Keys are an important part of your vehicle, they help you get in it, they help you start it, and they help you drive it.
So, what happens when you do not have a key? You can start your Ford F-150 without a key if you follow these steps.
How do you start a Ford F-150 without keys?
Over time, the mechanisms inside the ignition can become worn. Because of this, it may be possible to start your F-150 with just a flat head screwdriver. However, this trick only applies to models with a traditional key, not a push-button start.
Though most people are not out there trying to start their cars without their keys, there are some cases in which you might need to start your truck without the key. We are here to help you figure out how to do that and to figure out why you might need to do so.
Why Does My Truck Start Without a Key?
The starter of any car is made with a series of grooves and ears that help to match the key to the vehicle. These ears and notches may wear down over time which makes it possible for the starter to engage, even with a key to turn it.
Not all trucks are going to work this way, but there are certainly some that will start without a traditional key, so to speak.
You do still need something to put into the ignition to get enough traction to turn the starter, but if you have a truck that has these busted or missing ears your truck will start without a key.
Knowing how to do this can be a good thing when in the right hands, but for some, this is a surefire way for your truck or vehicle to get stolen and driven off, even if the culprit does not have the key.
How to Start Your Ford F-150 Without a Key
The easiest way to start a Ford F-150 without a key is to use a flat-head screwdriver as leverage. You simply put the flat head of the screwdriver into the ignition and turn it as you would your normal key.
If your truck is one of the aforementioned trucks that has a broken ear or a starter that does not have the grooves and ear all intact, it will start with the screwdriver being used as a “key.”
If this does not work or if your truck is a newer model that does not require an actual physical key to start, you are likely going to have a remote to start your vehicle. If you lose that remote you can always use equipment that helps to capture the signal that the remote would send to the vehicle.
If you cannot start the truck with a flat-head screwdriver or with any sort of device that helps with keyless start, you can also break the steering pin in the steering wheel.
This will free the steering wheel and allow you to steer the vehicle, but it will not start the ignition. This is handy if you have a car that has a dead battery and the steering wheel is locked and you cannot unlock it with the key to get it to move.
Why Might You Need to Start Ford F-150 Without the Key?
There are any number of reasons that you might be trying to start your vehicle without the key in your possession. You might have lost it and just need to get somewhere desperately, so desperately in fact that you do not have the time or the patience to wait for a tow company to take your vehicle to the shop to have a new key made.
You may have broken the key and are just using the vehicle to get around your personal property and cannot justify the expense and trouble that it would take to get a new key. Whatever your reasons are for wanting to start a truck without a key, these steps will help you do so with some ease.
When it comes to owning any sort of car, it is always best to have resources on your side that help you to learn what you need to know quickly and easily. Vehicle History is just such a resource. With a huge range of information at your fingertips Vehicle History can help you learn all you need to know about your Ford F-150.
