Review and Open Letter to Ford Regarding the MyTouch System

[wilsons66604]

You can't understand the safety issues unless you have had a My ford Touch system act up while driving.

Let the record show..."a broken Sync is distracting."

[rkaplan]

You can't understand the safety issues unless you have had a My ford Touch system act up while driving.

 

A competent driver should be able to handle a variety of distractions. MFT is well within the range of what a driver ought to be able to handle.

 

I agree this is an important issue from a consumer perpsective - and I trust that Ford will address the concerns. But I agree with the post indicating this is not a safety issue.

 

Indeed - if you feel it is a safety issue, why not just stop using MFT completely until there is an update? Set the climate control on automatic at your desired temperature and it will stay that way permanently. There is no essential reason for you to ever truly "require" use of the phone, entertainment, or nav features. So just don't use any of those other features and instead treat it as a pure consumer issue. Indeed, if you continue to use MFT (as almost for sure you will do), then you are implcitly acknowledging that you feel the car is safe. The flip-side is that if you assert the features are unsafe and then you get into an accident, then you are equally (if not more) culpable as Ford because you knowingly drove an unsafe car.

[wilsons66604]

Set the climate control on automatic at your desired temperature and it will stay that way permanently. There is no essential reason for you to ever truly "require" use of the phone, entertainment, or nav features. So just don't use any of those other features and instead treat it as a pure consumer issue. Indeed, if you continue to use MFT (as almost for sure you will do), then you are implcitly acknowledging that you feel the car is safe. The flip-side is that if you assert the features are unsafe and then you get into an accident, then you are equally (if not more) culpable as Ford because you knowingly drove an unsafe car.

Give me a break. How about you drive one of these things when they go brain dead. Then you post your comment.

Now I can not change the temp and all will be OK ???

 

 

[rkaplan]

Give me a break. How about you drive one of these things when they go brain dead. Then you post your comment.

Now I can not change the temp and all will be OK ???

 

Indeed - I got the "Performing System Maintenance" error on the Interstate at night a few days ago. I missed my exit but it wasn't a safety issue.

[Shaky]

Can anyone comment on whether or not there is some sort of window that opens when you start the vehicle indicating the version of software that is installed. I will admit that my vehicle is one that is being held at the factory, but once it's delivered to the dealer and then subsequently to me, I'd like to know that it has the most current software installed.

I have registered on the "syncmyride" site and have determine,d that version 1.3 is installed at this point. I have read other threads on this site indicating that they have sync 2.0. If nothing else, I guess I'll just have to check the syncmyride site on the day I get the call to pick it up.

[DistortedEdge]

Bah! I've been driving for 35 years and never caused an accident. I am more than competent as a driver, but I've had a couple of close calls since getting the new 2011 Edge.

 

The MyFord system's bugs and glitches ARE distracting, and subtle enough to distract you without you noticing. I've had to make a conscious decision to train myself to ignore most of the MyFord stuff while driving. It is a safety issue, whether it's driver competency or not - you now have a big flashy system with lots of stuff going on at once on multiple screens in front of you with many of them not working the way they are supposed to. This is clearly LESS safe than none of that going on, and many drivers may not be up to the task, making it a safety issue in at least a small way. If the system were more responsive, and less buggy, it would be far less of a concern.

 

Even if you argue that it's not a safety issue that's Ford's fault, that won't change the bad press and media hysteria that could happen if lots of people start having accidents and start blaming being distracted by MyFord as a contributing factor. Right or wrong, the media sharks will have a feeding frenzy when some little girl is ran over by a distracted Ford driver.

 

To the guy saying there's a service patch for this out, count me as one of the "I'll believe it when I see it" crowd. No one here in the forum has reported actually receiving it yet. Even if some reports come in, from a personal point of view, it's still vaporware until my dealer has it and allows me to schedule an appointment for installation.

Edited November 29, 2010 by DistortedEdge

[DistortedEdge]

Can anyone comment on whether or not there is some sort of window that opens when you start the vehicle indicating the version of software that is installed. I will admit that my vehicle is one that is being held at the factory, but once it's delivered to the dealer and then subsequently to me, I'd like to know that it has the most current software installed.

I have registered on the "syncmyride" site and have determine,d that version 1.3 is installed at this point. I have read other threads on this site indicating that they have sync 2.0. If nothing else, I guess I'll just have to check the syncmyride site on the day I get the call to pick it up.

 

1.3 is the latest official release for the Edge. I'm not sure about other models of auto that don't have MyFordTouch installed. I don't recall any kind of About screen deep in the menus of the system, but I'll double check later today. The only way I know of to confirm your version is with the USB stick program from SyncMyRide.com.

