GPS Connection Delays

[rudylyon57]

My 2012 EX has this problem, especially when I start the car either in my garage, or in the covered parking desk. It's annoying but is most likely a software issue so I await another MFT update. In the meantime, I had an interesting thing happen. When the GPS doesn't connect with the satellites to begin with, the GPS quadrant will show the incorrect street, though it's usually in the general vicinity of where I am. The names change quickly as it desperately tries to figure out what street I'm on. After a period of time it will finally connect & all is well. A few weeks ago, though, it took so long for the GPS to connect that this is what it showed for the street name .

I experienced similar issues virtually since my 2011 was new. After multiple trips to dealer for MFT and GPS software updates, they FINALLY made progress by repalcing some hardware including the GPS module and aerial (antenna?). Since the unresolved case was documented during warranty, Ford extended warranty consideratioin toward this repair.

 

[Sgt1411]

My 2012 EX has this problem, especially when I start the car either in my garage, or in the covered parking desk. It's annoying but is most likely a software issue so I await another MFT update. In the meantime, I had an interesting thing happen. When the GPS doesn't connect with the satellites to begin with, the GPS quadrant will show the incorrect street, though it's usually in the general vicinity of where I am. The names change quickly as it desperately tries to figure out what street I'm on. After a period of time it will finally connect & all is well. A few weeks ago, though, it took so long for the GPS to connect that this is what it showed for the street name .

last year there was TSB to re-flash the GPS module.......did you have that updated?

TSB 12-11-2
11/15/12
GLOBAL POSITION SATELLITE MODULE - TRAFFIC
DIRECTIONS AND INFORMATION/NAVIGATION -
UNABLE TO LOCATE VEHICLE - BUILT ON OR
BEFORE 5/14/2012
FORD:
2010-2011 Fiesta, Focus, Mustang
2010-2012 Fusion, Taurus
2010 Explorer Sport Trac
2010-2011 Explorer
2010-2012 E-Series, Edge, Escape,
Expedition, F-150, F-Super Duty, Flex
2010 Milan, Mountaineer
2010-2011 Mariner
This article supersedes TSB 10-13-4 to update the vehicle model years, vehicle lines covered, Title, Issue Statement and Service Procedure.
ISSUE
Some 2010-2012 vehicle equipped with SYNC non-navigation and MyFord Touch or MyLincoln Touch and built on or before 5/14/2012 may exhibit a voice prompt indicating SYNC Service's Traffic, Directions or Information (TDI) is unable to locate the vehicle or a Global Position System (GPS) issue is present. Vehicles equipped with MyFord Touch/MyLincoln Touch and Navigation may exhibit a screen message indicating navigation stopped functioning contact your dealer, GPS has red strike through X, Navigation unavailable is displayed in the upper right hand corner of the display screen, and/or the last known vehicle location may be displayed instead of current location.
ACTION
Follow the Service Procedure steps to correct the condition.
SERVICE PROCEDURE
1. Disconnect the negative battery cable and wait 1 minute to reset the GPSM.
2. Reprogram the GPSM to the latest calibration using IDS release 81.04 and higher. This new calibration is not included in the VCM 2012.9 DVD. Calibration files may also be obtained at the website.
WARRANTY STATUS: Eligible Under Provisions Of New Vehicle Limited Warranty Coverage Warranty/ESP coverage limits/policies/prior approvals are not altered by a TSB. Warranty/ESP coverage limits are determined by the identified causal part and verified using the OASIS part coverage tool.
OPERATION DESCRIPTION TIME

121102A Reprogram The GPSM 0.3 Hr.
Following The Service
Procedure (Do Not Use
With Any Other Labor
Operations)
DEALER CODING
CONDITION
BASIC PART NO. CODE
10E893 04

 

[HDJulie]

No, I didn't. Thanks, I will call the dealership about that. It's time for an oil change & a brake job anyway.

Wait, it says 2010-2011 Explorer. Mine is a 2012. I don't think they'd do the TSB on mine.

 

[peterk9]

Does the 2010 even have the same navigation system?

