Ford keys opening other vehicles

[jamiebae]

I'm currently borrowing 2 Ford vans, a 57 plate Transit and an 06 plate Transit Connect so have 2 sets of keys in my pocket and was out in the Connect earlier today. Got back into it and put the key in, turned it but the engine wouldn't start. Tried again a couple of times to no avail, until I realised that I was using the wrong key, of course it then started with the correct key.

I have however realised that the key for the big Transit will unlock the drivers door and rear door of the Connect as well as turning the ignition (but not starting it because of the immobiliser).

This is slightly concerning really, I wonder how many other Fords I can unlock with my keys, and how many other people can open my vans!?

[Chris_w666]

I have 2 fords and at work we have a further 3 Transits, both of my keys open the KA and the transits, and the transit keys are interchangable too.

[va1o]

Very odd, and quite worrying. Perhaps this should be removed in case its seen by the wrong sorts...

[10JH]

I seem to remember Clarkson saying he had an Aston on loan and the key for that opened his wife's Aston too.

Not sure if that was during Ford ownership or not though.

[Ben Hughes]

My Fiesta key can lock other Fords, but not unlock them!

[roscozs]

The keys used on the Transits and Connects are the old style ford Keys and they are rubbish. As soon as they get a bit of wear on them they become useless and will fit most locks. I think have been using that type of key since the late 1980s.

They have changed the key type now to the blade types on all new Ford models which are a bit more secure.

Edited by roscozs on Thursday 24th June 23:50

[davepoth]

Leyland were famous for this - I think with Triumph Dolomites there were only 25 different keys...

[sherman]

I heard from a ford dealer when I was getting my old fiesta serviced that there is only 7 or so different knobbly designs for ford keys. He said it was a nightmare when they were shifting cars round the lot as chances were you could open several cars with the one key but you would then leave that key in a car, lock the car with the right key put it back on the peg and later realise you have left a key in one of the cars but which one.

[sheps]

I remember years ago, various friends and i had a selection of Fords.

Most would open and lock the others cars, some one or the other.

I remember my Cosworth key would only lock the drivers side, and only unlock the passenger side of an Escort gti.

Weird.

[Or888t]

it's recently been discused in the urban myths thread;

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
the old style locks will unlock any warn ford lock with any old ford key. Scary really.

Edited by Or888t on Friday 25th June 01:37

[greggy50]

Ben Hughes said:

My Fiesta key can lock other Fords, but not unlock them!

+1
Friend has a zetec s and locked mine for a laugh not realising keys were still inside :/
Luckily I had a spare in the house....
But it is quite worrying as his is a mk5 and mine is a mk6

[KieronGSi]

Ben Hughes said:

My Fiesta key can lock other Fords, but not unlock them!

Most Ford keys do this.

[NHK244V]

All ford tibbie keys lock any tibbie lock, there's more than 7 combos for them, i've rebuilt more than a few to match up S/H locks to cars, they are pretty crap though and wear in a few years of normal use if the locks arn't graphited at services.

[ymwoods]

Yep my friend has a connect and has a spare key to his GF's KA on his bunch aswell, he managed to unlock his van and (like has just been said earlier) turn the ignition on too, but not start the engine, he thought his van was knackered until he thought he would just try the other Ford key.

[flakeypaul]

When my Orion was stolen and recovered I bought a replacement lock from a scrapyard - once fitted I dicovered that the original key opened the new lock! duuuh!

[thinfourth2]

Old vauxhalls were just as bad

I drove home from working cursing the bugger who had stolen my tape from the radio before realising the reason my tape was missing as it wasn't actually my van

[ymwoods]

thinfourth2 said:

Old vauxhalls were just as bad

I drove home from working cursing the bugger who had stolen my tape from the radio before realising the reason my tape was missing as it wasn't actually my van

BLUMIN HECK! how did that one pan out? You just used someone elses van until you sold it and hoped that he got in yours?

[DickyC]

Sunday afternoon, talking to my neighbour while putting my jacket in the boot of a DB7 Volante on loan from AML for an article. "It must be back on Monday morning before eight," was the only restriction and I'd just slammed the bootlid with the keys in my jacket pocket.

"Got the keys for your Orion, Dave?" "Yes, but..."

The keys for his very elderly Orion opened Aston Martin's very new DB7.

Oh, how we laughed.

[8400rpm]

I had an old 1995 Escort, and the woman who had it before me, was a typical woman and had a MASSIVE bunch of keys and keyrings.

Sure enough, all that weight hanging in the ignition barrel caused it to wear at an accelerated rate. Got to the point when I owned it that I needed to wiggle the key around in order to get it turned. In the end the steering locked jammed on and no amount of key wiggling or jiggling would get the steering lock off.

RAC man showed me how to steal early Fords, getting round the steering lock, which is easy by the way. So had to get a new ignition barrel.

Went in to Ford, who fitted one inside of about an hour, and said sorry we took so long. I thought they'd need to redo all the locks in the car! But nay, existing key worked in new barrel.

[HellDiver]

Ben Hughes said:

My Fiesta key can lock other Fords, but not unlock them!

ALL Ford keys lock all other Fords. Has been the case since they started used those oblongy type keys.