View CartBeginning about 5 years ago, Ford began switching from a stand-alone keyfob style remote transmitter to a keyhead transmitter for its keyless entry systems.
As an aside, I cannot tell you how many people have told me they hate the new keyhead remotes because they are so honking big and poke holes in their pockets. This is another illustration of why the big US auto companies are always fighting a defensive battle: their engineers are locked away on massive campuses where the only people they ever talk to are themselves and they have no idea what consumers want. Notice that the Japanese automakers introduced keyhead remotes first and have mostly learned what a bad idea they are and have mostly moved forward to proximity remotes that are sleeker, non-pointy and kind of like the original keyfobs. The Europeans were smarter from the start . . . they recognized that it only makes sense to have the key blade and transmitter together if the blade folds away in a switchblade-style remote.
Anyway, the “Did You Know?” part of this entry is that the remote transmitter functions of the first generation of Ford keyhead remotes (those without high-security key blades) can be duplicated by the prior generation of Ford keyfobs. I know lots of Ford F-150 owners who carry the smaller 3-button keyfob to get in and out of their truck and leave their big honking keyhead remote in the console, using it only to start the vehicle. Is this a slightly added security risk? You bet it is, but it is better than carrying one of those keyhead remotes around in your pants pocket all day.
