge where the removable console tray should sit. The slot is very unofficial looking -- it's more of a recess than anything else, maybe 1-1/2" wide with a simple plastic runner on each side. There are no electronic connections and the fob just loosely fits inside, not a "positive" or locking connection. The fob inserts pointy end first with the key ring sticking into the console box where you can see it. My manual doesn't specify whether the buttons face up or down, but in the programming section it states that the buttons face down for that function, and the picture for programming shows the same key orientation as the picture for emergency starting, so I assume for emergency starting the buttons also face down and the Ford logo faces up.

 

This how it works on a 2013 Edge Limited, and from the way you describe the horizontal slot it sounds like this is how yours is configured too. To get a better sense of how the key is inserted, look at the picture on Page 175 of the PDF manual for a 2013 Edge, and also on Page 82 where it says the buttons face down for the programming function. It's the same orientation in the two images. You can download the manual on the Ford website.

Edited by edge1217
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I guess Ford improved documentation since 2011. Here's what my manual says:

 

Back-up method of starting: Your IA key uses a radio frequency signal

to communicate with your vehicle and authorize your vehicle to start when

you press the START/STOP button and apply the brake pedal. If excessive

radio frequency interference is present in the area, or if the battery in your

IA key is low, it may be necessary to start your car by inserting the IA key

in the back-up slot, located in the center console. Insert the IA key into the

slot with buttons facing out and with key ring up.

 

So thanks for clarifying.

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cv27: That explanation in your manual is really strange. Even if the slot was vertical, I wouldn't know how the process what "facing out" means. Facing out to the left, out of the car to the right, or out through the top of the open console? I haven't had such vague instructions since my Honda days.... I can see how you were confused!

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