Driving Without FOB

I left truck warming in driveway and walked inside with fob. It did its usual beep letting me know its running. Wife got in (her fob inside the house 30 yards away) and drove the truck inside garage and parked it without fob in cab.

Are these trucks supposed to be able to drive without a fob in the cab?

2017 DCSBOR

 

Yes they can. The dash will tell you "key not detected," but once it's started with the fob, anyone can drive away without it.

I think they designed it that way to get you home even if the key battery is dying.

 

As your wife is involved I’m hesitant to touch this topic. Disclaimer leave the keys in it for her.

Yes they do not need the keys to drive just to start.

You see the conundrum.

 

Once it’s started what good is the FOB, until shut it off and need to start it back up. I am sure there is a certain range, I read stories of folks needing to put the FOB in the freezer to stop thieves from taking their vehicles.

 

Dont worry.
Doesnt seem so smart for the smart key system to allow driving without the fob?

 

They all do. I bet the focus groups found people were more pissed to have it shut off automatically and drain the battery. Or some lawyers calculated the odds of lawsuits with it stalling while driving.

 

The key dying and getting home part makes sense. Annoying part for me here in winter land is not being able to easily warm truck in driveway and lock it. It will not stay locked if you open door and lock it and shut door etc. FOB will not lock doors from outside when its running. Only trick I found is to roll down window, get out, push lock from outside thru open window and then pull up on auto roll up window switch (dont get arm caught). The. you have to use physical key to enter as the fob will no longer unlock when its running and locked.
Smart key button starting and touch door handle unlock is handy, but man I miss the ol regular physical key.

 

yes, boosting the fobs is real.

 

Yes that's the downside of keyless systems - warming the vehicle unattended. There's a bunch of people here who gripe nonstop about how their aftermarket remote start will shut down the engine as soon as they open the door... Its because the remote start guys don't want to be held liable for the easy theft of the truck, just as Toyota doesn't want liability for killing the ignition during a possible situation when you need it the most. The winter warmers and the summer coolers are forced to put up with that compromise if they want keyless unfortunately.

 

Happy my truck has a normal key.

 

Yep. Jealous that my '19 doesn't. I miss the regular keys.

 

Wish mine had the normal key, is it an option when you get any of these trucks? Or is there only certain models that still have a real key ?

 

Manual for the win

 

I learned that there are tin boxes they sell tea in from like tazo or something that work great as a box that does not let the signal in. Costs like 3 bucks and you get some tea out of the deal. I am going to make a nice box out of walnut and epoxy the tea box inside it and voila, key box for the fobbers. My wife thinks I am crazy but what do I know right???

 

Just a little bit of crazy going on there

 

My remote start on my Super Duty would lock the doors and roll up the windows before it went into the start cycle.

 

So would you rather the vehicle shut off in motion lose power steering and crash because it is too far away from the fob?

 

Never. Heard of that

 

That doesn’t happen.

 

You should have got a Lower optioned vehicle.