Peter

 

[jmr061]

It is very simple for the dealer to hook up their "computer" and see if an updated calibration is available for the GPSM (the GPS module in the vehicle). If there is it takes them a couple minutes to upgrade it. They would waste more time searching for the TSB than it would take just to check, lol.

 

[grimloktt]

I had the GPSM update completed and still no luck. I'm pretty sure Ford messed this one up. What a disappointment...

 

[peterk9]

I had the GPSM update completed and still no luck. I'm pretty sure Ford messed this one up. What a disappointment...

This is your first post in this thread and you haven't exactly provided much information about the issue you are having so it is difficult to comment.
Please add the 'model' of your Ex to your profile so it appears in the margin. Thanks.

Peter

 

[jmr061]

This is your first post in this thread and you haven't exactly provided much information about the issue you are having so it is difficult to comment.
Please add the 'model' of your Ex to your profile so it appears in the margin. Thanks.

Peter

I concur....I have been waiting for more info as well. If this is something you have been to the dealer for several times push having your APIM being replaced if it hasn't. It has a 5 year warranty on it which would be ending soon if it hasn't already. Early APIMs were known to have issues.

 

[briteboy]

I just got off the phone with my Ford Service Mgr. My APIM was replaced last week, and I'm still having NAV issues. It has me driving thru fields, icon is pointing east, when traveling North, yada, yada, yada.

Based on Mgr's conversation, the GPS is separate from the APIM and needs to have it's own programming, and hardware.

Taking the 2011 Ex in, in the morning to try to have it corrected yet again.

Will re-post after.

 

[jmr061]

When the location is off dealers should be updating the GPS programming and VERIFYING the GPS data being received by the APIM. This is my opinion btw. The APIM can be put in diagnostics mode and you can watch the location feed being received by the APIM and also how many sats are locked etc. If you do this when it is showing the wrong location on the MFT map put it in diagnostics mode and grab the coordinates shown and go on the net and plot those coordinates to see if the map on MFT is wrong or if the coordinates themselves are wrong. This is basic troubleshooting a dealer should be doing.

Obviously if the GPS is sending the wrong location then replace it. If the APIM is plotting it wrong....reprogram it check it again, if wrong replace it.

Again this is my opinion.

 

[gdecamp]

My 2011 Explorer is going in again tomorrow for same issue. Probably the 3rd time in for this problem in the last year. This time they are changing the antenna I think he said. They ordered the part last week and tomorrow it will be installed.

Problem is even if I drive out of there (Ford dealer) with it working perfectly it could start all over again in a week, a month or on my next trip since it is sporadic. Mostly I get "no GPS", red X and navigation is totally lost telling me to turn and turn while I am looking at the vehicle on the map not even on a road in the area.

Hope this gets resolved this time.

 

[jmr061]

Just last week my Taurus freaked out. Someone suggested maybe I was in the bermuda triangle, lol. The compass was spinning in circles and while I was being placed on the map I would bounce around within about .5 mile of my actual location. This went on for a couple hours even after shutting off and restarting the car. I watched the GPS data coming in via the diagnostics mode and it was the data stream with bad data. It corrected itself after sitting over night. No idea why it did that and first issue I ever had.

 

[briteboy]

Update after service visit

Just got back from dealer to address Red X in GPS icon issue, yet again (4-5 times, and once since APIM replaced). Talked to the tech guy myself, and I'm convinced he knows his stuff (7+ years experience doing MFT type work). Told me there were no error codes in the system, and (of course) he couldn't get it to act up for the 90 minutes he had it and drove around. I asked him if he checked the antenna and he said yes, he checked everything. No error codes anywhere, and said that when the antenna starts to go it produces an error code.

He suggested the normal stuff we all know. Disconnect neg battery cable and do a master reset.

So I leave the parking lot, put in an address, and Voila! Red X thru GPS icon.

This is an FORD engineering FUBAR. Too many of us our having the same problem, with no definitive fix in sight. Last NAV system I'll ever have from Ford. Garmin sync's up before I'm out of the garage.

Other than that, I love the car. But it is frustrating for a seemingly simple system to be so messed up.

