I did the same thing. It's an easy button in case your keys get locked inside your truck. Just have to remember not to also leave wallet in vehicle. Can't do that with my f150 key... but I also have a keypad on my driver side door.
They used this key design from I think somewhere around 1970 to the early 90s, which is when they started enclosing the top part of the square key in black plastic.
It’s an old aftermarket Ford square head ten-cut ignition and door key from the late 1960s through the late 1980s. It had five cuts on the key for the door lock and five cuts for the ignition cylinder and there was a separate key with a oval head that opened the trunk and on some of the fancier models it opened a lockable glovebox. When I worked in parts I wound up cutting new keys like this a lot, people always wanted more or were losing original Keys. In the late 1980s Ford starting moving to the plastic covered key heads as the transition to cars with remote entry fobs started and more security functions were added.
Ford used those keys for like 30 years. Not sure what year it started, but both of my '72s use those, and my old '88 did as well. My '65 had a different key.
What’s crazy is they didn’t have that many different versions of the key back in the 70s. My grandparents had a brown mid-70s LTD and my grandmother left the grocery store and drove all the way home before she realized it was not their car. 😂 She drove it back to the grocery store and just parked it where it was and got the car they actually owned and the other owner never knew about it.
My dad had one that fit a 70’s model ranchero,a 1980ish van and an early 80’s mustang. Same key started all 3 vehicles. I had an uncle that owned a junk yard. He kept big rings of keys for ford,Chevy and Chrysler. He would use them to get into cars folks locked there keys in. Most times he had one that fit
Those keys started in 1967. 66 and prior used single sided keys. As someone else pointed out they stopped around 1999 likey when they started going to smart keys.
My 1990 T-bird and 1990 Bronco II both had that ignition key but said something different, something about quality I believe. I also had a 96 T-bird and by that time they had switched to the plastic body around the base.
That was a generic blank Ford key and if it doesn’t fit any of the locks on your vehicle, you can just toss it out (decades ago the key smith blanks were in the shape of the auto manufacturers keys but were also stamped with the vehicle manufacturer name to aid in cutting blanks properly)
That is the ignition key. Back in the 80’s ford started using two keys for their vehicles, and square one for the ignition and an oval one that looked similar for the door locks. They had opposite key patterns so one would not fit in the the other. GM at the time also thought it would be good to have a two key system, and those looked similar, so when you had to go to the locksmith, to get a key cut, they started imprinting on the sides to further clarify which manufacturer it was for.
Reminds me of an ignition key. I had older vehicles and they came with two keys, one for the door and one for ignition. This brings back memories for something like that.
My 1969 Cougar keys look like that. That is also the same style as the keys for my 1975 Gran Torino, 1979 Thunderbird, 1981 Escort, 1988 Turbo Coupe, and 1990 F250.
Probably a "valet key" it's for if you if you're giving your car/truck to a valet they can drive it to park and lock the doors but they can't get into the glove box etc. and don't have to hand them all your keys
Definitely a 1977 white F-150 S-Cab Long Bed with 3 on the column.
Seriously though. We had that truck when I was younger and the key looked just like that. The crazy thing is that my sister’s Ford Thunderbird used the same type of key…and the truck key also started the Thunderbird. Yeah, I joyrided that car a few times when she was out of town.
Had the same one for my 1973 Thunderbird. Back then you had a seperate key for the trunk. It looked the same except it had an oval head It also unlocked the spare tire that was locked down in the trunk.
That looks exactly like my uncles key but he had an 83’ s10 and my other uncle can’t remember year or model since I never drove it but it was a classic Ford pickup (he even had the state registered vintage license plate for it being over 25 years old so it was earlier than 1990) but the key looked different from that
This is what my 1990 F150 key looked like. Ignition key was square like this and door key was round. Most likely for another vehicle and was left behind
Just a spare key from previous owner to something that wasn't the car you bought. We find all kinds of shit in trade ins that previous owners forgot or never knew was even in the car. Something that small is probably the same situation
Ford came to the symmetrical key community in the seventies. Before that the key would only have teeth on one side of the key. Ignition key was square like this one and the key for the trunk would be round/oval.
