My old lady has a 2014 1.6d , it's having some starting issues, it's a push button start model, 

Get in , push the start button.and she's getting the 'ford key not found ' error message...click the fob , try again , the dash lights up but the car won't start...she's having to go through the ignition cycle 4 or 5 times before the car decides to start....the issue is even worse when the over night temperature drops below zero...then it becomes a real pita to start....even after the ' engine pending start ' and ' engine pre-heating' messages have gone off.

I've very recently put in a brand new EFB battery and replaced the key fob battery and the issue did seem to go away, ( even the stop start function started working, which never has before, she's only the car a little over 12mths).

Once the car has been started, it runs great and starts first time every time....until it's stood overnight again

Are there any know issues / fixes I should be looking at ....am ok on the mechanical side of things but auto electrics scramble my napper

Hi, it's worth checking the key fob battery again.  We're seeing a lot of poor quality ones nowadays, even from big brands.

If not already aware, you can put the fob in a hole on the side of the steering column and that will allow the car to start even without a fob battery.

14 minutes ago, TomsFocus said:

Hi, it's worth checking the key fob battery again.  We're seeing a lot of poor quality ones nowadays, even from big brands.

If not already aware, you can put the fob in a hole on the side of the steering column and that will allow the car to start even without a fob battery.

Hi Tom, thanks for the reply, yeah, I am aware of the column slot and have tried that but the issue is still there....as we only have one working fob, and toying with idea of getting a spare one made and programmed to see if that helps.

I've been told there's some kind of aerial in the car that reads the signal from the key , which has been known to cause starting issues if faulty but I don't know how true that is

Related to @TomsFocus comment, also had issues with "cheap" fob batteries, I THINK the slot in the steering column has that "aerial" and, as said, my understanding is that the car should start with the key inserted, even without a battery in the key fob?
Otherwise there may be an internal fault in immobiliser/wiring?

When you replaced the main battery, hopefully with an identical one did you tell the car (if that is necessary on your model, which I suspect it may?) If it's not charged correctly, that may also be relevant (or not)
The standing/temperature issue is a worry - wiring/earth straps/corrosion/moisture?

The slot in the column reads the proximity chip like a non-keyless key.  If the fault is still present with the fob in the slot then it's a problem with the car, not the key fob.

(Unless it's got a replacement fob, and the locksmith didn't bother to programme in the chip, which is what happened with one of mine, but hopefully not a common occurrence.)

I suspect this is a module issue with either the key module, cluster or BCM, with damp affecting it more overnight.

On 3/27/2025 at 10:39 PM, Shearers said:

Related to @TomsFocus comment, also had issues with "cheap" fob batteries, I THINK the slot in the steering column has that "aerial" and, as said, my understanding is that the car should start with the key inserted, even without a battery in the key fob?
Otherwise there may be an internal fault in immobiliser/wiring?

When you replaced the main battery, hopefully with an identical one did you tell the car (if that is necessary on your model, which I suspect it may?) If it's not charged correctly, that may also be relevant (or not)
The standing/temperature issue is a worry - wiring/earth straps/corrosion/moisture?

I did ask about coding the battery to the car but was advise my old lady's model doesn't need it,....as an update it's now doing it's 'i'm not starting ' thing even when it hasn't been a cold and frosty night 

I have replaced the fob battery again but it's made no difference 

23 hours ago, TomsFocus said:

 

I suspect this is a module issue with either the key module, cluster or BCM, with damp affecting it more overnight.

I'm leaning more towards this being the cause , as I've noticed there's a lot of condensation on the inside of the windows , particularly the front windscreen, every morning , especially following a cold night .

So now I'll be looking for any water ingress now too 😜

A

Looks like we may be approaching a dead end (pun?) until electrical dampness checks on those modules (is this one of those instrument cluster problems?) are carried out and reported back?

Dampness inside - as you say, find the source of that, can it be dried out to see if that helps (heat or dehumidifier?)
If all OK with that, all I can say is are there any fault codes (but may not be appropriate - those more expert will have to confirm?)