[akirby]

No one here in the forum has reported actually receiving it yet.

 

Wrong.

 

http://www.fordedgeforum.com/index.php?/topic/6068-myford-touch-is-turning-into-a-real-piece-of-crap/page__view__findpost__p__48166

 

Update on our situation.

 

So I went to the dealer yesterday morning, and their Sync technician (who seemed to be very knowledgeable and was very helpful) read through my list of issues carefully and said, "Actually, Ford is aware of all these." He then told me that he was in the middle of applying the latest update -- which Ford had actually told him not to try on a customer's car yet, but he was doing it anyway because so many people were complaining -- to another 2011 Edge right then, but was having a few issues. He also said the biggest problem they've faced so far getting these major updates into the system is having the right cable -- a female mini-USB cable -- and that Ford had to go have them specially produced (what, it didn't occur to Ford to get that done before they started selling these cars?). He all but outright told me that MyFord Touch was rushed into production way too fast to meet the 2011 Edge build start date.

 

LOOOONG story short (I was at the dealership for a total of 4 hours; he spent maybe 2.5-3 actually working on my car after he finished the other Edge), he reloaded the software on our Edge several times but it is showing a Lincoln logo at startup instead of a Ford logo. He was actually chatting with Ford engineers in Dearborn on his laptop while working on this, and showed me some of what they said. He said the "real" release coming out soon will certainly address the logo issue. I told him I could live with that for the time being. He said my VIN is now registered as a "special case" with Ford engineering so I'll be actively contacted when there is a new core software to be loaded.

 

I've only driven the Edge home from the dealership (about 5 minutes) so I haven't tested all our issues against the newer software yet, but we have a big trip today so I'll be able to report more soon. Things I have noticed:

 

- I can make phone calls with voice command again. Yay!

- Everything seems to respond a *little bit* faster. It's still not where I would want it, but it's not quite as sluggish anymore either.

- All of our settings got wiped. Radio presets, gauge settings, everything. Except for average fuel economy.

- At first I thought there was a *new* bug because I couldn't set the clock. It took 5-6 tries of going to the Clock screen, setting the time, and then navigating away only to have it switch back to whatever time it had been on before. Finally it stuck.

 

As part compensation for my trouble, the dealership gave me a cargo liner that I had eyed on an Edge on the lot and mentioned I would like. I have to say, I'm the last person to normally say good things about dealers, but Don Hinds Ford in Fishers, IN and my sales guy James H. in particular have been amazing. Always responsive to my emails, and always greets me when I'm in and helps follow up on everything, he doesn't just toss me over to service now that the sale is over.

 

Let's hope the final, "real" build of this software is out soon and addresses all the other issues. I'll report back with any updates.

[wilsons66604]

Wrong.

 

http://www.fordedgef...dpost__p__48166

 

 

This guy got some half baked version that is not for release.

It doesn't count

 

 

[DistortedEdge]

Wrong.

 

http://www.fordedgeforum.com/index.php?/topic/6068-myford-touch-is-turning-into-a-real-piece-of-crap/page__view__findpost__p__48166

 

I stand corrected on my statement that "no one's reported it". But seriously, even the poster says it's not the "real" version per Ford engineers the dealer was chatting with.

 

I have to agree with Wilsons66604 on this one. It's not listed as official on SyncMyRide.com, we have no idea what it is, neither does the one who posted it, or what it addresses.

 

When Ford or Microsoft contact me and say "there's an update available at your dealer to correct known issues with MFT" it'll be real, until then it's not, at least from my perspective. I don't care how they notify me, could be a letter, call, or just an update in SyncMyRide saying there's updates I need to get from the dealer.

 

If numerous others here who have reported issues with their systems start coming here and posting that they got fixed by something, I'll re-think my position.

 

Bottom line, I am driving a car I don't trust to have a reliable Sync system in it. My butt still puckers every time I turn the key wondering what feature isn't going to work today. To be fair, though, it's been over a week since a system crash or fuse pull type incident occurred.

Edited November 29, 2010 by DistortedEdge

[SonomaDriver]

I think the best course of action is to simply keep this forum updated with information about issues, work arounds and any fix that becomes available. We'll likely see the first indication of an update on this forum or the syncmyride site. I don't think we'll get an email saying, "hey! Our software actually works! Go download it!"

[lowesdell]

From the service dept. at my dealership. I also heard from someone else that Ford released MFT about a year earlier than when they should have.

