Explorer Navigation Tracking Problem

[jmr061]

If you have any experience with wiring I would wire the GPS directly to the APIM. That's going beyond what the customer should do though.

 

[LT Clark]

If there was a way to replace it with an aftermarket system I would but since it's all tied together I don't know of any that will work.

 

[Daheim111]

Nav works not correct...from time to time I drive "beside" the road !

Sometimes the Nav gives me not the correct position / it means, the position of the car is shown beside the road, but moves in correct direction. It occurs especially on the highway after driving some times at once, or when it is rainy...it needs time to come "back" to road...

Where can I find the GPS antenna ? Can`t find the location in the repair manual...

 

[peterk9]

Nav works not correct...from time to time I drive "beside" the road !

Sometimes the Nav gives me not the correct position / it means, the position of the car is shown beside the road, but moves in correct direction. It occurs especially on the highway after driving some times at once, or when it is rainy...it needs time to come "back" to road...

Where can I find the GPS antenna ? Can`t find the location in the repair manual...

The GPS antenna is located under the dash.

Peter

 

[Daheim111]

@peterk9, right over the MFT ? And thank you, this here is the right theme...have to search and read a little bit more...

Have read nearly all (21 pages)...that don`t help me (here in Germany), because the Ford dealers say "no, impossible"...better " IMPOSSIBLE " to help me...

NO connection/communication from/with Ford Germany to Ford USA !!!? Really ???

Something I can do (by myself) ?

MFT 3.10...

 

[PlatinumOwner]

Nav works not correct...from time to time I drive "beside" the road !

Sometimes the Nav gives me not the correct position / it means, the position of the car is shown beside the road, but moves in correct direction. It occurs especially on the highway after driving some times at once, or when it is rainy...it needs time to come "back" to road...

Where can I find the GPS antenna ? Can`t find the location in the repair manual...

2011-2016MY, the GPS Module is behind the Instrument Panel Cluster. Once the APIM(MFT) is removed, it is to the left side. On 2017MY+, there is no GPS Module, just a GPS antenna and it has been relocated to the roof with the Sirius antenna.

2011-2016MY - Ford GPS Module, proprietary connecter

 

[LT Clark]

I'm still frustrated with this thing. I've not had the time at this point to take apart the dash to find it. My wife who loves the car hates driving it if she has to use the Nav. Still no luck after all the Ford service visits with GPS. The last visit was last year and I think I've given up and my phone now sits on the dash so I can use it for Nav. I'll never trust it again after a few hours of driving in circles in traffic trying to get to an appointment and not noticing the GPS X. It was close since It remembered where I was when I started it but couldn't get any Sat connection to continue so I missed it. Only thing they can guess is that the design with the reception is faulty. The antenna location or design does not receive or is unable to receive signal from the proper number of Sats at the same time. The last trip I took a few months ago up the east coast all on I95. Nav had me driving through towns after it worked for a few hours fine. I had to turn off the guidance after the constant voice guidance telling me how to get back on the highway I had been driving on for 6 hours.

is there a way to add an aftermarket antenna? I'd love to see the the wiring digram of the components and find a radio shack. Couple of plugs and solder maybe? Who would design something that is to receive a signal from an outside source and then put it in the middle of a metal box.

 

[SMSemadeni]

Chiming in here, if there's anyone monitoring this thread anymore. This issue is a thorn in my side. Never had it with my 2013 Explorer, but we downgraded to a 2011 Edge that has had SO many issues in the past 18 months since we bought it. Old as it was, the factory warranties had all expired, and the dealer only gave us 30 days on everything else. Naturally, this started after that.

A week ago, I had to change the battery, so it was out long enough to reset things if that would have helped. Several months ago, I performed a factory reset as directed by a service tech--that didn't help then, either. This weekend, I changed the fuse to the GPS module. Still no love. Typically it either resolves on its own as I'm driving or I pop the nav card out and back in. Sometimes not even that works.

Today I was offroading through a hospital. Then later without the GPS even being Xd out even, I was driving through backyards in a subdivision. I did the APIM diagnostic to check satellites RIGHT after it found the street again and I was able to stop, and it was bouncing around from 4 satellites to 5, 6, and even 7, like it just couldn't get a good lock on any of them. I wasn't in a tunnel, just under a FEW trees. Last week after changing the battery, it said I was driving north on the highway when I was traveling due south! Like the rest of you, I rely more on my phone's map system now than this thing because it's just worthless.

I contacted Ford service today because after reading here and a few other places, I got hopeful that maybe all I needed was an update to Sync or the Nav software, but the owner website told me my Sync was up to date. After chatting briefly with me, the tech told me to take my car to the dealer (naturally) stating they could update the Sync and that I should of course buy the new map card (like heck...there's no new roads in my area. *L*) When I asked about updating Sync via USB, she said Gen2 Sync requires updates from the dealer and can't be done by the user. Then she phrased things differently and indicated they could update IF THERE WAS AN UPDATE AVAILABLE. Not that there was, but that there MIGHT be.

After reading so many of the horror stories here, the last thing I want to deal with is sinking a ton of money into an after-warranty issue that isn't going to be fixable.

Is there ANYONE who's gotten a permanent fix for a 2011?? My 2013 was never a problem, but that was a secondhand fleet car, so it was probably well maintained and updated before we bought it.

 

[peterk9]

What version of MFT are you currently on? The latest for the Explorer with MFT is V3.10. You can't go by the site as it has told many users that they were up to date when actually they were not. MFT Update V3.10

Peter

 

[jmr061]

Did you also read this?

GPSM and APIM testing - Nav issues

 

[SMSemadeni]

Did you also read this?

GPSM and APIM testing - Nav issues

I did--I used those instructions to check that I was tracking satellites.

As for what version of MFT, while i was in that part of diagnostics, I also checked software versions, but I don't see anything specifying MFT/My Ford Touch. It says my NAV is 3.34.4, and the website said Sync was at 3.5 (though in the diagnostics, I found "DOF Software Modem: SyncII V1 aqSDK V2.9.2" ?)

Is there something else I need to check?

 

[jmr061]

Your issue sound like it is with the GPSM which is the receiver for the satellites. There is nothing you can do with it. It needs to be checked to see if there is a firmware update for it. The dealer needs to do that. You can update the MFT software yourself however I doubt that will fix the issue.

 

[SMSemadeni]

Your issue sound like it is with the GPSM which is the receiver for the satellites. There is nothing you can do with it. It needs to be checked to see if there is a firmware update for it. The dealer needs to do that. You can update the MFT software yourself however I doubt that will fix the issue.

Thanks, Jason. Yeah, I'd begun to suspect it was the module itself causing problems, but then after finding all the complaints and troubleshooting here, I wondered whether fixing it was even possible. Do you know if anyone's had resolution through replacing the unit or updating that firmware?

 

[peterk9]

Thanks, Jason. Yeah, I'd begun to suspect it was the module itself causing problems, but then after finding all the complaints and troubleshooting here, I wondered whether fixing it was even possible. Do you know if anyone's had resolution through replacing the unit or updating that firmware?

I found 2 posts using the 'Search' feature in this thread where reloading software seems to have corrected the issue. Here is one and the other is on the same page.
Explorer Navigation Tracking Problem

Peter