Sync dead?

[riderdan]

So, I've had a couple of intermittent MFT/Sync faults. Mostly blank screens followed by a reboot. Sometimes the reboot didn't occur until the day following the glitch. About two weeks ago, the Sync screen threw an error that it was in "transport mode" which necessitated a visit to the dealer. Dealer rebooted and all was fine for the next 10-14 days.

Yesterday, the system went to a black screen again. Needing the BU camera to be working for my wife to be willing to drive the car, I pulled the fuse, but no joy. It's still a blank screen.

Unfortunately, this time I think that the system is completely dead, as there is no power at the USB interface. I seem to recall that my iPhone would charge when plugged in even if the system had a blank screen during previous faults. Has anyone noticed if their MFT/Sync system has power to the USB ports even when the screen is blank? Or is it totally toast?

 

[boss377]

If it were me, I'd take it to the Dealer. I'll bet they can figure it out.

 

[FordIVTteam]

So, I've had a couple of intermittent MFT/Sync faults. Mostly blank screens followed by a reboot. Sometimes the reboot didn't occur until the day following the glitch. About two weeks ago, the Sync screen threw an error that it was in "transport mode" which necessitated a visit to the dealer. Dealer rebooted and all was fine for the next 10-14 days.

Yesterday, the system went to a black screen again. Needing the BU camera to be working for my wife to be willing to drive the car, I pulled the fuse, but no joy. It's still a blank screen.

Unfortunately, this time I think that the system is completely dead, as there is no power at the USB interface. I seem to recall that my iPhone would charge when plugged in even if the system had a blank screen during previous faults. Has anyone noticed if their MFT/Sync system has power to the USB ports even when the screen is blank? Or is it totally toast?

riderdan

I agree with boss377! Your dealer will be the best to determine what's wrong with your system. Keep us posted!

Rebecca

 

[TomTomNJ]

disconnect your battery and plug it back. That's what the dealer told me to do and worked for me.

I'm having a love/hate relationship with this car....

 

[strike]

If you wait 4 days it'll come back - this is what mine has done consistently since I got it in November 11. It'll go dead, 4 days later it'll come back with a 'performing system maintenance', then it'll be fine for another week.

Mine too doesn't supply USB power in this black screen state which is why I'm thinking of adding a reset switch, this because I doubt the Ford software update will fix this problem. It really does sound like faulty hardware.

When I told two different dealers about this problem they told me to suck it up and wait for the update as there was 'nothing' they could do until then. A Ford customer service manage basically told me to not bother them because there was nothing they could do until the update was out as this will probably fix all the MFT issues. Please let me know if ANYONE of you has gotten any sympathy from FORD for having putting your faith in their product.

 

[WDinSD]

The only time my sync has died is due to something in my iphone. It will work fine and every once in a while when I forward a song, it kills sync and the system reboots. It happened 10 times in one day then as crazy as it came, it hasn't happened in a month, knock on wood.

 

[rmp301]

disconnect your battery and plug it back. That's what the dealer told me to do and worked for me.

I'm having a love/hate relationship with this car....

Isn't it great? Pull fuses, disconnect your battery, work any type of voodoo to get things up and running ............ What a great piece of equipment we are stuck with! :roll:

 

[strike]

I wonder what will happen when someone inexperienced yet frustrated with MFT being frozen either gets hurt pulling the battery cable or damages something in the car.

I wonder if FORD will cover this under warranty?

 

[peterk9]

Isn't it great? Pull fuses, disconnect your battery, work any type of voodoo to get things up and running ............ What a great piece of equipment we are stuck with! :roll:

In a way it is not much different than calling for help due to a computer problem. The usual first question is, 'Did you reboot it?, If not, let's try that first'. Or the cable company saying, 'First disconnect the cable box from the power source, wait a minute and plug it back in.' It is all because of the amount of electronics in the vehicle. You are essentially driving a computer on wheels.
I understand it can be very frustrating for those who have the problems. So far so good for me. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Peter

 

[strike]

In a way it is not much different than calling for help due to a computer problem. The usual first question is, 'Did you reboot it?, If not, let's try that first'. Or the cable company saying, 'First disconnect the cable box from the power source, wait a minute and plug it back in.' It is all because of the amount of electronics in the vehicle. You are essentially driving a computer on wheels.
I understand it can be very frustrating for those who have the problems. So far so good for me. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Peter

I can't say I agree with your comparison; when I stop/start my car that would be like rebooting my computer at home. No way Dell would tell me to open the cover and unplug the power supply and replug.

