Normal Operation

WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2008 Mercury Mariner and 2008 Ford Escape. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

The passive anti-theft system (PATS) uses a visual anti-theft indicator located in the instrument cluster (IC). This indicator proves out for 3 seconds when the key is turned to the ON or START position under normal operation.

Once the PATS key read matches with one of the key codes programmed into the IC, the IC sends its ID over the high speed controller area network (HS-CAN) to the transmission control module (TCM). The TCM sends a message back, indicating it has received the IC message (ID) and also sends its (TCM) ID back to the IC. When the IC receives this data transfer, it requests the TCM to start the vehicle by sending a message over the HS-CAN to the TCM. This "handshake" is necessary before the vehicle will start.

If there is a PATS concern, this indicator either flashes rapidly or glows steadily (for more than 3 seconds) when the key is turned to the ON or the START position. PATS also flashes the anti-theft indicator every 2 seconds at key off to act as a visual theft deterrent. The anti-theft indicator operation is controlled by the IC.

If DTC U2510 is present, refer to DTC Charts .

DTC U0101 (Lost Communication With TCM) - sets in continuous memory only when the IC loses communication with the transmission control module (TCM). The fault may not be present at the time of testing and only occurs during the PATS ID code reads. This DTC may be caused by a high speed controller area (HS-CAN) network circuit issue or by the IC or the TCM.
DTC U2511 (CAN - Data Mis-Match [Receive Data Does Not Match Expected]) - sets in continuous memory only when the IC does not receive the expected response from the TCM over the HS-CAN network and the fault may not be present at the time of testing. The data sent by the TCM does not match the data expected by the IC and this DTC is set. This DTC can be caused by the HS-CAN circuits between the IC and the TCM or by either module. This DTC can also be set if the battery voltage is low.

This pinpoint test is intended to diagnose the following:

Wiring, terminals or connectors
Low battery state of charge (SOC)
IC
TCM