2017 Limited Keypad Failure, Dealer Disconnected but Door lock and seat memory panel is dead | Ford Explorer Forums

  • Register Today It's free!

2017 Limited Keypad Failure, Dealer Disconnected but Door lock and seat memory panel is dead

Danplaysbass

New Member
Joined
June 6, 2025
Messages
5
Reaction score
1
City, State
Olathe, ks
Year, Model & Trim Level
2017 Explorer Limited
Hello! First time on the forum!

We just bought a 2017 Explorer Limited from a family friend. It's low mileage and in great condition. Just before we bought it they ran into the issue of the rear hatch not working. She took it to the dealer and they told her it was related to the pillar B keypad panel shorting out. I searched this forum and found a few threads on this issue.

Dealer wanted $500 to replace it. We decided not to have them do that and she said the dealer disconnected the panel so the rear hatch can work. I should be able to replace the panel myself but there was one other thing going on that they told her was related.

The panel on the driver's door that controls the door locks and seat memory is not working. Would disconnecting the keypad also cause that not to work? If I replace the keypad and reconnect it should that fix the other buttons as well? I read the really long thread about the keypad issue driving the lift gate issue but didn't see this extra issue mentioned.
 



Join the Elite Explorers for $20 each year or try it out for $5 a month.

Elite Explorer members see no advertisements, no banner ads, no double underlined links,.
Add an avatar, upload photo attachments, and more!
.





Welcome to the Forum. :wave:
The outside door panel for keyless entry is called the Securicode panel and as you discover can cause liftgate issues. Most of these issues were caused by the panel coming loose while driving and twisting in the wind. I don't recall this issue also causing problems with the door locks or seat memory. There may be another issue. Does the inside lock/unlock door buttons work? Have you checked to see if there may be a blown fuse? The Owner's Manual has a listing of fuses and what they control. The interior fuse panel is difficult to get at and is located on the side up and under the emergency/parking brake.
If you plan to replace the Securicode panel applique, here is what our forum vendor offers; https://parts.levittownfordparts.co...yZXImeT0yMDE3JnQ9bGltaXRlZCZlPTMtNWwtdjYtZ2Fz
They also offer 50% off shipping for forum members. Coupon Codes for Forum Members - Genuine Ford Parts & Accessories Something to keep in mind.
Good luck.

Peter
 






Welcome to the Forum. :wave:
The outside door panel for keyless entry is called the Securicode panel and as you discover can cause liftgate issues. Most of these issues were caused by the panel coming loose while driving and twisting in the wind. I don't recall this issue also causing problems with the door locks or seat memory. There may be another issue. Does the inside lock/unlock door buttons work? Have you checked to see if there may be a blown fuse? The Owner's Manual has a listing of fuses and what they control. The interior fuse panel is difficult to get at and is located on the side up and under the emergency/parking brake.
If you plan to replace the Securicode panel applique, here is what our forum vendor offers; https://parts.levittownfordparts.co...yZXImeT0yMDE3JnQ9bGltaXRlZCZlPTMtNWwtdjYtZ2Fz
They also offer 50% off shipping for forum members. Coupon Codes for Forum Members - Genuine Ford Parts & Accessories Something to keep in mind.
Good luck.

Peter
Thanks Peter! I haven't checked the fuze box yet. The dealer simply disconnected the Securicode panel to fix the issue with the hatch not functioning. I'm wondering if they also disconnected something else while they were in there. Either way, neither the internal door lock switch nor the seat memories, both of which are on the same panel, are functioning. The door lock itself is functioning, and the door unlocks from the remote and the outside switch just fine. I guess I'm just trying to isolate whether these are separate or the same issue.

As you can imagine, with kids entering g and exiting the car frequently, this can be an annoyance.
 






...the dealer disconnected the panel...
The panel on the driver's door that controls the door locks and seat memory is not working. Would disconnecting the keypad also cause that not to work?
To understand the effects, you have to know exactly what they unplugged & where.

