2016 Explorer MFT Sync 2 Problem

[ThorChristian]

Hey all,

My InSync system now tries to update each time I start the vehicle.

I’ll get in, start the car and the screen is black and remains black for 45 seconds to a minute or so. Once it pops up, the screen shows that it is trying to do a “performing system maintenance”, and there is a white progress bar that has to fill in before it turns the system on. Once it comes on, everything seems to work just fine, however this has become a bit annoying.

Took it to the dealer and they are stumped. They have a call in to Ford, but the service tech told me there may be nothing that can be done since it is Sync 2. He told me he saw a similar issue with a Sync 1 system, which Ford no longer supports. If there is a way I can turn off this “performing system maintenance” feature, that would potentially solve it, but there doesn’t seem to be that option in my system.

Anyone have any ideas? I’ve been reading some of the questions in this forum, and I am concerned that Ford technology seems to be abandoned after a few years, and owners are on their own. As I am in the market for a new vehicle, I have decided to reconsider looking at a new Ford until this is resolved. This will NOT help my resale value, and I am not interested in looking at my vehicle like an iPhone that can be disposed of after a year. If Ford decides to abandon a software platform, they need to at least make sure what is in the vehicles on the road is stable and working as it was designed to when the car was purchased. They should at least be able to turn off the auto update feature (which has apparently been added to InSync 3).

(I edited this to change it from a “system update” to “performing system maintenance”

 

[peterk9]

I don't believe that this has occurred before. It is not uncommon for the MFT to 'boot up' from time to time and I believe it is just trying to 'refresh' the system. There is no update that it can perform on its own. Updates can only be done via a USB. Are you sure it isn't saying something to the effect that it is performing system maintenance? I don't know of any way to disable that without disabling the MFT itself.

Peter

 

[ThorChristian]

I don't believe that this has occurred before. It is not uncommon for the MFT to 'boot up' from time to time and I believe it is just trying to 'refresh' the system. There is no update that it can perform on its own. Updates can only be done via a USB. Are you sure it isn't saying something to the effect that it is performing system maintenance? I don't know of any way to disable that without disabling the MFT itself.

Peter

Peter,
Yes, I should have made my message a bit more clear.

The message is indeed a “performing system maintenance” message. I can get the exact wording when I get back to my car if it’s necessary.

I just got off the phone with Ford corporate and the person I spoke with told me they have not seen this before either. He had two suggestions for me. Perform a hard reset (I had already tried that before I took it into the dealer, and the dealership did this as well), and to turn off the wi-fi connection (which was already off). He said that he was going to note this and move it forward to see if it could be troubleshooted.

According to everything I can find (and my phone call with Ford confirmed this), I have the latest version of software, so no updates or system maintenance should be occurring.

 

[jmr061]

This message means your system is completely rebooting each time it starts up. Likely it is seeing an error during start up so it reboots it self from scratch rather than waking up from sleep. The dealer should know this. Its common with MFT. If it is doing this every single time and your vehicle has no electrical issues (like a weak battery) then the APIM is likely going bad or the software has a glitch and should be reloaded/forced via a force CIP load which the dealer should also know this terminology. If programming is successful during a force CIP load (the APIM may fail this if it is defective) and it still has the issue, it is definitely time for a new APIM.

 

[ThorChristian]

This message means your system is completely rebooting each time it starts up. Likely it is seeing an error during start up so it reboots it self from scratch rather than waking up from sleep. The dealer should know this. Its common with MFT. If it is doing this every single time and your vehicle has no electrical issues (like a weak battery) then the APIM is likely going bad or the software has a glitch and should be reloaded/forced via a force CIP load which the dealer should also know this terminology. If programming is successful during a force CIP load (the APIM may fail this if it is defective) and it still has the issue, it is definitely time for a new APIM.

Thank you!

Would the APIM be covered under the extended warranty? They have had the car twice now, and they have told me they have contacted Ford and are awaiting an answer.

