Explorer SiriusXM Stuck "Acquiring Signal" (Intermittent) 2018 Models

[JtotheP]

Yeah I figured it was a firmware update or equivalent.

 

[sfagnetwoodland]

Update - after having antenna replaced, Sirius refresh signal, master reset on vehicle, the problem returned yesterday and again this morning. Clear skies and no obstructions I lost the signal about 5 miles in to my morning commute. The "Acquiring Satellite Signal" notification showed on screen for over 45 minutes during my drive. I have travelled the same route for over 15 years and none of my vehicles had any type of satellite reception issues. I have scheduled another appointment with the dealer - only 750 miles on the vehicle. So sad!

 

[JtotheP]

Ugh I hate that for you. Hopefully they will do a recall or send out a notice.

 

[peterk9]

Ugh I hate that for you. Hopefully they will do a recall or send out a notice.

You won't see a 'Recall'. They are only issued for safety related issues.

Peter

 

[Sgt1411]

I'm guessing an engineering issue with the new shark fin antenna. Remember the difference between 17 model year and 18 model year is they now have the 4G LTE antenna up there too. I bet its a shielding issue causing interference.

My 2017 Sirius is rock solid never drops unless I'm in a tunnel.

 

[Dora2.0]

Just got the acquiring satellite signal issue today. Did a factory reset on the radio and it worked for about 2 minutes then went back to acquiring satellite signal. Hopefully it clears itself up soon or find out some more details about why this is happening. My ‘18 Sport is 4 months old with about 2200 km.

 

[JtotheP]

I’m not sure anyone has figured out exactly what’s going on. Mine experienced 2-3 SXM updates in the span of a week and the issue went away. It didn’t make sense to me as it appeared to be a hardware problem. Maybe it was coincidence. I didn’t really do anything else and it sorted itself out similar to another poster earlier in this thread. I made a bunch of videos and screenshots in preparation for a dealership visit, but didn’t have to thankfully.

Hopefully yours sorts itself out too.

 

[sfagnetwoodland]

Well - the dealer wanted to me drive the vehicle for a week or two and log the issue. Same thing as stated in my earlier posts - the Sirius/XM signal was non-existent and Satellite Acquiring Signal shows on screen on a regular basis. The signal will briefly show, then the signal cuts in and out and then shows the Satellite Acquiring Signal for the remainder of the day. The problem is very odd as I have gone maybe 1 or 2 days without and issue - and then back to that darn Satellite Acquiring Signal screen. Only 1800 miles on the vehicle and I still love it - just need to figure this thing out. My wife's 2017 Explorer Sport has no issues with the Sirius/XM system as I frequently drive her vehicle on the same routes - the signal has NEVER cut out. I have phoned the dealer and set an appointment to have them look at again - I think it needs a new Sirius/XM module or Audio Control Module - so weird that this is happening.

 

[JtotheP]

Thanks for the update. Let us know what happens and if they find anything abnormal.

 

[sfagnetwoodland]

I will - Dora, I would be interested in what you find out as well. My 2018 Sport has been suffering from this issue since the day I purchased it - 1 month ago.

 

[peterk9]

Well - the dealer wanted to me drive the vehicle for a week or two and log the issue. Same thing as stated in my earlier posts - the Sirius/XM signal was non-existent and Satellite Acquiring Signal shows on screen on a regular basis. The signal will briefly show, then the signal cuts in and out and then shows the Satellite Acquiring Signal for the remainder of the day. The problem is very odd as I have gone maybe 1 or 2 days without and issue - and then back to that darn Satellite Acquiring Signal screen. Only 1800 miles on the vehicle and I still love it - just need to figure this thing out. My wife's 2017 Explorer Sport has no issues with the Sirius/XM system as I frequently drive her vehicle on the same routes - the signal has NEVER cut out. I have phoned the dealer and set an appointment to have them look at again - I think it needs a new Sirius/XM module or Audio Control Module - so weird that this is happening.

As mentioned in my post #15, the 2018 antenna is different than those before it. Not sure if that is the issue but the members reporting this issue have 2018 models.

Peter

 

[RustySmith]

Mine started acting up back in mid/late April. Went through all the regular refresh and the "advanced" refresh with Sirius on the phone, with no luck. A day or so later I got an update pushed out by Sirius, and it has been rock-solid since (fingers crossed) not long after there was one or two more Sirius updates if I recall, and another one just a few days ago. Wish I could offer more help - hope you all can get it worked out.

 

[JtotheP]

Mine started acting up back in mid/late April. Went through all the regular refresh and the "advanced" refresh with Sirius on the phone, with no luck. A day or so later I got an update pushed out by Sirius, and it has been rock-solid since (fingers crossed) not long after there was one or two more Sirius updates if I recall, and another one just a few days ago. Wish I could offer more help - hope you all can get it worked out.

This exact thing happened to me. I had my signal refreshed a few times via calling in and the app and it sorted itself out.

 

[Dora2.0]

Turns out it was only an issue for yesterday during the drive into work (fingers crossed). On my 40 km drive home, it cut in an out a couple of times and has been solid since (not that 1 day is rock solid, but baby steps). Hopefully it doesn't reoccur. I did not see any system updates taking place on the nav screen at any time, however my FordPass app did indicate that an update was happening when I tried to start it remotely to get the AC going before leaving. Could be related...I'll post back if it flakes again. Good luck to the rest of you with the problem and hopefully Ford gets to the bottom of it.

 

[sfagnetwoodland]

Appointment scheduled for this Tuesday - June 5th. Update to follow....

 

[SassyAZ]

I got my explorer two weeks ago and the satellite radio has never worked. Noticed the base was loose and took it in, where I was told I "must have hit something". Replacement part is a month out....pretty sure this isn't an uncommon problem.

 

[peterk9]

I got my explorer two weeks ago and the satellite radio has never worked. Noticed the base was loose and took it in, where I was told I "must have hit something". Replacement part is a month out....pretty sure this isn't an uncommon problem.

Welcome to the Forum.
The "Aquiring Signal" issue is not a common one, unless you have a 2018 model.

Peter

 

[SassyAZ]

Welcome to the Forum.
The "Aquiring Signal" issue is not a common one, unless you have a 2018 model.

Peter

Yep, 2018 Explorer XLT.

 

[clynn1220]

Same problem here, had a 2012 Ford Fusion that never had satellite signal issues, and it's been constant over the last few days with the 2018 Explorer I just bought three weeks ago. Very, very frustrated as my commute is 70+ minutes.

I'm assuming there has been no official acknowledgment or recommended course of action from Ford yet?

 

[MrMarvelus]

2018 Sport here just started acting up the other day. Tried a master reset and a signal refresh and nothing has helped