'97 Eddie Bauer Expedition PATS Issues

[1973 F-100 4x4]

My wife bought a '97 Expedition a few months ago, and it has been having sporadic issues with the PATS system.
Some days it's fine, and other days it'll decide that it doesn't want to recognize the key's code for anywhere from a few minutes, to sometimes a few hours.

Is there a way to either bypass, or completely eliminate the PATS system?
I can't have my wife getting stranded because it wants to act up, especially with our 1 1/2 year old son in the vehicle with her.

Thanks in advance,

Dan

 

[CowboyBilly9Mile]

I don't believe anyone has been able to successfully eliminate the PATS system. But I can tell you that Stratec is an OEM vendor to Ford for the chipped keys and the iggy lock, and people who buy cheap key knockoffs (ebay) have experienced erratic behavior in the past. Ignition keys with the letter S stamped into the metal are Stratec. There is also another vendor to Ford, sorry, I can't recall the name. Also, if she has more than one chipped Ford key on her keychain, the PATS system maybe have problems knowing which key is valid. And lastly, when programming a new PATS key, it's good practice to keep all other PATS keys away from the PATS transponder until needed.

Hope this helps.


Edit: Your owners manual

http://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/catalog/owner_guides/97exdog1e.pdf

Page 67, looks like you only need one of the two original keys to program a new one; some Fords take two unique/original keys (same concept). This (two keys), to stop valet parking lot guys, etc from being able to copy a key and steal a vehicle.