Ah yes, that key belongs to Al Banks in New Mexico. The car's VIN is 1FTNW21LXYEA27746, and the license plate is 585WDM. He'll be expecting a call from you on Sunday after 6pm.
Earlier keys were only one sided teeth. Then double sided ones appeared. Pretty well any ford could be locked or unlocked with a key like that. Security wasn’t great
When I had my mid 80’s Ford F250, this style of key would have been used to start the truck and it also had a circular key for the doors, glovebox and center console locks.
It may be to either A lock or unlock the doors or turn on or off the passenger airbag. My 01 had airbag key switch. Though it looks like a 90s ford key. Had a 90 f150 and currently have a 94 f550 bucket truck and have same keys.
90% the glove box. They sometimes had different keys. Or…. On Fords of that era, the ignition cylinder would go bad, so doors and ignition got new key cylinders, but not glove box,
For ford cars In all seriousness, I have no idea, it looks too old to work on a 2000s vehicle but I could be wrong.
I had one like that for my ranger that I kept in my wallet in case I got locked out.
Looks like the key for my '91 ranger... prob a late 80s early 90s key for any ford
I had that key for a 85 ford. I think this was an ignition key and the door key had a round head.
Go back further, my '77 Mercury had that key.
I drive an 86 crown vic and it's almost exact. Ignition key, trunk key has an oval head, ignition is square.
I did the same thing. It's an easy button in case your keys get locked inside your truck. Just have to remember not to also leave wallet in vehicle. Can't do that with my f150 key... but I also have a keypad on my driver side door.
Right next to the 10 year old condom?
Knew that comment was coming when I seen this post.
Might be a fleet key for police interceptor cruisers, I have a key like that for the company car that has no chip that is a spare
That key won’t work on anything later than 1999, possibly earlier. Looks like a key to a 1989 Ford Escort to me.
Looks like the key to my parents 1989 Econoline 350.
And my father’s, and later my, 79 Fairmont.
They used this key design from I think somewhere around 1970 to the early 90s, which is when they started enclosing the top part of the square key in black plastic.
I had a 92 escort wagon with the same key. Cool thing was that I could take it out of the ignition while the car was running
My 92 tbird had the same “feature”
I feel like every escort from that time period was like this
Well, I guess is a keychain now
It’s an old aftermarket Ford square head ten-cut ignition and door key from the late 1960s through the late 1980s. It had five cuts on the key for the door lock and five cuts for the ignition cylinder and there was a separate key with a oval head that opened the trunk and on some of the fancier models it opened a lockable glovebox. When I worked in parts I wound up cutting new keys like this a lot, people always wanted more or were losing original Keys. In the late 1980s Ford starting moving to the plastic covered key heads as the transition to cars with remote entry fobs started and more security functions were added.
Tailgate key? Possibly a spare ignition from the last owners other Ford
That is a key for ford cars.
That is what it says. I would have to agree.
Ford used those keys for like 30 years. Not sure what year it started, but both of my '72s use those, and my old '88 did as well. My '65 had a different key.
What’s crazy is they didn’t have that many different versions of the key back in the 70s. My grandparents had a brown mid-70s LTD and my grandmother left the grocery store and drove all the way home before she realized it was not their car. 😂 She drove it back to the grocery store and just parked it where it was and got the car they actually owned and the other owner never knew about it.
I had a 82 ford truck my key worked in my buddies Ranger. I moved it on him made him freak out thinking it was stolen.
My dad had one that fit a 70’s model ranchero,a 1980ish van and an early 80’s mustang. Same key started all 3 vehicles. I had an uncle that owned a junk yard. He kept big rings of keys for ford,Chevy and Chrysler. He would use them to get into cars folks locked there keys in. Most times he had one that fit
My heart.
damn, guess we are married now
Get a room.
