"Key Not Detected" can strand you, Solution Here

[electrons]

If your Focus Electric won't start due to "Key Not Detected", as just happened to us, your Owner's Manual will not help, no solution there.

Recently, the wife was out in the Focus, and "Key Not Detected" puzzled her. It was a bit chilly outside, so she actually warmed the Key FOB & that worked. That is not a great solution though. .......

When she got home and complained to me, I noticed the old Key FOB battery was leaking. Gooey stuff, not much to clean up though, so OK, it happens, no biggie. Needs a new battery. CR 2032 size.

However, it made me think there MUST be a backup to the single-point-of-falure Key FOB battery, right? Of course there is, it is just hidden. Not in the Owner's Manual, oddly.
1. To open a locked door, simply pop the physical key blade out of the Key FOB. Owner's manual explains that part at least.
2. Once inside the vehicle, open up the Center Console Storage Bin and clean out anything in the main part so you can see the bottom clearly. Now lay your dead Key FOB down in the very bottom, button side up, and now you can start the car normally with brake pedal and main start button push. (The reference source on this seemed to indicate Ford only did this on 2016-2018 Focus models, gasoline & electric models, so it may not work on 2012-2015 Ford Focus Electrics, not sure.)

I will add that the bottom of the Center Console Storage Bin is mentioned in the Owner's Manual in the context of introducing a new Key FOB to your particular car, in the "Security" section, page 66 of the 2016 model Owner's Manual.

Technically interesting is the fact that your Key FOB needs no electricity to be detected by the car, as long as it rests in the bottom of the Center Console Bin floor! It must have some kind of passive RFID tag physics going on inside.

 

[tinilk]

(The reference source on this seemed to indicate Ford only did this on 2016-2018 Focus models, gasoline & electric models, so it may not work on 2012-2015 Ford Focus Electrics, not sure.)

I just took the battery out of my key fob to try this with my 2014. As you mentioned, on 2012-2015 FFEs placing the key at the bottom of the center console compartment doesn't work. At least it doesn't work in my car.

Page 140 of my manual under "Starting your vehicle" says how to start it if the fob doesn't work: hold the key fob against the round cap on the side of the steering column, press brake pedal and push the start button. My car started normally when I did this (except it shows the message "MyKey Active Drive Safely - Speed Limited to 80 MPH").

This is a great tip, thanks for posting it!

 

[Heima]

TIP: That gooey stuff probably did not come out of the battery, but rather is a silicone dielectric grease. My fobs had it as well. It helps keep moisture off of the battery contacts, and improves conductivity between the battery and battery contacts. Try to keep it if you can.

 

[electrons]

Heima, thanks, OK now I see an Owner's Manual statement on the dielectric grease on the battery. You know, the CR2032 flat batteries could get the conducting-grease blob slowly flowing to the edge of the battery (flows best when hot), allowing current to flow from the "+" side to the "-" side. It looked like the goo was near or on the edges when I looked. .... I've never put dielectric grease inside a Key FOB before. It makes sense. Sparingly, right in the middle.

Another way to avoid getting stranded is to keep a spare CR2032 battery inside the center console, hoping heat won't destroy it there.

Heima, when you said "shows the message "MyKey Active Drive Safely - Speed Limited to 80 MPH"", seems odd. Our cars are speed limited to 84 MPH anyway, so .... not much difference.

 

[Heima]

Sorry Electrons, I think you have me confused with Tinilk.
But I agree, odd it would restrict the speed to only 4 mph less than maximum.
An 80 mph isn't exactly a restriction.

 

[RebaRos99]

I've had the same problem actually, however I was stuck and didn't know what to do

 

[electrons]

I've had the same problem actually, however I was stuck and didn't know what to do

Few knew about placing the key FOB in the bottom of the center console.

From now on, especially with a 5 year old 12v battery in there, I'm going to put one of those small jump-start batteries in the small compartment in the trunk. Also a "fix-a-flat"or the slime-brand spray can for those times you take a nail while out.

Those 2 things, a failed 12v battery or a flat tire, can make you need a rescue.
Other than that, one can hope the other big systems don't fail. We need luck too. AAA membership is useful too.

walmart has some "car jump starter" small batteries for around $30.

 

[campfamily]

Don't forget that if your 12v battery is dead, you can't open the hatch. You'll have to access by folding down the rear seat, then reaching over and getting your charger out of the compartment. Might be quite a reach, made worse if you've got a bunch of stuff in the trunk. When I had my FFE, I carried the jumper under the front passenger seat.

