Ford's New Pet Mode Is Coming Soon, Will Be on Key Fobs

We’re not saying Ford got its idea from Tesla, but it seems like it did. Fortunately, the Michigan-based automaker thought really hard about it and made the whole thing better than what Elon Musk’s company offers today.

The new Pet Mode will come soon enough for all owners who want to have their furry friends safely waiting for them. It’s a blessing in disguise for those who don’t want to leave their dogs, cats, hamsters, rabbits, ferrets, or parrots home alone.

According to a recently disclosed United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) filing, Ford is planning on creating a “comfortable environment for a pet” by letting the vehicle computer change a couple of settings while the owner is away and the function is activated.

Ford says, “pets enrich our lives in many ways, and keeping pets comfortable and safe is important.” The carmaker also points out that transporting a pet in a vehicle can be difficult. “Although some pet owners simply put their pet in a cage in the back of a vehicle, others wish to provide better conditions,” the American manufacturer adds in its patent filing. Ford thought about these “other” owners and created Pet Mode.

For starters, Pet Mode will find itself on key fobs that’ll allow manual activation. Once pressed, the car can start lowering the windows, adjust the sunroof for adequate ventilation, change the recline position of the back seats for more room, adjust the temperature and the level of ventilation, change the type of audio or video being played and even activate the child locking mechanism.

Pet Mode allows changing everything you want

If you have a smart dog that tends to follow you everywhere and has learned how to open the doors, then it’ll be sad to find out you got a new Ford with Pet Mode. At the same time, this new function can even lock the electronic window switches. This is especially useful since we know people who had their beloved pets missing because they got impatient and unknowingly opened one car window and jumped out of the vehicle.

Pet Mode will be represented very cutely by a paw icon on the key fob, so it will be easy to recognize and use. It feels like a follow-up to the new tailgate design with an integrated dog ramp.

Finding ourselves in 2022, Ford will also offer its customers the choice to activate Pet Mode using a phone. Unlike the simple key fob, this being an app will mean users can change settings exactly how they wish. You’ll be able to adjust what settings modify when you activate Pet Mode. If you don’t want to recline the seats or have the windows open, then you can just untick that function and it won’t happen.

Ford is surely planning something big here for its future models, since Pet Mode will be able to even offer your furry or feathery friend fresh, cool water from a hydration system.

Owners will also be able to select the function of opening or closing doors when Pet Mode is on.

Pet Mode is also smart

Ford’s Pet Mode won’t be available only for the times when you leave an animal in your car because it will offer you the possibility of changing so many useful things that you’ll end up using it even when you travel with your dog or cat. You can prepare your car in advance for taking the cute animal with you, but you’ll be able to also cancel the modifications once you arrived at your destination. Everything would calmly reset. Chairs would go up if you wanted to have them sitting flat for more space while driving. Windows would close and temperature would also come back to previous levels.

As the USPTO filing shows, Fords with Pet Mode will also have sensors that will check if a pet is still in the car. If it’s not detected after the car’s been locked, then it’ll automatically disable the function and return to previous settings.

It goes the other way around, too. If the owner is in a hurry and forgets to activate Pet Mode, sensors will check the car. If an animal is found, then it’ll change various settings based on what the owner decided beforehand or depending on the weather outside. It won’t heat up the cabin in the summer by itself.

We like this system and if Ford ends up doing Pet Mode as described in the patent filing, then it will be a great thing to have. It will surely become a hit. The carmaker not only thought about the comfort of our pets, but also about the human clumsiness.