Owner of an old Ford pickup demonstrates how the plastic spare key works

The owner of an old Ford pickup is drawing attention online after demonstrating how the vehicle’s plastic spare key works.
Aaron Meltzer posted a video on his Facebook page showing that he found the plastic backup key for his Ford truck. After the discovery, he decided to test it on a cold day.
“Believe it or not, Ford offered an emergency plastic key for its full-size pickups starting in the late 1980s. But was it really designed to unlock the door and start the truck in cold weather? Let’s find out,” he said at the beginning of the video.
Meltzer is then seen inserting the key into the driver’s door lock. “First, let’s see if it unlocks the door without breaking,” he said. As he demonstrated, the key fit perfectly, and when he turned it counterclockwise, the door unlocked normally.
Next, he tested whether the key could start the truck on a cold day. “Now let’s see if I can start my truck in the cold… without breaking it. Here we go,” he continued.
Meltzer then inserted the plastic key into the ignition. Initially, the engine sputtered a little before finally starting. “And the most satisfying answer is actually yes,” he said afterward, visibly surprised.
According to a report by Motor1, Ford used to include these plastic backup keys with its older pickups, though other automakers also followed the trend.
The key came in the same dimensions as a credit card — it had to be cut into the shape of the user’s metal key and then stored in a wallet or purse for emergency use.
Source and images: Dentside Depot / Instagram @dentsidedepot