New Ford Transit 2014 onwards Prices and Problems
With all the expertise at Ford, designing a high-quality key should be easy. However, with the new Ford Transit keys, they’ve got it wrong. This looks at Ford Transit keys prices and problems, so when your van key starts to play up, and we think it will, you’ll know why, and what to do.
Ford Transit 2014- Basic Information
The new Transit uses two types of van key. With the old Mk7 they had a problem with the vans getting broken into. This is because the old style of lock was very easy to pick open. Fair play to someone at Ford, they decided to change the style of key to a high-security key.
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Ford Transit Remote Key
We see hundreds of keys, of all different makes and models every month. In our opinion, this is a terrible key in terms of quality. It’s like someone has taken all the common key faults and put them into this one van key. The problems are as follows.
Ford Transit Remote Key Problems
- The Ford Transit key has a rechargeable battery. Although they should be commended for going ‘green’, it doesn’t really work with this van. From what we’re seeing, the batteries inside are already failing, on 2014 vans. This means the batteries are lasting just three years. Now this is fine for an iPhone, but not much good for a second-hand van key. When the key is new, it charges up as the van drives along. Unfortunately, once the battery is past it’s best, the key will not charge up and it needs to be changed.
- The battery is inside a sealed key. When the key’s made, it’s moulded inside. This means that it doesn’t open, and you can’t just change the battery. Now, if you break the key open, it’s possible to solder in a new battery and then put the green circuit board into a new repair case. More of this later.
- The key blade flicks out when the small silver button is pressed. To be more accurate, it flicks out for the first few years and then the flick part no longer works. Now this will depend on how well the key’s been treated. If a private owner has the van it will probably last a lot longer. However, the Ford Custom is a fleet van, the most common van on the road. The keys are passed around between drivers, they are thrown and dropped. This really needed an ultra-tough design, but they didn’t do this.
The Spare Key
The second type of key is the non-remote type that has the transponder chip inside. This type of key is fine, apart from the fact that the keys wear quicker than others we see, and then won’t turn in the ignition. We don’t have any evidence to hand of this, but we’re getting calls about 2014 Ford Transit vans where the keys are very worn, and they need replacing.
Ford Transit Keys Score
Spare Keys
These keys are cheap. If it’s just a spare remote key you need, we think you should be paying from £130- £150, cut and coded.
Ford remote keys used to be the highest quality. However, on this occasion, we think they have fallen short. We’re seeing 2014 vans with faulty keys which means they are lasting 3-4 years. This earns two stars and we think we’re being kind.
When cutting a spare Ford Transit keys, they can be copied with a good quality machine. This is good because theres no need for the key number. In all honesty, a good Auto-Locksmith normally cuts it to code anyway because of any wear to the old key. The problem comes when programming the key on the new shape Ford Transit. The software has changed and unlike the old shape of transit, not everyone has it at the moment. This is simply because of the high price. Therefore, a key-cutting shop may struggle to do this job, as opposed to an Auto-Locksmith. Consequently, we only give it three stars.
Both the dealers and most good Auto Locksmiths will keep these keys in stock. However, the programming is not easy unless the best equipment is used, therefore, finding someone with the software may slow things down.
Lost Keys
When all keys are lost, codes become very important. Ford keep very poor records of key codes. There’s no central database of every vehicle, unlike Vauxhall, Citroen etc. They rely on local dealerships to record the codes when the vehicles are sold.
Consequently, key codes for Ford cars are generally not available. Unfortunately, to cut a key, you need a code. Unlike the dealer, a good Auto Locksmith will unlock a New Ford Transit and cut a key, without a key number. They should also work out the key number and pass it on to you, which will save you time and money in the future, should you need another car key.
Ford score very low on codes, simply because the lack of codes from the dealer, will make it much more difficult to get a key cut.
Lost Keys
The style of lock used on the Ford Transit is difficult to make a key for, unless you have the tools and a lot of experience. Therefore, you may struggle to find someone who can replace lost Ford Transit keys. If the customer has the ‘key number’, then a key can be cut easily. However, we’ve not met an owner that has that number. If they’ve been given it, unfortunately it hasn’t been explained to them how important this little piece of plastic is.
As well as making the key, there’s a problem programming them if they have an alarm fitted. If the alarm is sounding, there may be a problem for anyone, including Ford, to programme a new key. This may increase the cost of losing your keys significantly. If you’ve lost your keys, find a good quality Auto-Locksmith. If you’ve only got one, then get a spare!
We’ve given two stars because you may struggle to find someone good enough to make a new key when they are lost, and Ford cannot do it without the key number.
Overall
They’re not very good keys to need in a hurry! On top of this, they’re the easiest van we see to break into.
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Read about how this problem is messing up people’s lives by clicking here
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