I don't have the diagram specific to yours, but you can see on a '15, the effects would be different if C341C, C300, or C3138 were unplugged. Any of them would disable the driver's door memory switch panel.
Seats15.jpg
 






To understand the effects, you have to know exactly what they unplugged & where.

I don't have the diagram specific to yours, but you can see on a '15, the effects would be different if C341C, C300, or C3138 were unplugged. Any of them would disable the driver's door memory switch panel.
View attachment 465059
This wiring diagram is great. Electrical engineer here.

I can see where the three connectors you pointed out wire the memory set switch to the driver's seat module. What I don't see here is the door lock switch itself or the securicode panel. Are those on a different page?

If C341C or C300 was disconnected the side mirrors would not fold, and that is still working.
If C3138 was disconnected then none of the side mirror functions (U/D, L/R) would work, and that is still working.

The ONLY thing not working is the seat memory and door lock/unlock.

I'm starting to wonder if when the dealer went in the door to disconnect the securipanel harness they also either accidentally disconnected something else or purposely disconnected it and forgot to reconnect when reassembling. I haven't popped the door panel off yet because I wanted to get your inputs first but that is likely my next step.
 






Our 2018 Explorer had to have the right front door skin replaced. Body shop needed to open up the door. During reassembly they "forgot" to plug in the lock switch on the door card. This caused the remote not to unlock the doors. Once they plugged it back in, remote worked. Had a similar issue with a 2006 Ford 500.
 






Sounds like the keypad is part of the Driver's Door Module (DDM) circuit. When the dealer disconnected it, they likely broke the circuit that powers the lock and memory buttons on that same panel. It's a common issue when the keypad fails due to moisture.

The fix isn't to disconnect it, but to replace the whole keypad unit. It's a pretty straightforward swap. Once you plug in a new keypad, the rest of the buttons should come back to life. Good luck
 






Sounds like the keypad is part of the Driver's Door Module (DDM) circuit. When the dealer disconnected it, they likely broke the circuit that powers the lock and memory buttons on that same panel. It's a common issue when the keypad fails due to moisture.

The fix isn't to disconnect it, but to replace the whole keypad unit. It's a pretty straightforward swap. Once you plug in a new keypad, the rest of the buttons should come back to life. Good luck
Welcome to the Forum. :wave:

Peter
 






What I don't see here is the door lock switch itself or the securicode panel. Are those on a different page?
The mirrors have memory linked to the seat & column position, which is why they're controlled by the DSM.

The locks are controlled by the DDM (Driver's Door Module), which is probably what the keypad is hardwired to. But there's a LOT of networking among modules, so it can be hard to predict how things are actually connected without looking up each vehicle's specific diagrams. And it's even harder to predict how things will (mis-)behave when 1 or 2 things are unplugged.

So the short answer is: take it back to whomever you paid, and complain until they fix it. That's what you paid them for, right?
 






The mirrors have memory linked to the seat & column position, which is why they're controlled by the DSM.

The locks are controlled by the DDM (Driver's Door Module), which is probably what the keypad is hardwired to. But there's a LOT of networking among modules, so it can be hard to predict how things are actually connected without looking up each vehicle's specific diagrams. And it's even harder to predict how things will (mis-)behave when 1 or 2 things are unplugged.

So the short answer is: take it back to whomever you paid, and complain until they fix it. That's what you paid them for, right?
Thanks for the advice! We bought the car from a family friend (for an amazing deal) and this was a known issue/condition. I'll try to replace the Securicode panel first and see if that fixes it up!

Thanks for all your help. I'll report back once the part arrives and we get the install done.
 






Hi All. I replaced the Securicode Panel with one of the $50 aftermarket panels from Amazon. The hardest (and longest) part was scraping the old tape off the door!

Anyway, I got everything plugged in and it seems to be working great! Thanks for all the advice and support. I appreciate this forum but I do hope to not have to visit often. Haha!
 






Back
Top