Battery drained out - PATS malfunction

2003 FORD MUSTANG
17,000 MILES • 0.5L • V6 • RWD • AUTOMATIC
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JAY POLASKI
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
I left my keys in the ignition overnight and my car battery drained out. When I tried to start in the morning the alarm went off so I disconnected the battery and charged it and reconnected it back to my car. now it appears that the passive anti-theft system will not let my car turn over.

Does anyone know how to reset this without going to a Ford dealer? I do not believe it is a broke PCM or ECU problem. my car is in immaculate shape and has extremely low miles. It worked fine until I let my battery drain out last night. Now the battery is charged and it cranks but will not turn over.
Aug 25, 2017 at 2:08 PM
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STEVE W.
  • ✓Experienced Mechanic
  • 15,385 POSTS
Yeah that sounds like the anti-theft in action. First thing to try is to put only the correct key in, the PATS system can get confused if you have three or three transponder keys (or things like speed-pass or other transponder type items) on the key ring.

This is a generic guide for resetting the system.
https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-reset-a-security-system
Aug 25, 2017 at 2:41 PM
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