Ford Fiesta fob won't disable immobiliser

[Sophie94]

So I just went out to my car and the fob wouldn't unlock it. I tried my spare and still nothing. Changed the battery and still nothing. 

I can open the car with the key but obviously it sets the alarm off! 

Any ideas what this could be and how much it will cost to fix? 

Thanks in advance!! 

[Tdci-Peter]

4 hours ago, Sophie94 said:

the fob wouldn't unlock it. I tried my spare and still nothing. Changed the battery and still nothing. 

There is a simple procedure in the owners manual to re-program the remote controls. When changing a fob battery, it sometimes gets de-programmed.

If you do not have the manual, see: http://m.ford.co.uk/OwnerServices/Owners-Manual?selectedYear=2011&selectedModel=Fiesta+(2008)

(Page 30 in the mid-2011 manual)

I assume the key will start the car ok? If so, it is not an immobilser problem, that is an almost completely separate system. The alarm is enabled & disabled by the central locking & remote fobs. The immobiliser is de-activated on turning on the ignition using a key that contains a valid PATS chip (separate from the remote control).

If the programming procedure fails, then there may be a problem with the remote control receiver in the car. Refer to the manual to see if there are any relevant fuses for it. If all that fails, then it may be a garage job.