If this was a cable box issue they'd be here fixing it or worse case I'd be getting a replacement.

Pulling cables on a battery can cause damage or injury to the those who don't know better.

 

[peterk9]

I can't say I agree with your comparison; when I stop/start my car that would be like rebooting my computer at home. No way Dell would tell me to open the cover and unplug the power supply and replug.

If this was a cable box issue they'd be here fixing it or worse case I'd be getting a replacement.

Pulling cables on a battery can cause damage or injury to the those who don't know better.

Okay perhaps the computer comparison wasn't the best. Perhaps I could have used the cable modem as an example instead. But as for the TV cable box, anytime I call with a problem, that is the first thing they always ask me to do. Unplug it, wait a minute and plug back in. Then we go from there. That way power is completely removed and I guess the 'box' resets itself. Turning it off does not remove the power from it, much the same as turning the ignition off does not remove power from all systems.
I agree that having to pull the battery cable off, while it may solve the problem, is not a satisfactory solution and could in some case result in further damage.
Things were much simpler with our first car. A '51 Chevy. From what I recall, it also had push button start, but you first had to turn the ignition on with a key. The only navigation aid was folded up in the glove box!

Peter

 

[riderdan]

It's in for service, so we'll see what they say

I took it to the local service department this morning. The service manager mentioned that the SYNC update was coming, but I pointed out that I don't want to wait some undetermined amount of time for a SYNC update to be able to control the rear air (I have two little ones that ride in the back) or run the radio.

When I bought the car, SYNC wasn't a feature I was interested in, but my wife wasn't willing to drive a vehicle that size w/o the backup camera. Obviously, I should have bought a non-SYNC Explorer and added an aftermarket backup camera and avoided this whole problem. Sigh.

Funny thing is, my first car was a Ford Mustang that ran like a top for years. And I have a 1931 Model A in my garage that's still going strong 80-odd years after Henry built it. With this Explorer, I seem to be having luck that's distinctly less good.

 

[cnsheets]

I'll purchase and pay to have an aftermarket rear camera installed in your EX as a backup to the MFT one in trade for your Model A

 

[riderdan]

Well, I got the runaround at the dealership. Unfortunately, I got there after all the service advisors were gone... so I wasn't able to express my frustration properly. I just smiled and took my keys from the cashier.

The paperwork said that they couldn't fix it because they were waiting for the SYNC update. But how in %&#* are they going to install the update when the system can't be brought out of the black screen of death? Pulling the fuse and battery didn't work for me, and it doesn't seem to have worked for them. Basically, they didn't want to deal with it, so they blew me off with a lame excuse.

It's a real shame that they weren't better at customer service, because aside from SYNC glitches, I really like the car. It's got good power, reasonable gas mileage, and seems to be mechanically sound. I can live without the phone link and the radio. That wouldn't be the end of the world--heck my Model A doesn't have a heater, let alone fancy electronics. But I have two small kids in the back who get carsick on long rides if there's no A/C, and a (pregnant) wife who doesn't want to drive the car if the backup camera doesn't work. At this point, I'm feeling like my next car won't be a Ford.

The good news (?) is that in California 4 repair visits for the same issue is a lemon-law trigger. So if it's not fixed in three more attempts...

 

[TomTomNJ]

uggg!!!