 

207500 - SYNC OPERATION

SPECIAL SERVICE MESSAGES

21546 2011 EDGE/MKX WITH VARIOUS FUNCTIONALITY CONCERN WITH THE MY TOUCH SYSTEM

SOME 2011 FORD EDGE AND LINCOLN MKX VEHICLES MAY EXPERIENCE VARIOUS CONCERNS WITH THE MY TOUCH SYSTEM IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS: VOICE RECOGNITION,

PHONE PAIRING, TOUCH SCREEN OPERATIONS, SD CARD FAULT, ADDRESS BOOK DOWNLOADS, SCREEN REBOOT, NAVIGATION SET IN KILOMETERS/VOICE READS IN MILES,

REVERSE CAMERA SCROLLING DISPLAY AND PERFORMING SYSTEM MAINTENANCE. ENGINEERING IS INVESTIGATING AND WORKING ON A RESOLUTION. PLEASE MONITOR OASIS

FOR UPDATES. IF DIAGNOSING DEFROST FUNCTION CONCERNS, FIRST VERIFY OPERATION FROM THE MAIN CONTROLS ON THE ELECTRONIC FACEPLATE (EFP). IF OPERATION IS

CONFIRMED, NO FURTHER REPAIRS SHOULD BE MADE. IF CONCERN PERSISTS FOLLOW NORMAL WORKSHOP MANUAL DIAGNOSTICS UNDER SECTION 412-00.

EFFECTIVE DATE: 10/20/2010

 

21543 2011 EDGE/MKX - UNSUBSCRIBED SIRIUS TRAVEL LINK

SOME 2011 FORD EDGE AND LINCOLN MKX EQUIPPED WITH NAVIGATION MAY REPORT UNSUBSCRIBED SIRIUS TRAVEL LINK FEATURES. THE SUBSCRIPTION INFO SCREEN REPORTS

ONLY AUDIO, TRAFFIC, AND WEATHER MAP SUBSCRIBED WITH ALL OTHER SERVICES UNSUBSCRIBED. THIS IS RELATED TO THE SYNC MODULE AND IS NOT A SIRIUS SUBSCRIPTION

ISSUE. SIRIUS CAN NOT HELP WITH THIS CONCERN AND PLEASE MAKE NO REPAIR ATTEMPTS AT THIS TIME. CONTINUE TO MONITOR OASIS FOR UPDATES.

EFFECTIVE DATE: 10/18/2010

THERE ARE

[samskudd]

From the service dept. at my dealership. I also heard from someone else that Ford released MFT about a year earlier than when they should have.

 

207500 - SYNC OPERATION

SPECIAL SERVICE MESSAGES

21546 2011 EDGE/MKX WITH VARIOUS FUNCTIONALITY CONCERN WITH THE MY TOUCH SYSTEM

SOME 2011 FORD EDGE AND LINCOLN MKX VEHICLES MAY EXPERIENCE VARIOUS CONCERNS WITH THE MY TOUCH SYSTEM IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS: VOICE RECOGNITION,

PHONE PAIRING, TOUCH SCREEN OPERATIONS, SD CARD FAULT, ADDRESS BOOK DOWNLOADS, SCREEN REBOOT, NAVIGATION SET IN KILOMETERS/VOICE READS IN MILES,

REVERSE CAMERA SCROLLING DISPLAY AND PERFORMING SYSTEM MAINTENANCE. ENGINEERING IS INVESTIGATING AND WORKING ON A RESOLUTION. PLEASE MONITOR OASIS

FOR UPDATES. IF DIAGNOSING DEFROST FUNCTION CONCERNS, FIRST VERIFY OPERATION FROM THE MAIN CONTROLS ON THE ELECTRONIC FACEPLATE (EFP). IF OPERATION IS

CONFIRMED, NO FURTHER REPAIRS SHOULD BE MADE. IF CONCERN PERSISTS FOLLOW NORMAL WORKSHOP MANUAL DIAGNOSTICS UNDER SECTION 412-00.

EFFECTIVE DATE: 10/20/2010

 

21543 2011 EDGE/MKX - UNSUBSCRIBED SIRIUS TRAVEL LINK

SOME 2011 FORD EDGE AND LINCOLN MKX EQUIPPED WITH NAVIGATION MAY REPORT UNSUBSCRIBED SIRIUS TRAVEL LINK FEATURES. THE SUBSCRIPTION INFO SCREEN REPORTS

ONLY AUDIO, TRAFFIC, AND WEATHER MAP SUBSCRIBED WITH ALL OTHER SERVICES UNSUBSCRIBED. THIS IS RELATED TO THE SYNC MODULE AND IS NOT A SIRIUS SUBSCRIPTION

ISSUE. SIRIUS CAN NOT HELP WITH THIS CONCERN AND PLEASE MAKE NO REPAIR ATTEMPTS AT THIS TIME. CONTINUE TO MONITOR OASIS FOR UPDATES.