As far as I know, there is nothing wrong with the car, (that includes the battery). In fact, I just had the car inspected. I’ll give them this information and see what they say. If what you’ve written is common, you are correct in that the dealership (and Ford, for that matter) should have recognized this issue and provided the solution.

Is replacement of the APIM expensive or difficult?

 

[jmr061]

You would have to check with the warranty provider to see if its covered. The labor involved in changing out the APIM is pretty simple on the Explorer.

 

[ThorChristian]

You would have to check with the warranty provider to see if its covered. The labor involved in changing out the APIM is pretty simple on the Explorer.

Thanks. I have the Ford extended warranty, bought at the dealership. It’s been pretty good so far. I’ll speak with them tomorrow and I’ll update this thread when I have some news.

It’s interesting to see how much is out there regarding the APIM problems. I’m really surprised they would not know this.

 

[peterk9]

Thanks. I have the Ford extended warranty, bought at the dealership. It’s been pretty good so far. I’ll speak with them tomorrow and I’ll update this thread when I have some news.

It’s interesting to see how much is out there regarding the APIM problems. I’m really surprised they would not know this.

How many have had APIM replaced?

Two days into ownership my APIM died. Now in shop. Seems like the failure rate on these modules is very high. Would love to know how pervasive these failures are. Please fill in your details: 1. Your model and build date? 2. How many miles have you driven? 3. Have you had your APIM...

www.explorerforum.com

How many have had APIM replaced?

Has anyone else had failures on a 2018 Model?? Just above the 60,000 km warranty and NOT being covered. All out of pocket. Please fill in your details: 1. 2018 XLT 2. 68,000 KMS 3. APIM Scheduled to be replaced 4. 68,000 KMS 5. Signs of a problem (Delayed screen) 6. Iphone 7. Currently...

www.explorerforum.com

 

[ThorChristian]

How many have had APIM replaced?

Two days into ownership my APIM died. Now in shop. Seems like the failure rate on these modules is very high. Would love to know how pervasive these failures are. Please fill in your details: 1. Your model and build date? 2. How many miles have you driven? 3. Have you had your APIM...

www.explorerforum.com

How many have had APIM replaced?

Has anyone else had failures on a 2018 Model?? Just above the 60,000 km warranty and NOT being covered. All out of pocket. Please fill in your details: 1. 2018 XLT 2. 68,000 KMS 3. APIM Scheduled to be replaced 4. 68,000 KMS 5. Signs of a problem (Delayed screen) 6. Iphone 7. Currently...

www.explorerforum.com

Peter, thank you for these links.

I have a call into the Ford dealership. I’ll update the thread when I hear back. This one amazes me, because the failure on the APIM seems fairly well-known, and there are a LOT of complaints. It also doesn’t seem to be 1) labor intensive to replace and 2) an expensive part, so why all the foot-dragging?

It also troubles me that when I called Ford customer service, I was told they “had not heard of this type of failure before”, which was clearly not true. I spoke to the guy while sitting in the car, so I read to him exactly what the message was on my screen. One question here in the forum, and I get a diagnosis within a couple of hours, that seems to be spot on.

I will wait to see how this plays out, but Ford is NOT inspiring me at the moment.

 

[ThorChristian]

Update:

Ford agreed to swap out my APIM, covered under my Ford extended warranty. The dealership had my vehicle for a few days, ran a number of diagnostic tests, and finally got an error code that they needed to get Ford to agree to swap it out.

Thank you jmr061 for the initial suggestion/reply to my question, and thank you peterk9 for the links to the 2 threads.
I was able to use that information to talk with both the dealership and Ford, and I believed it helped to get this resolved.

My suggestion for anyone dealing with a similar problem as mine... discuss the APIM issue with the dealership you are working with. My impression is that they all know what the issue is, but do not want to issue a recall and hope most people learn to live with the problem.

Persistence is the key here, as depending on your state laws, if Ford is unable to resolve the same problem after 3 attempts, it may fall under lemon law protection. That will open up a legal case that Ford may have to deal with. Fixing the APIM is most likely cheaper.