Remote Start Range - After starting Edge with Remote Start

[Sctbirdguy]

I am new, so I appologize if this has been discussed before and I missed it on the forum search.

 

I bought my girlfriend a 2012 Edge brand new May of 2012. She tells me she likes her car and doesn't say much else, until a day or so ago when I ask about the remote start because it has been in the negative teens the last few days for highs (well except when I throttled her back to 80MPH max without her knowledge, but that is a different story for a different day). She says she likes it but where she works she can't use it because the car shuts off if she move to far from the vehicle. Strange I think, my F150 to my knowledge doesn't have a range AFTER starting so I do what all mechanics now days do, search the internet......Nothing.....so I start guessing, swapping parts and billing her telling her it's fixed......joking...

 

So....

 

Here is the scenario, she walks to the back of her building, through the actual building doors into the loading dock area, pokes he head out of the loading dock doors and remotely starts her car (100' or so from the building). She says everything is fine in the loading dock area, other than the garbage smells bad, until she walks back through the main building doors. As soon as she does that the car shuts off. She has whatever stock remote start systems came on these things in 2012. I have never heard of a range after starting. I ask her if she maybe is accidentally pressing the start button again while the fob is in her pocket, but she says no because it happens if some else start her car for her and has the key in their hand the entire time. She found this out by others asking why she has her remote start timer set to less than 5 minutes, she said it is set to 15, and less than 5 is not an option.

 

Does this sound correct? Anyone else experience this? Is there another setting I am missing in the menu? As soon as it is above 0 for a high, I want to start it in my driveway and start walking down the street and test for myself, but that doesn't sound like that will be the case until Thrusday.

 

Thanks for your help!

[omar302]

Nope. It does not sound correct. But would you first clarify what "stock" remote start the car has?

These are stock for a 2012 Edge:

http://assets.forddirect.fordvehicles.com/assets/ACCS/images/oe_rem_start_keylg-20110926184145_500x370.jpg

http://imagehost.vendio.com/a/27892917/aview/M3N5WY86095BTNWKEYSINGLE.jpg

[Sctbirdguy]

Thanks for the quick reply. It's the second image. Her Edge has the push button start, which is really nice by the way. I wish that was available on my truck.

[omar302]

Then there is definitely something wrong. The vehicle does NOT turn off automatically if the key goes out of range.

 

If you can repeat it, show it to your dealer.

[normcloutier]

Is the vehicle actually starting or is it just the parking lights coming on? You have to press the lock button once and then press the start button twice to activate remote start. My guess is she may only be locking the doors and not actually starting the engine. When the parking lights go off, she thinks the vehicle has shut off.

[Sctbirdguy]

I will have to try it out for myself at home and see if I can see what is happening. I will post back with the results. Thank you all for confirming this.

 

Is the vehicle actually starting or is it just the parking lights coming on? You have to press the lock button once and then press the start button twice to activate remote start. My guess is she may only be locking the doors and not actually starting the engine. When the parking lights go off, she thinks the vehicle has shut off.

 

Well that is a good question, a valid point and anyones guess. I know she knows the correct procedure, as she starts it at home every day and it works through the garage wall. It is also a very short distance from the door at work to where she parks so it should be working, but 100% confirmation on the vehicle running is a good follow up question.

 

This does bring up one complaint with Factory remote starts in general, why are they mostly one way communication, and not two way? I would much rather pay the $300 cost adder in the total vehicle cost than messing around with adding it on later as an upgrade. I can't imagine two way communication costs that much more. I suppose it's another way to make a few more dollars.

[omar302]

Sctbirdguy, on 06 Jan 2014 - 11:03 PM, said:

This does bring up one complaint with Factory remote starts in general, why are they mostly one way communication, and not two way? I would much rather pay the $300 cost adder in the total vehicle cost than messing around with adding it on later as an upgrade. I can't imagine two way communication costs that much more. I suppose it's another way to make a few more dollars.

 

Two way communication, with long range, remote start is available as a Ford OEM "Plug & Play" accessory. This one is specific to the Edge with "Push Button start".

 

Also, for your information, the 2013+ Fusion (as an option) & standard on the 2013+ MKZ both have two way communication remote start from the factory. The remotes even have 2 batteries, apparently for the extra function. So it seems the feature will gradually come to most cars.

[Sctbirdguy]

Well, I braved the cold and tested the Edge Remote Start myself this morning. I started the car, took both keys with me and drove my vehicle 1/2 mile or better down the road. Returned home and the Edge was still running. I did this after my girlfriend confirmed the car is actually starting at work and the lights are just not coming on yet it still shuts off within a couple of minutes....so who knows, she and her friends / co-workers either have a terrible sense of time or she is doing something wrong. It's hard to repair user error.

 

Thanks again for the help.

[Sctbirdguy]

***UPDATE*****

 

So my girlfriend has a co-worker with a 2012 Escape and it does exactly the same thing as her Edge does, also only at work. She took her Escape to the dealership and they said they were unsure aswell, but thought there has to be something in the building, the security system, paging system, something that is interfering. The strange part to me is, it would have to be sending a signal from or through the key fob telling the car to shut down because once the car is running it is one way communication only...Right?! I mean the remote start isn't like the keyless fob where they is some sort of constant 2-way communication going on in order for the car to run and the building is blocking this communication....Is it? I am pretty sure we have proved that, especially by my trip around the block, far out of the fobs range and the car kept running.

 

Very strange.

 

Maybe it is the NSA!

[bldog]

I know this is silly but have you checked the length of the timer? maybe its set for a short duration that when she gets back to the office its timed out. Just trying to throw out another thought