I tried to start my truck earlier and as the title says, it didn't start. I drove it over to the store to return something and when I got back in the truck I couldn't get it to do anything.

When I turn the key, nothing happens: there's no clicking like the battery is dead, the lights on the dash turn on and the radio turns on but nothing else happens. I noticed that the Theft light blinks really fast after turning the key so I don't know if it could be an issue with the anti-theft system or not.

I bought a new battery because mine is a little old but it still didn't work. When I was installing the new battery I noticed that one of the terminals is cracked and rusted, could that be the problem?

I have no clue when it comes to trucks so I am at a loss here. The truck is old (13 years) and has about 178k miles on it. I have never had to get the starter or the alternator replaced so maybe that could be the cause.

The vehicle is a 2001 2WD Ranger Edge V6 4.0L. Any thoughts on this issue would be greatly appreciated.

 

Well, after having my vehicle towed to two different shops, it has been determined that the PATS transceiver has gone bad. I took the vehicle to one shop and they ran the diagnostics but could not figure out what was wrong with it so they recommended that I take it to the Ford dealer where they told me that it's the PATS transceiver. About $462 out the door, but this got me thinking: is there a fuse that controls the PATS transceiver?

Does the description of this fuse look like it may control the transceiver? I just don't want to get screwed and pay that much money for something when it could be fixed just by replacing a fuse.

19 - 25A - PCM Power Diode, Ignition, PATS

Problem is, the truck is at the shop and they are going to be working on it tomorrow and I won't even have access to it.