LEADING-EDGE IMMOBILIZER TECHNOLOGY KEEPS THIEVES AWAY FROM FORD CARS AND TRUCKS

Most 1999 Ford, Lincoln and Mercury cars, minivans and light trucks sold in North America and Europe will come equipped with one of the most advanced anti-theft technologies available anywhere.

Ford's patented SecuriLock(tm) engine immobilizer is one of the most sophisticated passive anti-theft systems available today and it is generating real world results to prove it.   According to the National
Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB), theft of Ford Mustang GT in the U.S. has been reduced 77 percent and there has been a similar reduction in theft of other Ford vehicles around the world equipped with SecuriLock(tm).

Ford's SecuriLock(tm) makes it virtually impossible to start a car or truck without the properly coded key.  Each SecuriLock(tm) key can be programmed with any one of more than 72 quadrillion codes.  In fact, Ford could put a unique code in every vehicle it sells worldwide for more than 10 billion
years before having to reuse a code. Put another way, a person is 10,000 times more likely to win a multi-million-dollar lottery than to correctly guess a vehicle's SecuriLock(tm) code.

"Despite all of those honking car alarms heard in parking lots everywhere, more and more vehicles are stolen every year," says Martin Baker, supervisor of Security Systems for Ford. "In fact vehicle theft is the most frequently reported crime committed in North America - a car or truck is stolen every
20 seconds. SecuriLock(tm) is helping to make sure thieves pass over our customers ' vehicles and look for something easier to steal."

SecuriLock(tm) provides a unique electronic signature for each car and truck by matching a specially coded ignition key with a sensor located in the vehicle.  A miniature transponder that contains an antenna and an integrated circuit is embedded in the ignition key.  It uses wireless radio technology
to transfer a code between the key and the car.

When the right code is recognized the vehicle starts and the driver can proceed.  If the code is not recognized, the engine will not start.  In the case of a hot wire attempt or the removal of the ignition lock, the system recognizes that the correct key has not been used; it shuts the engine down within a second and eliminates the possibility of it being restarted.

"SecuriLock(tm) is one of the most effective anti-theft devices available," Baker said. "Even professional thieves are unlikely to bother trying to defeat the system.  It would take too long and be far too risky."

In the event that a SecuriLock(tm) key is lost, the entire system can be reprogrammed along with a new set of keys, rendering the lost key useless. SecuriLock(tm) offers several advantages over other theft-protection systems.  These include unalterable codes, battery-free system operation and ease of operation.  The system is virtually invisible to the driver, who needs to do nothing more than place the key in the ignition.

For the 1999 model year, SecuriLock(tm) is standard on all North American models of Ford Mustang, Contour V6, Taurus LX and SHO, Crown Victoria, F-150, Explorer, Expedition and Windstar, as well as Mercury Cougar, Mystique V6, Sable LS, Grand Marquis, and Lincoln Continental, Town Car and
Navigator. SecuriLock(tm) also is standard on 3.0- and 4.0-liter-powered Ford Rangers, and all Ford F-250 pickups under 8,500 lbs. GVW.

By the end of 1999, SecuriLock(tm) will be standard on nearly every Ford Motor Company light vehicle sold in North America.

In Europe, all 1999 model Ford vehicles are equipped with anti-theft immobilizers. (The SecuriLock(tm) system is known as Safeguard in the United Kingdom and as PATS or Passive Anti-Theft System in continental Europe.)