Resolving Ford Starting Issues: A Ford Custom Case Study

Reported Issue

We received a call from a lady who had been recommended to us by the RAC. They had gone out to her 2016 Ford Custom that was only starting intermittently and they had diagnosed that a new key is needed. When the van did not start, the dash was saying “immobiliser active”.

First Impressions

This is a common issue with some Ford models, where the aerial around the ignition needs replacing. The failure of this small part stops the key signal being received by the vehicle. We go out to many vehicles suffering from this problem each year.

How We Reacted

Upon receiving her emergency call, we arranged for our Locksmith to attend to diagnose the issue. Before going out, the customer was given a quotation based on what the costings would be for all the possible scenarios, so that there were no cost surprises.

The Outcome

Our Locksmith supplied and fitted a new aerial with our same day call out service and the customer was happy that she was able to use her vehicle again, using her original key. No towing was required as we offer fast onsite services.

The Key System Behind the Fault

The 2016 Ford Transit Custom (the first-generation van) runs Ford’s PATS immobiliser. The key is an HU101 high-security blade paired with an ID63/Hitag transponder chip, and a small antenna, or aerial, ring sits around the ignition barrel and reads that chip every time you start the van. When the aerial coil fails, the immobiliser simply cannot “see” the chip — even though the key itself is perfect — so the dash shows immobiliser active and the engine cranks but will not fire. That is exactly why the RAC’s “needs a new key” diagnosis was a red herring: replacing the aerial ring restored the reader and the customer’s original key worked again, with no recoding needed.

If you drive a Transit Custom with starting or key trouble, our Ford Transit Custom key replacement page covers the van in detail, our wider Ford key replacement service handles every model, and a set of replacement van keys kept as a spare means a single failure never takes the van off the road.