 

[peterk9]

Sounds like the only that you did different than the tech was to put in an address. If the tech had done that perhaps it would also have produced the red X.

Peter

 

[FordIVTteam]

I had the GPSM update completed and still no luck. I'm pretty sure Ford messed this one up. What a disappointment...

Hi grimloktt,

What kind of issue are you having with your GPS? Let me know and we'll troubleshoot.

Just last week my Taurus freaked out. Someone suggested maybe I was in the bermuda triangle, lol. The compass was spinning in circles and while I was being placed on the map I would bounce around within about .5 mile of my actual location. This went on for a couple hours even after shutting off and restarting the car. I watched the GPS data coming in via the diagnostics mode and it was the data stream with bad data. It corrected itself after sitting over night. No idea why it did that and first issue I ever had.

I'm not sure I have ever seen or heard of that happening before, Jason. Let me know if it happens again.

My 2011 Explorer is going in again tomorrow for same issue. Probably the 3rd time in for this problem in the last year. This time they are changing the antenna I think he said. They ordered the part last week and tomorrow it will be installed.

Problem is even if I drive out of there (Ford dealer) with it working perfectly it could start all over again in a week, a month or on my next trip since it is sporadic. Mostly I get "no GPS", red X and navigation is totally lost telling me to turn and turn while I am looking at the vehicle on the map not even on a road in the area.

Hope this gets resolved this time.

Hey George!

Please let me know how it goes.

Just got back from dealer to address Red X in GPS icon issue, yet again (4-5 times, and once since APIM replaced). Talked to the tech guy myself, and I'm convinced he knows his stuff (7+ years experience doing MFT type work). Told me there were no error codes in the system, and (of course) he couldn't get it to act up for the 90 minutes he had it and drove around. I asked him if he checked the antenna and he said yes, he checked everything. No error codes anywhere, and said that when the antenna starts to go it produces an error code.

He suggested the normal stuff we all know. Disconnect neg battery cable and do a master reset.

So I leave the parking lot, put in an address, and Voila! Red X thru GPS icon.

This is an FORD engineering FUBAR. Too many of us our having the same problem, with no definitive fix in sight. Last NAV system I'll ever have from Ford. Garmin sync's up before I'm out of the garage.

Other than that, I love the car. But it is frustrating for a seemingly simple system to be so messed up.

Were you able to show the tech, briteboy?

Rebecca

 

[gdecamp]

Hey George!

Please let me know how it goes.
Rebecca

Thanks Rebecca, actually waiting for them to call me. They've had it all day, it was supposed to be done at 3 but at 3 they said maybe by 4. I am thinking maybe they are having issues still. Will let you know, fingers crossed and I know they are trying.

Thanks!

George

 

[gdecamp]

Drove home and all was well. They put in new GPSM, is that the antenna? I am confused, they said antenna but paperwork said "Replaced GPSM, Reprogram, Retest...good to go"

Also says;

1 BB5Z*10E893*B AERIALl ASY - GPS

Like I said worked fine, no redX until I got in the garage at home.

Will watch this and report back.

 

[briteboy]

Rebecca,
Tech got the red x, but said it went away in 30 seconds or so, during his testing. My red x, went on for 3 minutes.

But since they can't duplicate the issue, they aren't going to do anything, and I'm not going to run 25 miles one way to take it back to them every time it acts up.

I'll just use my Garmin when I know I need reliability for the NAV.

 

[jmr061]

Drove home and all was well. They put in new GPSM, is that the antenna? I am confused, they said antenna but paperwork said "Replaced GPSM, Reprogram, Retest...good to go"

Also says;

1 BB5Z*10E893*B AERIALl ASY - GPS

Like I said worked fine, no redX until I got in the garage at home.

Will watch this and report back.

That is the GPS antenna. It is a GPS receiver that sends data to the vehicle network.

 

[gdecamp]

Thanks Jason! So far seems like that worked. Today had no gps in garage and when I backed out took 30 sec or so to disappear. Tracked perfectly to work.

Have been down this path before though but optimistic this time!

George