 

[Edwinsjsu]

I have a 2015 FFE and I read the manual but the “No Key Detected” still on display. The 12VDC battery died and now it’s fully charged, reading 12.8VDC. Both passive remote keys not working, tried placing in the middle console but NO LUCK. Please HELP. Thank you.

PS. There’s no round cover panel on the steering to place my key against to so I could try to start the car.

 

[electrons]

I have a 2015 FFE and I read the manual but the “No Key Detected” still on display. The 12VDC battery died and now it’s fully charged, reading 12.8VDC. Both passive remote keys not working, tried placing in the middle console but NO LUCK. Please HELP. Thank you.

PS. There’s no round cover panel on the steering to place my key against to so I could try to start the car.

Looks like the Center Console placement will work on a '15 Focus Electric when the key FOB battery is dead according to the "Security" section of the Owners Manual at http://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/Catalog/owner_information/2015-Focus-Electric-Owners-Manual-version-1_om_EN-US_11_2014.pdf
But this is more complicated than that, and likely not a key FOB battery problem, read on:

At first I'd say just replace the key FOB batteries, but I doubt the FOB batteries are the problem since both are not starting your car. Usually only one CR2032 battery fails at a time.

It's as if the previous 12v battery failure caused the car's internal code it exchanges with key FOBs to be forgotten, as in memory loss or something in a rolling code algorithm is off now.

I read the 2015 owners manual "Security" section (page 64) and it looks like you have to have it towed to a dealership. They do not allow a key FOB to be programmed unless there are already 2 previously working key FOBs. This keeps thieves from easly using any random Ford key FOB on your particular car. Security measure. In fact, I would bring the dealership some proof you own the car. Sounds bizarre, but Security is a thing.

The only Hail Mary play I can think of is to disconnect the 12v battery and reconnect it. That might cause an initialization sequence to happen in the car's computer which might correctly retrieve the stored internal Security codes it exchanges with key FOBs normally. Might work (??).

If you have another Ford car in your fleet, make sure you have the right keys for your particular Focus Electric.

 

[Heima]

so this has me a little stumped.
There are 3 antenna to receive the keyfob ID. One near the driver door, one near the front passenger door, and one at the rear bumper.
if the presence of the keyfob unlocks the door, then shouldn't it also permit the vehicle to be started?
i had the key not detected problem in the past, replaced the fob battery, but still had the problem.
A workaround was to slap the fob between my hands.
The permanent solution was to remove the fob battery, expand the four fingers that contact the battery, so that they put greater pressure on the battery, and then close it all up.
It seems the fingers were just not making good contact with the battery, and after expanding them (be careful not to break them) the problem has not occurred since.

 

[electrons]

so this has me a little stumped.

Actually, this specific problem, by a poster with 1 post, is running up against the strict anti-Theft security Ford has built-in to it's vehicles to prevent a stranger from hopping in somebody's Ford & taking off with it!

If the poster has a real legitimate problem, as in the car's computer "forgot" what the internal security key FOB code is, as is alleged, THEN the only hope is to disconnect the 12v battery and maybe it will cause the computer to retrieve the code properly this time. It could be the previous 12v battery problem mentioned went through off-on-off-on bouncing, creating a possbile software initialization problem. Who knows.

Otherwise the owner needs to tow it to a dealership, prove owership, and they should be able to fix it.

 

[HAPPYVEGHEAD]

I can attest to the the disconnecting/reconnecting the 12 volt battery idea.

We have a 2015 model and have had issues with the 12 volt dying if the car isn't plugged in regularly. The Ford dealer said they resolved the issue the last time we took it in, but it stills happens if it isn't plugged in over a 3 day period which has happened a few times more than I'd like to admit during COVID.

This Monday the 12v battery was dead again, I left the battery hooked up to the car and I charged it for an hour Monday. Power was restored to the vehicle but neither key fob could be detected. I disconnected the battery for 30 minutes while charging the 12v a little longer, and then reconnected it and still neither key fob could be detected. I read something online that said if the 12v wasn't fully charged it might not recognize the key fobs.

Tuesday morning I hooked the battery charger back up and let it charge all day. Still could not detect the fobs that afternoon. I spent an hour changing out batteries in the fobs and searching online when I came across this post. I disconnected the battery again, this time left it disconnected for an hour, and when we hooked it back up it recognized both fobs. During the hour it charged we did log into myfordmobile.com and check alerts and settings, not sure that had anything to do with resolving the issue but wanted to throw it out there just in case.

Hopefully my post helps the next FFE owner that runs into this issue.