Is SYNC hard of hearing?

[darenberg]

Sorry if I missed where this was discussed before, but I began driving my new 2011 Explorer Ltd a week or so ago. Love the ride and all, but I am just getting used to using SYNC services, and I notice that (unlike voice commends for the MyFordTouch, which have worked well with my regular voice) I need to practically YELL AT THE TOP OF MY VOICE TO GET SYNC TO DO WHAT I AM ASKING (<---emphasis added for effect )

Any thoughts on what I may be doing wrong?

I''d like to stop yelling at my car. Gets me some funny looks in traffic ;-)

 

[rnmomx2]

Sorry, no answer for your post since I don't have mine yet.

I just noticed you're in Northville which is my neck of the woods. I'm jealous, I'm at the 5 week point with a build scheduled for the end of the month (so much for the 6 weeks my dealer promised). Anyways, what color is yours? I saw a Sterling Grey limited parked behind Rebecca's restaurant downtown last night (which is what I ordered) and I thought that's my car, no fair!

 

[1995E]

Mine is fine. I can speak normally. The mic is above your head in the car. If there's something covering it or maybe it's a bad mic. Maybe bring it into the dealer.

 

[FLOffroad]

I do that with my 08 a lot, it happens sometimes. Also, if I'm sick or something, then that lady really gets on my nerves.

 

[darenberg]

I have a candy red. Its ironic, because I was saying to my wife all along, I am finally going to buy a navy blue car. But when I went to the dealer to buy my Kona Blue Taurus SHO, I test drove the only Explorer they had on the lot, this Candy Red Limited, and I ended up buying it. I would not have been patient enough to wait for one I ordered, though I would have probably added a few other features (mine lacks adaptive cruise control and a moon roof). Patience is not my strong suit.

@1995E, I would think the mic is working fine since its the same one that listens to voice commands for non-sync stuff, and I have had no trouble with that. I wonder if its because you are essentially speaking over a phone connection when talking to SYNC services, but even that has more than adequate voice quality (according to all the "real" people I have spoken to over the speaker phone)

 

[RSNovi]

Anyone know where the microphone is? If it is in the rear view mirror, people who sit closer to the mirror won't have to speak as loud.

 

[darenberg]

Anyone know where the microphone is? If it is in the rear view mirror, people who sit closer to the mirror won't have to speak as loud.

Microphone is in the "roof" of the car, just next to the folded sun visor when it is up. It looks like a tiny little vent in the fabric.

 

[AntRock]

Sorry if I missed where this was discussed before, but I began driving my new 2011 Explorer Ltd a week or so ago. Love the ride and all, but I am just getting used to using SYNC services, and I notice that (unlike voice commends for the MyFordTouch, which have worked well with my regular voice) I need to practically YELL AT THE TOP OF MY VOICE TO GET SYNC TO DO WHAT I AM ASKING (<---emphasis added for effect )

Any thoughts on what I may be doing wrong?

I''d like to stop yelling at my car. Gets me some funny looks in traffic ;-)

I have noticed that too. If i am actually using the SYNC for traffic it does not understand my commands and says something completely different than i asked for (my wife cracks up everytime). It works fine if i am using it to find a song or call some one with voice comands it just seems that the SYNC when going through my phone is horrible, i feel that it is that way because you are actually calling a center through your phone and not speeking directly to the vehicles touch system.

 

[JDraper]

I haven't noticed my Sync doing that, but when giving the Nav verbal directions, you have to speak carefully. Took me 3 tries last time before it decided that it would let me get to where I wanted to go..

Maybe HAL is on board?

 

[crayola554]

Sync mic

My manual says the mic is on the rear view mirror. Also, the system has to get accustomed to your voice. After a few tries, things should go smoothly.

 

[JDraper]

Manual may say it's in the mirror, but it's in the roof as said above.

Here's a pix of it in my truck.

On edit, where in the manual does it say it's in the mirror? I just went through my manual and the MFT supplement manual and couldn't find it.

 

[astrorex]

I have the same problem. But I don't think it because of the yelling. I often feel that services has a lag. Once you say something like directions, it takes a while before that is activated. It really heards the complicated address correctly, but then fails to hear the confirmation 'YES'. If you wait a while and then give a command, I've seen it works better.

Btw, I've also noticed this ONLY for sync services (direction, traffic and weather). Other stuff works fine, at least, it hears fine

 

[FordService]

Hi all,

This is Seni with Ford Customer Service. I see that some of you have questions about your SYNC with MyFord Touch systems. Here are a few websites that may help resolve those questions and even offer some user tips.

[http://www.ford.com/Technology/Sync/MyFordTouch/
http://Media.Ford.com/mini_sites/10031/MyFord/
http://www.FLMowner.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Owner/Page/SyncPage

Hope this helps. Please feel free to contact me with any further questions or concerns.

Seni

 

[dmiller_tiac]

Also problems with mic not working

In my case, I have a 3 day old 2012 Candy Red Ltd Explorer. yesterday while driving, I tried to use the voice commands and the system acted like it couldn't hear me no matter how loud or slowly I spoke. Then I tried to call using the phone/BT/speaker system. The person at the other end couldn't hear me either. I had to unlink the BT phone and call directly from the handset. Then later I was able to use the voice commands to program in a destination. Today, my wife was driving and tried to call me (different phone!) and I couldn't here her when I answered the phone. Not sure if there is a correlation to using the NAV while trying to enter voice commands (does that somehow mute the mic?) or some other issue?

Anyone else experience this?

 

[JFUSION]

on my last two sync system vehicles I had a voice recognition feature where you could train the system on your voice and style of talking. The system on the Explorer does not have it and it is supposed to "learn" your voice over time, I think they should have kep that feature as I tend to have issues getting it to understand what I'm saying . The other day I was using it to find a street address, it was so frustrating I ended up pulling over to the side of the road and using the nav system by hand inputs rather than voice.

 

[darenberg]

Update

An update for me. A few weeks back I took my Explorer in for the System update, and it fixed some of the problem. "SYNC Services" is no longer deaf as a doornail, but I still have significant problems with what I call system delay. Basically, for the first four or five minutes after I start the car, it will accept no input from the voice commands, from the "On/Off/Channel change" button in the center of the console, and it will accept only some of the steering column input (Climate, Pre-set-radio stations). The navigation system takes a few minutes before it will accept any input, which basically renders it useless to me. Who drives for five minutes before putting their destination in their GPS? Today, after getting in the car my phone rang over the car's system about two minutes after I started driving, but I could not get the car's system to answer the call, in spite of the fact that it was transmitting BlueTooth to my speakers (Nothing worked, the touch screen, the steering wheel console, nothing would pick up the call with hands free). I had to pull over, manually answer the call, and nearly got into an accident doing that. Three or four minutes after ending that brief call, my radio went silent as the message came up on the screen indicating an incoming call (The call that I had taken several minutes before). I'd love to say this was an isolated incident, but it was not. What powers this system? Old discarded TRS-80 computer processors?

Overall, the MYFOrdTouch and SYNC systems are a colossal failure in my 2011 Explorer. I haven't even gotten tot the part about the intermittent "SD Card Fault" messages that render my Nav system COMPLETELY useless at random times.

One of the frustrating things about posting on forums like this is that some of the answers are a little insulting, like I must be some sort of idiot. I am no tech neophyte. I use and program computers all day long in my research, so its not as if I can't program the clock on my vcr or other "high tech" stuff (<-sarcasm), but man, this Sync system makes an otherwise great vehicle a pain in the a**, and (sadly) I would not recommend it to a friend.