EFFECTIVE DATE: 10/18/2010

THERE ARE

 

That is so funny...They should of given the dealers a list of things that DO work...Probably would be shorter...

3 months and no solutions...Nice work Ford!

[AXCL]

I've just spoken to the Sync support at Ford Canada. They are well aware of all of the issues. They stated Ford is working to resolve all of the issues, however they are not aware of any recent updates, nor do they have an ETA. All they did was take my details down, with a list of my issues and said they would call me when an update was released. So I think this confirms that no magic update exists yet.

 

P.S. wilsons66604 - I love the new avatar, you should get the real plate!

[Brendan Bunn]

Ford Oasis says to monitor it for updates. They say they have engineers actively investigating it and will post the update as soon as its done. But as of now, no update or news of it.

 

 

Got the MFT update today for SYNC. (My screen was black, then I restored it with a Fuse 29 removal and restart, which worked for about a week). After the update, the NAV system won't work. Everything else was fine. The tech is totally confused, is calling Ford. The rumored update, thus far for my 2011 Edge Ltd., is a dog.

 

I agree with all the comments made by the Open Letter author regarding the functionality of the system. While powerful on many levels, it's unnecessarily clunky in a lot of areas. Delay touch reaction, the fact that a black screen kills your access to many systems, the NAV system track being too slow. It's all true -- and fixable.

 

The real problem is they used Microsoft for this deal. They need to install CONTROL-ALT-DELETE buttons.

 

- Not giving up yet, but not happy after a month.

[wilsons66604]

Got the MFT update today for SYNC. (My screen was black, then I restored it with a Fuse 29 removal and restart, which worked for about a week). After the update, the NAV system won't work. Everything else was fine. The tech is totally confused, is calling Ford. The rumored update, thus far for my 2011 Edge Ltd., is a dog.

 

I agree with all the comments made by the Open Letter author regarding the functionality of the system. While powerful on many levels, it's unnecessarily clunky in a lot of areas. Delay touch reaction, the fact that a black screen kills your access to many systems, the NAV system track being too slow. It's all true -- and fixable.

 

The real problem is they used Microsoft for this deal. They need to install CONTROL-ALT-DELETE buttons.

 

- Not giving up yet, but not happy after a month.

Have you checked SyncMyRide for the install history/version?

 

I would bet that you didn't get the update. The tech may have just re-installed the old version.

 

 

 

[richy]

This guy got some half baked version that is not for release.

It doesn't count

 

Wilson, I see you have a new avatar. That gave my morning a chuckle...thanks. On a related note, I pick up my MKX today!!

[wilsons66604]

Wilson, I see you have a new avatar. That gave my morning a chuckle...thanks. On a related note, I pick up my MKX today!!

Cool! Good luck with MKX.

Keep us posted.

 

 

[sboots88]

Have you checked SyncMyRide for the install history/version?

 

I would bet that you didn't get the update. The tech may have just re-installed the old version.

 

I'm in agreement that you probably do not have the rumored and long awaited update.

 

And to repeat what has been said by others before, the problems appear to be all My Ford Touch - the software that runs on top of the Sync platform.

 

-steve

[revOevoM]

A competent driver should be able to handle a variety of distractions. MFT is well within the range of what a driver ought to be able to handle.

Or maybe a more highly educated one? link

[Twiggy2cents]

You cant force an update on sync...(well you can, but its not easy at all) So either he got an update or he got a lie.

[Mike_2011_Edge]

I agree 100% with the ideas expressed in your Open Letter about the MyTouch System. I have the exact same problems and frustrations. You are indeed right that this very poorly implemented interface is less safe than a conventional one.

[Twiggy2cents]

Some 2011 Edge and MKX vehicles may experience various concerns with MyFord Touch and MyLincoln Touch Systems that include the following areas: Traffic, Direction and Information (TDI) calling wrong phone number, Travel Link subscription, voice recognition, phone pairing, address book downloads, intermittent touch screen inoperable conditions, SD card fault, screen reboots, performing system maintenance, navigation set in kilometers/voice communicates in miles, and reverse camera scrolling display. To correct these conditions the APIM will need to be reprogrammed.

 

 

 

There you go.... Call up your dealer and have a field day!

[Twiggy2cents]

BTW that is TSB 10-24-9

[Ray4Ward]

(This is a great Forum. The detailed letter at the top outlined alot of the issues that we all have had).

 

 

 

:shades: Ahhh the day I picked up my New 2011 Ford Edge......

 

 

Pops always said "Rusty" your day will come too......

 

I think I've been Sync-ed!