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Press the Start-Stop Button 120 Times To Disable Factory Mode, Ford Tells Technicians

The Dearborn-based automaker is known to have a couple of reliability issues with some of its vehicles. This was especially true last year when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) pointed out that Ford was America’s most-recalled carmaker both by the number of recalls and affected vehicles. Now, we gain a little insight into why the brand’s units are so… Delicate.
Ford F-150 Raptor Interior 19 photos
Photo: Ford / autoevolution edit
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Do service technicians work hard every single day? Considering that cars are getting increasingly complicated to work on, we can safely say that they do not have it easy. Being a mechanic is no trivial job, and Ford shows us that they must pay attention to a ton of special requests and systems that require a thorough approach.

Besides managing back pain, dealing with flat rate pay, looking out for safety hazards, and talking with difficult customers, mechanics must also face some manufacturer requests that might feel just a tad bit too much at times.

For example, Ford tells service technicians that a vehicle’s Factory Mode deactivation will happen only after the Start-Stop button is pressed 120 times. Unless the brand offers shops a machine that can do this by itself, counting to 120 while pushing the ignition button might become a chore that not even an apprentice would like to do.

This can easily become a contest between mechanics. The one who manages to do it in under two minutes should get at least an extra five-minute break or a free soft drink. It could be lots of fun for some shops who must deal with this regularly. Imagine if someone presses the button 119 times, forgets to push it one more time, and must restart the process… That would not be very productive, to say the least.

Fortunately, the well-known auto brand has not put a timer for this action as it did for turning off Transport Mode. Here, the technician (or the owner) must press and release the brake pedal five times and press the hazard lights button two times in under 10 seconds.

Ford customers whose vehicles come without the push button start have it easier – to deactivate Factory Mode, all they (or their mechanic of choice) must do is cycle the ignition from off to on 60 times.

Even though this picture of Ford’s Professional Technician System shows that this is an up-to-date practice, the whole Factory Mode deactivation ordeal is not something groundbreaking. The American automaker has been telling mechanics and owners that this is the procedure for quite some time now.

For example, we found a General Procedures manual that shows the same process that must be followed for a 2017 Ford Explorer with a 2.3-liter engine. Now you might understand why your new Ford's Start-Stop button may not feel brand-new.

Finally, Factory Mode is generally used by automakers to test the vehicles and to safely transport them to dealers without draining the battery. It also allows the marque’s technicians or service center mechanics to get a better look at more in-depth details that can help with diagnosing a more complicated issue.
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 Download: 2017 Ford Explorer Factory Mode Deactivation Steps (PDF)

About the author: Florin Amariei
Florin Amariei profile photo

Car shows on TV and his father's Fiat Tempra may have been Florin's early influences, but nowadays he favors different things, like the power of an F-150 Raptor. He'll never be able to ignore the shape of a Ferrari though, especially a yellow one.
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