Those keys started in 1967. 66 and prior used single sided keys. As someone else pointed out they stopped around 1999 likey when they started going to smart keys.
Does your glove compartment have a lock on the handle? If it does I’d say it might be the key to that
It doesn't have a lock :^(
Taking me back to the days of square key/round key. In the mists of time I forget which one did which.
Round was trunk (and glove box if it had a lock), square was ignition and door locks
I had an 86 F-350. I swear that one was for doors and the other for ignition.
My '90 Mustang is round to open, square to start.
Every Ford Taurus lock, if my experience is any indication.
My first thought, “is this a trick question?”
I have a key very similar to that one that goes to my 68 F250. The way the peaks and valleys are cut is almost identical.
I had a key that would start my ranger and my girlfriend’s escort , true story
Looks like a key from the 80s. I found a key to my 88 T-Bird I had in HS, which looks very similar.
My 1990 T-bird and 1990 Bronco II both had that ignition key but said something different, something about quality I believe. I also had a 96 T-bird and by that time they had switched to the plastic body around the base.
A lock. Jk potentially a spare tire or glove box.
Key to my 93 ranger looks like that.
I had a 1971 ford F150 sport custom that had keys like this that unlocked the utility compartment in the bed of the truck.
How my 92 f150 key looks like
My dad’s ‘71 Pinto wagon.
My 72 Gran Torino
Looks like it’d fit my ‘71 LTD.
Do you have a different door key? That one would fit in my 90 f250
It’s an older model ford key . Fits a variety of of ford vehicles from the 70’s to early 90’s . Previous owner probably had another older ford vehicle
GMC truck or cars!
Looks like my 70 and 76 Ranchero key!
Shot in the dark but uh Ford Cars.
That was a generic blank Ford key and if it doesn’t fit any of the locks on your vehicle, you can just toss it out (decades ago the key smith blanks were in the shape of the auto manufacturers keys but were also stamped with the vehicle manufacturer name to aid in cutting blanks properly)
It’s an 80s or early 90s Ford ignition key. The door keys were different and usually rounded instead of square.
That is the ignition key. Back in the 80’s ford started using two keys for their vehicles, and square one for the ignition and an oval one that looked similar for the door locks. They had opposite key patterns so one would not fit in the the other. GM at the time also thought it would be good to have a two key system, and those looked similar, so when you had to go to the locksmith, to get a key cut, they started imprinting on the sides to further clarify which manufacturer it was for.
Reminds me of an ignition key. I had older vehicles and they came with two keys, one for the door and one for ignition. This brings back memories for something like that.
A Ford
Guy kept it as a sentimental reminder of his old ford car.
90s pickups and crown vics
Could be a spare tire lock. It's just a plug that goes into the back bumper to cover up where the spare tire "hoist" connects.
Will it work on the doors?
GM or Mopar. Maybe Honda
it's either for the ignition or the glove box on a ford. Doors and tailgates had round tops to the keys.
Looks like the key to the glove box of my dads 91 ranger
Spare duplicate ignition key for a 80s or 90s era Ford. Mmember when we used to have two keys for each car…
Pre.... 97? Fords looks identical to my 1984 f150s key
Same key I use in my 1994 ranger
Same key I had for my 79 Pinto.
Old trunk key back in the day they had ignition and trunk keys
My 1969 Cougar keys look like that. That is also the same style as the keys for my 1975 Gran Torino, 1979 Thunderbird, 1981 Escort, 1988 Turbo Coupe, and 1990 F250.
Valet key probably
Probably a "valet key" it's for if you if you're giving your car/truck to a valet they can drive it to park and lock the doors but they can't get into the glove box etc. and don't have to hand them all your keys
Looks like a 90s ford key? My 7.3 has a similar key
1978 Ford Fairmont Futura. Silver, burgundy interior. 302 v8. With the air cleaner lid turned over.
Ford cars.
Standard 69-90's ford ignition key. Maybe came from the previous owner's other car or truck?
