Key Programming: Mercury Montego 1997-2007
Mercury Montego 1997-2005 Key Programming Procedure
The following are the key programming procedures for the year 1997, 2005 and 2007 Mercury Montego.
Mercury Montego 1997
ORIGINATE NEW MASTER KEY:
1. Put the new key into the ignition. Turn it to the ON position. The dashboard security light will flash for 15 minutes. Once the dashboard security light stops flashing, you have five minutes to begin Step 2.
2. Turn the ignition OFF and then back to the ON position. The dashboard security light will flash for 15 additional minutes.
3. Repeat Step 2.
4. Once the dashboard security light has turned off for the third time, the key will be able to function in the car. It has been programmed into the car’s computer and has replaced ALL previous electronic key codes — the computer will not recognize any other key.
ADD DUPLICATE KEY:
1. Put the current key into the ignition.
2. Turn the ignition ON and back to OFF.
3. Remove the current key and insert the new key, turning it ON. You MUST do this within 15 seconds.
4. The security light will switch on for two seconds, confirming that the key has been successfully programmed into the vehicle.
Mercury Montego 1998 +
ADD KEY (Requires two working keys):
1. Put a current key into the ignition.
2. Turn the ignition to ON, then back to the OFF position.
3. Remove the key and insert a second key. Turn it ON and back to the OFF position. You MUST do this within five seconds.
4. Before ten seconds have elapsed, put a new key in and turn the ignition ON. After one second, turn the key back to the OFF position.
5. The dashboard security light will glow for three seconds. This confirms the programming of the new key has been successful.
About Mercury Montego
Mercury reintroduced the Montego brand after a 28-year absence for the 2005 model year. The third-generation Montego, Mercury’s answer to the Ford Five Hundred, went on sale on July 12, 2004. The third-generation Montego was presented as a replacement for the Sable alongside the 2006 Milan, slotted below the Grand Marquis.
Instead of the Five Hundred’s three trim levels, the Montego had two: Luxury and Premier.
The third-generation Montego was built in the Chicago Assembly plant in Chicago, Illinois, alongside the Ford Five Hundred and the Ford Freestyle; the latter was a CUV wagon that replaced the Taurus/Sable station wagon.
The Ford D3 platform served as the foundation for the third-generation Montego. The D3 chassis, developed in partnership with Volvo, is the first full-size Ford platform to use front-wheel drive (or its optional all-wheel drive). The D3 chassis replaces the body-on-frame Panther platform with unibody construction. The Montego’s wheelbase was only two inches shorter than the Grand Marquis’, but it weighed over 500 pounds less.
The Montego, Five Hundred, and Ford Freestyle were built with a Volvo-derived approach called Total Vehicle Geometry (TVG) to ensure fit, finish, and workmanship — by requiring full participation from all engineers, suppliers, and vendors. TVG uses computer-aided design extensively, tracking all design alterations and transferring them into the central CAD database, allowing any engineer access to current project data. Through air leakage testing, the technology enhances part tolerance at the body-in-white stage as well as early cabin integrity testing. TVG improves fit and finish in the initial prototype stage and reduces pilot manufacturing timelines.
The bodywork is reinforced at the B-pillar by an energy-channeling structural cross-car roof tube and a comparable undercar energy channeling cross-tube — with the front seats situated above the lower tube, putting them above a side impact energy path. The system is based on a side-impact safety design marketed by Volvo under the name Side Impact Protection System (SIPS).
The Montego used the same engine as the previous Taurus/Sable, a 203 horsepower version of the 3.0L DOHC Duratec V6. Front-wheel drive models came with a 6-speed Aisin AW F21++ automatic transmission, while AWD models came with a ZF CVT.
