At least in your case (and mine), the thief would need to locate the actual key to steal the truck. If you leave a fob in the vehicle, the only thing they need to locate is the start switch on the dash. I like the idea of the fob for ease of use, but if I had one I'd never leave it in the vehicle.

Our area just had several vehicles broken into and/or stolen over the weekend. Most were unlocked, many had keys left in them. Why don't people take two seconds to take their keys and lock up what it likely their second largest investment beyond their home? Most car thieves are not "Gone in 60 Seconds" pros, they are young adults looking for an easy score.

 

We had some break-ins a few years back. People wanted gates installed on our development, and security cameras on poles. Then it turned out that every single "break-in" was in fact a simple "open the door, I left it unlocked for you, and I left my wallet/purse/computer in plain site".

You can't cure stupid.

 

Haha. My neighborhood is in the exact same boat this year. Not sure why people thought the HOA could just put up cameras on publicly owned light poles, for a few hundred bucks (so their monthly dues wouldn't go up), and how that would stop thieves. Our neighborhood literally has people on camera (homeowners cameras) walking up to vehicles and checking doors. If they were locked they simply walked to the next house. It has been proven time and time again that cameras are no longer a deterrent, and the cops rarely catch someone after the fact, even with camera footage. Simply keeping things out of sight and locked up is the number 1 theft deterrent.

Now in this case, I can see a time for locking a fob in a safe within the vehicle, so long as the frequency is blocked and the vehicle cannot be started. I cannot see the time and place for using this option though to be nightly.

 

They wanted to put the gates up in our development, but couldn't answer the following questions:

- What stops a person from walking around the gates, and through all the yards that border other yards / roads?

- What stops a vehicle from hugging the bumper of the vehicle in front of them?

- The Sheriff's office says that unless the video shows a crime being committed, they cannot use it to apprehend anyone. A video of a vehicle entering the development just before a house/vehicle was broken into gives them no right to do anything. So what does a camera at the entrance do?

- Why are people leaving vehicles unlocked, and leaving wallets/purses/laptops in plain site? How do gates or cameras fix that problem?

The capper was the fire chief explaining how response would be slowed by minutes, because they had to stop, turn their master key in the box, then startup again up a hill. Of course our speedbumps already slow response, no one asked about that years back...

We had some house break-ins years back, and around the area also. During the daytime. House next door to ours was entered while my son was mowing the lawn. No one saw or heard anything. Of course the owner didn't put on their alarm "because it was daylight". Can't fix stupid. Person was caught, drug users looking for cash. Quiet for years now.

 

That is totally possible about the thief just having to locate the start button but the odds of someone getting into your truck and then realizing its a PBS and on a whim trying to push that button are beyond slim.

Cameras dont deter and if anything make it more aggravating. Theres no worse feeling being violated and then watching him do so on camera.

 

Cameras are useful. The last time we had somebody going around entering autos (not breaking in, "entering auto" as they were unlocked), several people had distinct footage of their vehicle after the first night and everybody was on the lookout for that vehicle, so their spree was limited to the one night. The criminals aren't always stupid. They see enough cameras when they go out that night, they leave the area for good while and that in itself limits your specific neighborhood's (and maybe neighboring) exposure

That's what it's like here

Periodically somebody or small group makes their way through several subdivision overnight and "breaks into" a bunch of cars, stealing wallets, phones, tablets, house keys, GUNS, cash, Christmas presents...and at least 95% of them were left unlocked and of those most had their valuables visible through the window.

People truly are stupid.

And when I get on the local social media group and respond with "please lock your vehicles" they get all pissed off and screech and attack and insult me because they "shouldn't have to" lock their doors.

Yeah.

Okay.

But you DO.

Always have, always will. Unless you live in a tiny *** community where everybody knows everybody on a first name basis and you trust all of them, or something else utopian...lock your damn doors and don't leave the keys in the vehicle even locked it will end up driving away.




Also, while on the topic-ish, please do not leave your garage door opener in your car with the door from your garage to your house unlocked, and no alarm on the house. I mean...you'd think this would be obvious, but, our neighbor had a stranger trying to go into their kitchen this way.

Like. Come on people, an ounce of prevention

 

I left mine in my truck before when we went tubing down a river. Put it in a spot in the rear opposite the start button and it could not read it to start the truck. I tried it a few times and the key fob needed to be closer for my push button to start.

 

There are a fair number of choices, some specially fit for F150's even, of 'gun safes' or other valuables safes, that you can somewhat-secure inside the cab. Locking boxes with cables to tether to the seat frame, built in console vaults, under the rear seat lock boxes that are bolted down, etc.

My personal recommendation, which I suppose is worth what you're paying for it, is if you actively plan to leave your truck's key inside the truck somewhere, is to install one of those safes or lock boxes in the cab, keep some aluminum foil in it, and store the fob in there, wrapped in the foil so the truck cannot see it.

And don't disable the battery management system, so we don't have to hear about how you left something turned on and your battery died and now you can't get into the truck cab at all to open the hood to jump it

 

In this case I have a feeling the solution to isolating the key defeats the purpose of Junior's habits.

If I am guessing, the push button start means for the kid that Ford intended us to never actually carry a key. We enter the vehicle with the key pad (that never fails), push the button and drive to our favorite place. Close the door behind us, lock it with the touch pad, repeat.

Isolating the key in the vault is a pain -kid has to use a key to unlock the vault, unwrap the key then drive. Rewrap the key and lock the vault.

I get it, it's nice to never carry the key. Chances are, junior isn't carrying the vault key in his pocket either. I can see this vehicle being a totally keyless endeavor. I park in a garage. The door is controlled by push button on my visor. Who needs a key! As a matter of fact -I don't even carry keys because I use the door opener to gain entry to my home. If not for the stupid smart key, I'd walk out have really only have to grab my phone (should leave my wallet in the rig too, it's useless sitting on my kitchen counter!).

 

Then you can use your spare key to unlock it lol