Multiple burglaries using keyless entry with keypad code

[jbooth]

If the items they take are random then it is probably a teen. A teen would bang on the code long enough to find it too.

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[Mach1E]

If the items they take are random then it is probably a teen. A teen would bang on the code long enough to find it too.

Teens must be different where you live.

Around here, teens have attention spans that can only be measured in nanoseconds.

We do have teenagers that break into cars around here. But they aren’t sophisticated. They just walk up the street and check every door handle to see which cars are unlocked. Plenty of ring doorbell videos showing that.

Next most common is the “smash and grab” group. They don’t care about alarms or video cameras. Hoodie + mask + window hammer and they take anything they find.

The serial car thieves/robbers have the scanners and copy your signal either when you park near your house (they can get it through a wall) or when you use your remote.

 

[Mach-Lee]

@ECharge729 Question - have you looked for fingerprints on the key code area? I would wipe it down and look for fingerprints carefully with a bright light every time I entered. If you get an intact print, not sure if law enforcement could help.

Also not sure if this has been tried yet, but I would have done a master reset on the vehicle and changed my FordPass password by now.

 

[JryErok]

This keypad only has 5 buttons, so there is only 3125 unique combinations

The code has 7 digits so there are actually 78,125 possible combinations.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

The code has 7 digits so there are actually 78,125 possible combinations.

US cars (and possibly Canada) have only 5 digit codes, hence the number he was using. EU, EEA and U.K. cars have 7 digit codes, which is far more sensible.

 

[Shayne]

US cars (and possibly Canada) have only 5 digit codes, hence the number he was using. EU, EEA and U.K. cars have 7 digit codes, which is far more sensible.

Yes 5 # door code on mine. 5 to 7 #'s would be a difference of about 15 bits to 20 bits. Not approaching 128 bit encryption yet. After we are gone it will be 256

Stealing it here I think it would have to come from down south as it is all still new and unknown up here. Not a huge market for the parts. That is a cop and ford problem to deal with I am insured and do my best. Not even sure it will let me in as paak has worked fine for awhile now. Not worrying to much up here about that. The winds, rains, temperature and changes in the habitat, fields and forest is noticeable. Worry will do nothing there either.

 

[Motomax]

I live in California so I don’t leave anything of value in my car. I would much rather they use a digital way of entering my car vs smashing a window haha.
It’s pretty much impossible to know for sure how they gain access. Sometimes back doors or a specific flaw is identified then thieves go to town on that specific vehicle. Several years back nearly every charger/c300 was being broken into because of a crappy lock cylinder. Most people had no idea their car got broken into unless they tried to use the physical key and wondered why it no longer worked lol. The Kia usb trend is another one lol. At one point F250 were being stolen like crazy.

 

[ipca204]

If the items they take are random then it is probably a teen. A teen would bang on the code long enough to find it too.

Ummmmm, what part of IL do you live in?I am in IL too and the teens here have an average attention span of about 12 seconds at best...
I worked in a high school for over 30 years and will guarantee you that no teen EVER will be trying key codes on a mach e just because they want to rummage through the car...

 

[ChehRob]

trail cam

I would collect a couple trespasses before I took all of the evidence to police again.

 

[Mach1E]

Ummmmm, what part of IL do you live in?I am in IL too and the teens here have an average attention span of about 12 seconds at best...
I worked in a high school for over 30 years and will guarantee you that no teen EVER will be trying key codes on a mach e just because they want to rummage through the car...

And imagine how many times in that 8 hours they lose count and have to start over.

Just make your code 99871 or something like that so people give up way before getting that high in the number sequence. ?

 

[KadeBR]

I honestly don't believe it's the right argument to make here as it does not solve the problem or answer questions in the post ?

8 hours is only needed if you want to go through literally ALL available combinations. If you only wanted to spend 2 hours, you could still go through 25% of those which has a pretty good chance of guessing someone's factory code in my book.

Moreover, you are not trying to guess the code for a chance to search the car a few times. You are guessing this code for a chance to have unlimited access to the car without the owner ever knowing about scanning or accessing the car in future because the factory code cannot be changed or disabled and because the car would not give owners any notifications or store any access logs.

Mines a 5 digit code not four?

 

[RickMachE]

Already said this, but...

Take car to dealer. Have them:

1) verify how many fobs are stored.
2) remove all fobs, then add back your 2.

This prevents anyone that cloned your fob from entering. Then take steps to prevent future cloning.

 

[ipca204]

Already said this, but...

Take car to dealer. Have them:

1) verify how many fobs are stored.
2) remove all fobs, then add back your 2.

This prevents anyone that cloned your fob from entering. Then take steps to prevent future cloning.

HOW is that going to solve the problem???? They are USING THE FACTORY CODE TO ENTER VIA THE KEYPAD! Op is adamant that is the issue (even though everyone else knows it is not)

 

[Just Lurking]

1) verify how many fobs are stored.

Presumably the results of this step will indicate if the FOB has been cloned, right? If the OP's two keys are the only ones stored then the mystery will deepen.

Agree this is the logical next step, but I want a trail camera to catch the perp in the act to find out why! Would be interesting to find out whether an unhoused person got access to a FOB cloning device purely for the purpose of finding cars to sleep in.

 

[RickMachE]

Presumably the results of this step will indicate if the FOB has been cloned, right? If the OP's two keys are the only ones stored then the mystery will deepen.

Agree this is the logical next step, but I want a trail camera to catch the perp in the act to find out why! Would be interesting to find out whether an unhoused person got access to a FOB cloning device purely for the purpose of finding cars to sleep in.

No.

A clone is an exact duplicate. If you clone a key, you can make a dozen of them.

Unique keys are stored in the vehicle's systems. OP got one key with his used vehicle. Then they made him a 2nd key. So memory should show 3 unique keys.

If they cloned his existing keys, when they delete them and then add his two back, they are again unique (and different). So if someone cloned his key a month ago, the same fob won't work today because it was deleted, then added back.

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