Hi all

I have a Ford Focus 2011 hatchback..

This past week, when I lock my door with the fob or key the red immobiliser symbol starts flashing/blinking.. {its a red uppercase i symbol} If left overnight the battery goes compleatly flat. 

I have replaced the car battery and im still having the same problem.. I have today, took it to a mecanic who ran a dianostics check, and it came back saying the only fault i had was a steering column module problem and its not the reason for the flashing light..

He's not sure why the red information light is still flashing.. Im having to leave my car unlocked in the evenings because i dont want a flat battery every morning.. having looked through a few forums im pretty cartain its the immobiliser thats the problem.

I have attached a photo of the flashing light in question for everyone to see.{Its not from my car, but its the same light as in my car} 

how do i fix this problem?   Is it possible just to remove the fuse for the immobiliser? What is the best solution? 

Im due to drive to london in the nxt 10 days so i deffinatly need it fixing by then as ill need to lock my car whilst in london..

Im not mecanically minded, so i would appreciate any help that anyone has that can help me.. 

Thank you in advance to anyone who can help

 

Lee

Hi,

You can't just remove a fuse for the immobiliser.  Otherwise every thief would just do that to steal them.

The car should only be looking for the immobiliser chip when you turn the key in the barrel.  (Assuming it's not keyless).  So this could be a fault with the ignition switch, fitted behind the key barrel.  Though if there aren't any other dash lights staying on that seems less likely.

The common fault with these is often the the dash cluster itself.  I think I would remove that and have it tested & checked for broken solder before going any further.

The flashing red "I" is telling you to read the message in the information panel. 

Use the menu select control and scroll to information and it will have a message which will tell you why the "I" is flashing. 

2 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

Hi,

You can't just remove a fuse for the immobiliser.  Otherwise every thief would just do that to steal them.

The car should only be looking for the immobiliser chip when you turn the key in the barrel.  (Assuming it's not keyless).  So this could be a fault with the ignition switch, fitted behind the key barrel.  Though if there aren't any other dash lights staying on that seems less likely.

The common fault with these is often the the dash cluster itself.  I think I would remove that and have it tested & checked for broken solder before going any further.

Hi Tom.

Thanks for your reply. My car is keyless and therefore doesn't have a barrel..

I will look into the dash cluster.

Thanks once again 

Lee

2 hours ago, unofix said:

The flashing red "I" is telling you to read the message in the information panel. 

Use the menu select control and scroll to information and it will have a message which will tell you why the "I" is flashing. 

Thanks for the info,  I will try that shortly. 

I'm pretty certain I've done that already during the week, albeit i will check again. 

 

Lee

37 minutes ago, lee009 said:

Hi Tom.

Thanks for your reply. My car is keyless and therefore doesn't have a barrel..

I will look into the dash cluster.

Thanks once again 

Lee

As it's keyless, it uses a different system.

Was the fault code for the steering lock module rather than steering column module?

27 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

As it's keyless, it uses a different system.

Was the fault code for the steering lock module rather than steering column module?

I've just messaged the mechanic and he said its a steering module problem and that needs replacing.. he didn't specify steering lock or steering column..

12 minutes ago, lee009 said:

I've just messaged the mechanic and he said its a steering module problem and that needs replacing.. he didn't specify steering lock or steering column..

Ok.  That doesn't help much then.  The steering lock is electronic on these because there's no physical key barrel to lock it.  The lock is released when the car senses the keyfob inside (and the clutch is pressed), which is the same time that the immobiliser gets disarmed.  It is possible that a steering lock fault could cause an immobiliser warning.

I think it would be best to read the Ford specific fault codes using Forscan before having the cluster tested now.

3 hours ago, unofix said:

The flashing red "I" is telling you to read the message in the information panel. 

Use the menu select control and scroll to information and it will have a message which will tell you why the "I" is flashing. 

 

Just now, lee009 said:

 

Hi 

I've just tried whst you suggested and I've had no joy.. thanks for the suggestion..

 

53 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Ok.  That doesn't help much then.  The steering lock is electronic on these because there's no physical key barrel to lock it.  The lock is released when the car senses the keyfob inside (and the clutch is pressed), which is the same time that the immobiliser gets disarmed.  It is possible that a steering lock fault could cause an immobiliser warning.

I think it would be best to read the Ford specific fault codes using Forscan before having the cluster tested now.

Cheers for that. 

 

I will keep you informed along the way. 👍🏻