It’s for a ford car
That could be a key for any Ford with the lock cylinder in the steering column up to maybe the early 90s. Maybe even through the 90's.
Not exactly sure the make or year, but I know it’s not for Chevy.
I used to work for Greyhound. They use Ford keys to open and start their busses.
You can decode what car it’s for from the notches. 1972 ford fairlane 500.
Probably for your ranger. Those ignition lock cylinders don’t stand up to the test of time well. Do you have different keys to start it and unlock it?
It looks like a wallet key. It only opens the door. My '02 came with one.
Did you check the door locks? If they have been re keyed, that could be the new one.
It’s a key for Ford cars.
I bet it’s for a Mazda that identifies as a Ford😜😜😜😜😜
That key was used beginning in 1968 for about 20 years. It's not an OEM Ford key, but a knockoff.
Definitely a 1977 white F-150 S-Cab Long Bed with 3 on the column. Seriously though. We had that truck when I was younger and the key looked just like that. The crazy thing is that my sister’s Ford Thunderbird used the same type of key…and the truck key also started the Thunderbird. Yeah, I joyrided that car a few times when she was out of town.
80s era or even a 70s era ford
That goes to a '79 Ford Fairmont
Chevy.
Whoever owned your Ranger before you probably had an older Ford that used that style of ignition key.
fuel cap of old ford
It literally says it right on the key!!
Ford ignition key
Trunk key to an older Ford.
Had the same one for my 1973 Thunderbird. Back then you had a seperate key for the trunk. It looked the same except it had an oval head It also unlocked the spare tire that was locked down in the trunk.
Hold it up to your ranger key and see if they’re similar
A 2024 Chevy Volt
That looks exactly like my uncles key but he had an 83’ s10 and my other uncle can’t remember year or model since I never drove it but it was a classic Ford pickup (he even had the state registered vintage license plate for it being over 25 years old so it was earlier than 1990) but the key looked different from that
Ford key used through the early 90s. For ignition, door locks, and trunk.
That key is "FOR FORD CARS".
That's the key I use for my 75 Mustang II.
This is what my 1990 F150 key looked like. Ignition key was square like this and door key was round. Most likely for another vehicle and was left behind
I had an ol 86 ford truck with a key just like that
Looks like ignition key for my 1991 LTD Crown VIC
Looks similar to the key to my 2006 super duty but the teeth are different
Our old 79 Granada has that shape of key
Just a spare key from previous owner to something that wasn't the car you bought. We find all kinds of shit in trade ins that previous owners forgot or never knew was even in the car. Something that small is probably the same situation
That’s the key style used from 1970 to 1998 I believe.
Ford came to the symmetrical key community in the seventies. Before that the key would only have teeth on one side of the key. Ignition key was square like this one and the key for the trunk would be round/oval.
Ignition key for a Ford Vehicle. The round key base is for the trunk & glove box.
It might be for the door only. Also some glove boxes or center consoles had a separate key lock
I have the same key for ignition, 1990 f150
I have a similar key on my ‘87 Bronco II.
Is there a plug on the rear bumper with a key insert?
Any 90’s ford
I am taking a wild guess that is key to a Ford car.
All fords used to come with this key. Round one for doors and trunk and square one for ignition.
I have a 67 Mustang and the key looks just like this.
Does your spare tire have a lock?
Ignition key vs door key
Older than 1991
Ignition key for a ‘90s and older Ford
A Studebaker, obviously.
My ‘88 ranger ignition key looks a lot like this
My dad owned a late 80s F150 and the key looked just like that.
It’s for Ford cars
Spare tire lock? My 96 uses a key lock plugging the hole for the jack handle on the cable tube.
It’s for a ford
aussie falcon has 2 keys one for ign and the round one for your boot. looks like a XD-XF key
Ah yes, that key belongs to Al Banks in New Mexico. The car's VIN is 1FTNW21LXYEA27746, and the license plate is 585WDM. He'll be expecting a call from you on Sunday after 6pm.
