Ford removes popular security feature from the F-150

08/31/2024 11:23
Ford removes popular security feature from the F-150

It will run you $455.

America’s best-selling vehicle will lack a familiar feature in its 2025 model—unless you’re willing to pay extra.

The SecuriCode keypad, which let Ford F-150 owners lock or unlock their vehicle without keys and which has been a standard feature on the truck for decades, will become a dealer option that will cost an additional $455, according to Ford Authority.

“SecuriCode is available for any 2025 F-150 customer as a dealer-installed option, or customers can use FordPass to lock and unlock the doors and more,” the company said in a statement to Fortune.

SecuriCode debuted in 1980 and went on to become a familiar sight on many Ford and Lincoln vehicles, especially trucks. It has been removed from other lines already, but the F-150 kept it.

By entering a code, people could enter the vehicle, though they were not able to operate it. That delineation in an era of fobs and virtual keys on people’s phones gave F-150 owners a layer of security. It also let them allow someone to enter their truck without having to dig their keys out of their pocket.

The SecuriCode will remain standard on the 2025 Lincoln Corsair SUV.

While automotive technology comes and goes and becomes outdated in some cases, manufacturers have been attempting to monetize vehicles more and more in the past few years.

Mercedes, at one point charged owners of its Mercedes-EQ EQE and Mercedes-EQ EQS electric cars $1,200 per year for faster acceleration of their vehicles. (The feature did not require any sort of physical upgrade as the car was factory equipped with the capability of this 20%-24% performance improvement, but Mercedes-Benz locked it behind a pay wall.)

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