Disappointed With 2025 Lariat Key Fobs and Keyless Entry Keypad

[BlackMav23]

Educate me. I thought all Lariats were like my 24 and had intelligent access and not a key pad.

Like the post directly above you had said... It's nice to just lock the keys in the car when hiking or kayaking and not worry about them. It didn't cost much to add it to the vehicle and it's a feature I wish every vehicle had.

But the new keypad is a cheap wireless kind. I'd have gladly paid a few hundred more and waited longer for the type on my 2023.

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[BlackMav23]

I believe the factory installed touchpad was dropped for 2025. Yours probably has a dealer installed one, which they put above door handle. I just bought a used 2022 Lariat that still has the one on door jamb. I used that all the time on my F150 and was glad it was still on the older Mavericks

With I ordered it it said "dealer installed" so I contacted dealer in advance to ask about other options or placing elsewhere. He asked around but quickly got back to me and said they'd all been arriving pre-installed.

 

[Darryl]

I might add that my new Maverick is the first vehicle I’ve owned that I can lock / unlock and start using my watch - how awesome is that

That was a pleasant surprise when I installed Fordpass on my Samsung tablet, and it informed me that it was installing it on my watch also. Now I can have my Truck nice and cool waiting for me when I finish my exercise walks since I don’t usually Carry my phone while I’m excercising

 

[BlackMav23]

That was a pleasant surprise when I installed Fordpass on my Samsung tablet, and it informed me that it was installing it on my watch also. Now I can have my Truck nice and cool waiting for me when I finish my exercise walks since I don’t usually Carry my phone while I’m excercising

I never bother to start the vehicle from the app (I remote start right as I approach the vehicle so I don't drive off immediately after starting) unless it's a very cold night and I want to give the engine a little time to warm up.

That said, if I could do that from my watch I'd do it all the time and just leave the keys in the vehicle always. I don't think my fitbit allows that app. Maybe time to upgrade.

 

[colinl]

I never bother to start the vehicle from the app (I remote start right as I approach the vehicle so I don't drive off immediately after starting) unless it's a very cold night and I want to give the engine a little time to warm up.

That said, if I could do that from my watch I'd do it all the time and just leave the keys in the vehicle always. I don't think my fitbit allows that app. Maybe time to upgrade.

shop carefully if you do want that.

last I checked, only Apple Watch is well supported. on the android side (where I am), Wear OS watches support it but a) I don't own one b) I've heard it's very buggy. Wear OS pretty much means Samsung or Google (Pixel not Fitbit).

 

[HeyBales]

Educate me. I thought all Lariats were like my 24 and had intelligent access and not a key pad.

A Wireless Keypad optional starting 24, no more integrated.

 

[BlackMav23]

shop carefully if you do want that.

last I checked, only Apple Watch is well supported. on the android side (where I am), Wear OS watches support it but a) I don't own one b) I've heard it's very buggy. Wear OS pretty much means Samsung or Google (Pixel not Fitbit).

I appreciate that.

I'm pretty anti-Apple (great build quality) and I think Samsung is well marketed but fairly poorly made. Pixel still super round and bubbly?

I'm neurotically brand loyal to a fault. I'll shop around.

 

[colinl]

I appreciate that.

I'm pretty anti-Apple (great build quality) and I think Samsung is well marketed but fairly poorly made. Pixel still super round and bubbly?

I'm neurotically brand loyal to a fault. I'll shop around.

I can appreciate that, I had a Pebble and Pebble Time, and took advantage of the loyalty discount to get a Fitbit Charge. After the Charge wouldn't hold a charge for at least 2 days, I replaced it with a Versa 2 which was in many ways not really an upgrade.

I'm team Garmin now because my Venu 3 has enough battery life to track 5+ hours of cycling and it does everything I need in a smartwatch, and when I bought it late '23 it had all the best heart monitoring stuff so that's kinda useful as I near age 50.

I would use Fordpass on my watch if Garmin had such a thing, but since they don't, I just use the smartphone app and honestly I'd suggest to same to you and anyone else. Get the smartwatch that makes the most sense for what you need/want. If that supports wearable Fordpass, great, and if not you really aren't missing a lot.

 

[IEZ69]

I might add that my new Maverick is the first vehicle I’ve owned that I can lock / unlock and start using my watch - how awesome is that

Is that an app for your watch?

 

[Dave O]

Is that an app for your watch?

When I downloaded the FordPass app on my iPhone it automatically loaded the app on my Apple Watch I did nothing else

 

[BlackMav23]

I can appreciate that, I had a Pebble and Pebble Time, and took advantage of the loyalty discount to get a Fitbit Charge. After the Charge wouldn't hold a charge for at least 2 days, I replaced it with a Versa 2 which was in many ways not really an upgrade.

I'm team Garmin now because my Venu 3 has enough battery life to track 5+ hours of cycling and it does everything I need in a smartwatch, and when I bought it late '23 it had all the best heart monitoring stuff so that's kinda useful as I near age 50.

I would use Fordpass on my watch if Garmin had such a thing, but since they don't, I just use the smartphone app and honestly I'd suggest to same to you and anyone else. Get the smartwatch that makes the most sense for what you need/want. If that supports wearable Fordpass, great, and if not you really aren't missing a lot.

Garmin is definitely where it's at in terms of GPS for hardcore fitness people... which I'm definitely not.

Pretty sure I have a Fitbit charge 6 (cheap refurbished) currently. So not a true full featured smartwatch. It's funny you mention the charge... it had excellent battery life but I would forget to put it back on after charging and leave it for many days and it would run dead and sit dead and now I think the capacity of the battery is severely diminished. When I first got it I kept it between 40 and 80% battery and it would last at least a week. Now... not so much.

 

[Randorita]

I have the app on my Samsung Galaxy watch, but I usually forget it's there. I just don't think I can leave my keys in the truck. The last time I did that was a rental in Quebec City and we had to call the rental agency to come let us in. Years ago I worked security at a state school and we unlocked many vehicles with our slim jim. Not the snack!

 

[Jimmyland]

This something for the key fobs?

Honestly I'm not looking for massive range... but if I put the fob to my chin in a decent sized grocery store parking lot and click the lock button I should be able to find my vehicle relatively quickly.

Done that myself. Uses your body as an antenna.

 

[Darryl]

I never bother to start the vehicle from the app (I remote start right as I approach the vehicle so I don't drive off immediately after starting) unless it's a very cold night and I want to give the engine a little time to warm up.

That said, if I could do that from my watch I'd do it all the time and just leave the keys in the vehicle always. I don't think my fitbit allows that app. Maybe time to upgrade.

I have a galaxy watch 6 with

shop carefully if you do want that.

last I checked, only Apple Watch is well supported. on the android side (where I am), Wear OS watches support it but a) I don't own one b) I've heard it's very buggy. Wear OS pretty much means Samsung or Google (Pixel not Fitbit).

I have a Samsung Galaxy watch 6 with LTE. So I don’t even need to be near my phone. It automatically installed on my watch when I installed the app on my phone. Not buggy… Yet. So far, so good

 

[Danhedonia]

I've notice the same things as OP with my 25 Lariat AWD Hybrid. Fobs are weak, and did I read somewhere that the horizontal keypads don't have replaceable batteries? When it goes, you have to take off the keypad. That's just gross.

I have a Galaxy 4 watch, will be upgrading soon ... I would say Wear is not a bad OS but it's not a good one, either.

Ultimately some of us have usage patterns where we want to leave the fob in the car - that group is large enough that Ford should support them better (like with a better keypad with a replaceable battery).

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