Ford’s 2025 F-150 manual calls for a CR2450 in the remote of trucks with push button start, and a CR2032 in the flip key and the Police Responder remote. The Escape (New Zealand edition) and Explorer (electric, UK edition) manuals each give a CR2032.
Which Ford and key?
The battery it takes
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Ford remote batteries by model
| Model and key | Battery | Which way up |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 F-150, push button start | CR2450 | Positive (+) side facing upward |
| 2025 F-150, flip key | CR2032 | Positive (+) side facing up |
| 2025 F-150 Police Responder | CR2032 | As the symbols inside the remote show |
| Escape (New Zealand edition) | CR2032 | Positive (+) side facing downward |
| Explorer (electric, UK edition) | CR2032 | Positive (+) side facing upward |
Each manual says “or equivalent” after the battery. The Escape row is from Ford’s New Zealand edition and the Explorer row from the UK edition of the electric Explorer’s manual, not the gas Explorer’s. Check the code on the old battery if your Ford was sold elsewhere or isn’t listed.
How to change it, in Ford’s steps
From the 2025 F-150 manual, for the remote in trucks with push button start:
- Push the release button and pull the key blade out.
- Twist a thin coin under the tab hidden behind the key blade head to take off the battery cover.
- Carefully lift the old battery out with a screwdriver.
- Fit the new battery, + side up, then put the battery cover and the key blade back.
The F-150’s flip key opens differently. Press the button to release the key blade, push the clip with a screwdriver to release the battery cover, then lever the battery out with the screwdriver, without touching the battery contacts or the printed circuit board. In the Police Responder’s remote, a thin coin twisted in the slot near the key ring takes off the cover: leave the rubber cover and circuit board in the front housing, and press the new battery down until it’s fully seated.
In the Escape (New Zealand edition), press and hold the buttons on the edges of the transmitter to take off the cover, remove the key blade, then part the two halves of the remote by twisting a screwdriver between them. In the Explorer (electric, UK edition), pull out the key blade, put it into the slot and push to take off the cover.
All three manuals say not to wipe off any grease on the battery terminals or on the back of the circuit board.
Starting with a dead Ford key
A passive key battery with no charge is one reason the engine won’t crank, the 2025 F-150 manual says. When the system doesn’t detect a passive key and the engine won’t start, it has you use the backup slot: take the mat out of the center console cupholder, or in a truck without a center console raise the storage compartment lid. Place the remote in the backup slot with its buttons facing the rear of the vehicle, press the brake pedal and press the push button ignition switch.
The Escape (New Zealand edition) manual says to remove the rubber mat and place the passive key in the backup position its picture shows, buttons facing upward. In the Explorer (electric, UK edition), place the remote in the floor console storage tray with the buttons facing upward, then hold the brake pedal and press the push button start.
Keep coin batteries away from children
Ford’s manuals warn to keep batteries away from children to prevent ingestion, and to seek medical attention immediately if one is swallowed. If the battery compartment doesn’t close securely, stop using the remote, keep it away from children and replace it as soon as possible. The Escape (New Zealand edition) and Explorer (electric, UK edition) manuals add that the battery can cause severe or fatal injuries in two hours or less if swallowed or placed inside any part of the body.
The National Capital Poison Center says that if anyone swallows a battery, immediately call the 24-hour National Battery Ingestion Hotline at 1-800-498-8666 or your poison center at 1-800-222-1222. Don’t delay. Immediate treatment decreases severity.