Ford F-150 key type: push-button start fob or a key you turn?

Ford F-150 Intelligent Access or a key you turn: one year, two builds

Intelligent Access is Ford's name for the key that stays in your pocket: it works with push-button start, and the key must be inside the truck to start it. Trucks built without it have an ignition switch that you turn with a key.

The 2015 F-150 began the thirteenth generation, which ran through the 2020 model year. The fourteenth generation began with the 2021 model year. Ford's manuals for both generations describe both ways of starting the truck.

How to tell which key your F-150 takes

1. Look at the dash. A START/STOP button means Intelligent Access: you press the brake and the button with the key inside. A key slot you turn through off, accessory, on and start means a key with a blade.
2. Try the door handle. With an Intelligent Access key within about 3 ft (1 m), touching the inside of the front door handle unlocks the door.
3. Look at the key. A key blade that folds out of the remote at the press of a button is the one you turn in the ignition. An Intelligent Access key hides a removable blade inside, for unlocking the door.
4. Check for a remote start button. Remote start is "if equipped", and its button is on the remote. Trucks with it also get a longer remote range.

The VIN settles it. Scan it in Partexia and see the key for that exact truck.

What kind of key is a Ford F-150? Ford's own names

• Intelligent Access key. The push-button start key: it unlocks the doors by the handle and starts the truck while it stays in your pocket. A mechanical key blade inside opens the driver door if the battery is low.
• Integrated keyhead transmitter (flip key). A remote and key in one: the blade starts the truck and locks the doors, the buttons work the remote. Ford's 2021 manual calls it the flip key.
• Standard SecuriLock coded key. A key without the remote. Ford's manual lists it beside the integrated keyhead transmitter as a key you can program to the truck.

All of them are programmed to the truck. Ford says the SecuriLock Passive Anti-Theft System (PATS) helps prevent the engine from starting unless you use a coded key programmed to that truck, so cutting a key is not the whole job.

Watch the word "smart key": Ford's support pages use it for the integrated keyhead transmitter, while many sellers use it for the push-button fob.

MyKey is not a separate key to buy: it is a restricted driving mode programmed onto a key the truck already has. The SecuriCode keypad by the driver window locks and unlocks the doors with a code.

Which one yours takes is in the VIN. Partexia shows it, with the OEM key to order.

F-150 key fob upgrade: can a new fob add features?

No. Intelligent Access and remote start are factory equipment, marked "if equipped" in the owner's manual, and Ford says features vary by model year, trim, options and packages. A fob with a remote start button does nothing on a truck built without remote start, and a truck with an ignition switch starts with a key you turn.

Ford's manual also warns that the passive anti-theft system is not compatible with non-Ford aftermarket remote start systems, which can cause starting problems and a loss of security protection.

Order the key that matches how the truck was built. Partexia reads that from the VIN.

Programming a spare F-150 key: the two-key rule

Ford's owner's manual lets an owner program a spare key at the truck, but only with two previously programmed keys on hand plus the new unprogrammed one. Without two working keys, Ford sends you to a dealer to program the spare.

Order the right OEM key first. Partexia shows it from the VIN.

Where is the VIN on a Ford F-150?

• Through the windshield: on the left front corner of the dash, readable from outside on the driver's side.
• On the driver's door: on the certification label on the door edge or the door post.
• On the vehicle registration and title.

In Partexia, point the camera at the VIN barcode or type the 17 characters.

For locksmiths: Ford F-150 all keys lost

Before you quote, establish:

1. The ignition: START/STOP button (Intelligent Access) or a key you turn.
2. The features: whether the old key worked remote start or the tailgate.
3. The paperwork: Ford keys come with a security label that carries the key cut information. Ask the owner for it.
4. Whether it is really all lost: with two programmed keys, the owner's manual has a procedure to add a spare; with fewer, the new key has to be programmed with your tool or at the dealer.

Then scan the VIN in Partexia for the OEM key part numbers that fit that truck. Programming is a separate step, with your tool or at the dealer.