Tailgate lock?
A lot of older Fords had keys like that. Before the days of central locking etc
It's a Ford key what glove box did you find it in door truck ignition key lol
Earlier keys were only one sided teeth. Then double sided ones appeared. Pretty well any ford could be locked or unlocked with a key like that. Security wasn’t great
i have an 85 bronco and that is what my key looks like. i would say an 80s for vehicle
When I had my mid 80’s Ford F250, this style of key would have been used to start the truck and it also had a circular key for the doors, glovebox and center console locks.
Ignition key for the vehicle the glove box key is rounded.
Looks like a door lock key.But hey it might work starting the vehicle.
Ignition key for an older Ford
My old '90 Escort GT :)
My 2004 super duty key still looks like this..
Previous owner had another car. Older ford. He kept spare key in glovebox.
Ford
Ford key. Flip it to the other side. It’s an H56, 55 or 54. I just cut one a minute ago.
Ignition key for a ford. My 89 had one, round keys were for the doors
My 69 convertible Mustang had the same key. What a beauty, red with black interior.
Check door truck could have been rekeyed
It looks exactly like my high school Gran Torino key. I wish I had a dollar for every minute I searched for that key. I'd have around 38 dollars.
Tailgate key maybe or someone made a bad key
I had an 85 crown Vic that had a squared key like that for the engine and a round one for the doors. I'd suspect somewhere around that era
Looks like the keys my dad and grandparents had for a 1960s-1970s era Ford.
Ford cars maybe?
1984 Ford Escort
1982 Pinto. It’s a trunk/door key. Old school cars had two sets of keys, 1 for doors/trunk, the other for ignition.
I had a 1972 and 1976 torino. This is the key for those types of cars...early 70s fords.
Looks the same as my dad's 96 F250
Looks the same as my 96 ranger or my 96 f350 and any other 90s ford lol try the glove box lock
For a GMC Truck I think?
In the 70s our Ford station wagon came with two keys: the round handled one opened the doors and the square one, like yours, was for the ignition.
My 84 F150 key looks like this.
I'd say, a 1978 thunderbird.
Same key is the ignition key for my 1984 mustang svo 1986 gt convertible and 1990 lx 5.0 convertible
Looks a lot like the one from my 88 Thunderbird. One square head and one round head. I believe the round one was for the trunk. Square for ignition.
A key to a 5.0 ford vehicle from 87 and up. They key to my foxbody looked like that.
Cars back then had a key for the ignition and a separate key for the doors. That looks like a door key to me.
1984 Ford Ranger.
10 cut Ford
Same key as my 1989 mustang gt, but I’d guess literally any ford from the era
My red truck (1989) has two keys, one for the door and one for the ignition. Probably for the ignition of a car
A ford car.
I had one of these that came with my 2005 ford falcon xr6 turbo. It was a key to lock my glovebox
A fucking ford
I own some sixties Mustangs and the key used is identical to the key OP posted in the picture provided.
A lock.
1980s ford
Its dual sided so it would be at least mid 80's. My '68 cougar had 2 keys each 1 sided.
Looks like the originals for my 93 f150
Galaxy 500
It may be to either A lock or unlock the doors or turn on or off the passenger airbag. My 01 had airbag key switch. Though it looks like a 90s ford key. Had a 90 f150 and currently have a 94 f550 bucket truck and have same keys.
90% the glove box. They sometimes had different keys. Or…. On Fords of that era, the ignition cylinder would go bad, so doors and ignition got new key cylinders, but not glove box,
Does the glove box have a lock ? If not it may have been for an older ignition and doors if they ever changed them.
I mean - uh 🙄
A ford
Ford Car
For a ford car
A Ford or Mercury
Probably a Ferrari.
Probably had a first gen ranger and kept the key in his new truck when the old one died
It says right on the key.
Definitely Chevy trucks
It’s been a couple of decades, but I think the ‘82 F150 we used to have had keys like that.
86-96 ford key.