Where to look
In rough order of how little work each option takes on a Ford M unit.
- 01
On the screen (no tools needed)
Turn the ignition to accessory. Hold down buttons 1 and 6 together — on some units it is 2 and 6 — until the display changes. A code beginning with M appears for a few seconds. Write it down exactly.
- 02
On the top or side of the case
If the on-screen trick does not work, the unit has to come out. The white label on the top or right-hand side of the metal casing carries a line beginning with M followed by six digits. Ignore the longer part number that starts with a digit.
- 03
In the owner's wallet
Ford dealers shipped a credit-card sized radio passport with the vehicle. If you still have the original document pack, the code is printed there and you do not need us at all.
We can turn it into the 4-digit unlock code
Optional — this guide stays free either way. If you would rather not chase the code down yourself, enter the serial and we return the digits straight away.
Entering the code
However you got the four digits, this is how they go in.
- 1
Switch the ignition to accessory so the radio powers up and shows CODE or WAIT.
- 2
Use preset buttons 1 to 4 to enter the four digits: button 1 increments the first digit, button 2 the second, and so on.
- 3
Press and hold button 5 to confirm.
- 4
The unit shows the station frequency once the code is accepted.
If the unit locks you out
After ten wrong attempts the unit shows LOCKED. Leave the ignition on with the radio powered for about an hour and the counter resets.
Tips from the workbench
Enter the digits with the engine off but ignition on — a cranking voltage drop mid-entry counts as a failed attempt on some units.
The serial never contains the letter O; if a character looks like O it is a zero.