This issue continues since I've purchased my car. Isn't there a lemon law? how many times can we bring our car back to fix this issue. Honestly, if there was a way to get my money back I would do it in a heart beat and get something else. It's a shame because the car itself is nice and meets my needs 100%. It is so frustrating to have to sit in a parking lot and wait 2-5 minutes while this boots up before I am able to plug in my return address home. seriously?? Unbelievable and the programing team that developed this should be embarrassed. Everything takes forever to "wake up" or just work. They should just pay for Apple to install Siri and be done with it.

To be honest, I have little or no faith that this new version will actually work. I'm guessing they found more issues during the beta testing which is why it hasn't been released yet.

Seriously, if anyone knows how to initiate the lemon law for NJ, please let me know.... I'm kicking myself for getting rid of my Expedition...this sucks!

 

[ModMiFord]

This issue continues since I've purchased my car. Isn't there a lemon law? how many times can we bring our car back to fix this issue. Honestly, if there was a way to get my money back I would do it in a heart beat and get something else. It's a shame because the car itself is nice and meets my needs 100%. It is so frustrating to have to sit in a parking lot and wait 2-5 minutes while this boots up before I am able to plug in my return address home. seriously?? Unbelievable and the programing team that developed this should be embarrassed. Everything takes forever to "wake up" or just work. They should just pay for Apple to install Siri and be done with it.

To be honest, I have little or no faith that this new version will actually work. I'm guessing they found more issues during the beta testing which is why it hasn't been released yet.

Seriously, if anyone knows how to initiate the lemon law for NJ, please let me know.... I'm kicking myself for getting rid of my Expedition...this sucks!

TomTomNJ, the upgrade has been out since March 8th. It's on the syncmyride website and at local dealers. Many members here have also gotten it in the mail. My EX has been updated and it works great...

Check out this thread where everyone is listing the date they got it and their location...

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=348530&page=5

Good luck and hope the upgrade helps change your feelings on the EX. It did mine....

 

[TomTomNJ]

Thank you for the link. I've gone to the website and called since I have Navigation. It looks like I need to bring my car to the dealer which is funny because when I called the dealer, they told me that I need to wait for the memory stick. So ford is sending me a letter telling me that I need to take my car to the dealer (BTW, I've taken my car to the dealer over 10x at this point) and my dealer is telling me that they don't have any cards to perform the download. Typical... This continues to be the worst mistake I've ever made.

So what do I do now? Keep calling dealerships until I find one that is able to perform the upgrade. Wow.

BTW, that was pretty lame that Ford goes on Facebook but deletes all the negative posts. I posted something similar to my previous post and they deleted it. If that is what they are doing, it seems to show a one sided story.:thumbdwn:

 

[rmp301]

In a way it is not much different than calling for help due to a computer problem. The usual first question is, 'Did you reboot it?, If not, let's try that first'. Or the cable company saying, 'First disconnect the cable box from the power source, wait a minute and plug it back in.' It is all because of the amount of electronics in the vehicle. You are essentially driving a computer on wheels.
I understand it can be very frustrating for those who have the problems. So far so good for me. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Peter

Then put a freakin reset button on the system and make it easier for us!

 

[kabiblueline]

Tom-

My dealer also claimed that I had to wait for my SD card - when syncmyride.com clearly showed I had to go to them, and probably wouldn't receive one in the mail.

I just left my car with them (needed and oil change and rotation anyway) and called the Ford IVT number that has been posted on here. When IVT confirmed I wasn't getting one, they took the name of my dealer (and the service manager I had been dealing with) and called them directly to explain to them how to order an SD card for me.

A bit of a pain, but at least it got taken care of.

Rich

 

[rmp301]

Tom-

My dealer also claimed that I had to wait for my SD card - when syncmyride.com clearly showed I had to go to them, and probably wouldn't receive one in the mail.

I just left my car with them (needed and oil change and rotation anyway) and called the Ford IVT number that has been posted on here. When IVT confirmed I wasn't getting one, they took the name of my dealer (and the service manager I had been dealing with) and called them directly to explain to them how to order an SD card for me.

A bit of a pain, but at least it got taken care of.

Rich

Tried the phone number that came with the mailing and it was "Out of Service" ........ geezzee ....... Went to the Ford website and got a good working number to call into!