For many drivers, the Ford Ranger is the perfect truck.
When you don’t need the bulk of an F-series, but you need something a little tougher than a car, the Ranger fits right in there. But the anti-theft can be a headache if you don’t know how to reset it.
How do you reset the Ford Ranger anti-theft system?
Simple. Turn the car on and off nine times, leaving the key in the on position. If you hear the doors lock, you’re set.
If that doesn’t work, a hard reset, disconnecting the battery and reconnecting it, will do the trick for just about any make and model ever produced. We’ll get into all of that, plus how your anti-theft system works, down below. So, keep reading.
A Look at the Immobilizer
Anti-theft systems have always comprised of two basic elements: sensors and a response system.
Sensors let your vehicle know when someone’s trying to open it, start it or move it. The response system tries to stop them from doing so.
In the past, these response systems didn’t do much but sound the horn and flash the lights. Effective at giving a thief a headache, but if they really wanted to steal your truck, there wasn’t much your truck could do about it.
These days we have immobilizers. When someone messes with your vehicle, the computer tells the engine not to start until an authorized key, which contains a transponder chip holding a password, is present.
Immobilizers have made plenty of people late for work. But they’ve probably saved billions of dollars in stolen vehicles.
Resetting Your Anti-Theft System
We get it. If you’re on the internet looking for an answer, you’re probably just skimming the article for bullet points that lay it out in plain English.
So, let’s cut to the chase:
- Put the key in the ignition.
- Turn it to the on position, but don’t start the engine.
- Turn it back off again.
- Repeat this process eight times, leaving your key on with the final turn.
If it worked, you’ll hear your doors lock.
And if it didn’t work, you’ll have to do a hard reset.
- Disconnect the negative cable from your truck’s battery.
- Disconnect the positive cable. (Negative-then-positive when disconnecting. Positive-then-negative when reconnecting.)
- Turn the truck on and run the headlights or press the horn in case there’s any lingering energy in the system. Some people recommend letting the vehicle sit for ten minutes, instead, but if you’re trying to get to work on time, you probably don’t want to wait around.
- Reconnect the positive cable.
- Reconnect the negative cable.
The hard-reset trick will work for almost any vehicle ever made. If it has a battery, this will reset anti-theft systems, oil change lights, check engine indicators, everything. So, try the first fix first if you don’t want to program your radio stations again.
Easy Fixes
A great thing about Fords is that they’re built for the DIY mechanic. Not all vehicles are. If you like handling fixes and repairs yourself, make sure you read the Vehicle History and ensure that whatever you’re buying is DIY-friendly.