Software Updates from Ford to improve MPGs

[jeff_h]

Over the years I have never received a letter from Ford regarding a TSB. You normally find out about these when you take your car in for service....or if you are on these forums. Then your are usually the one who tells the dealer about. I've done this a few times.

 

I think this is a customer service action (like the leather shifter knob from 13B03) rather than a TSB... I think I remember getting a letter a few months ago about the shift knob (anyone else remember getting one?), and wouldn't be surprised if letters will be sent out on this too, though I have not received one yet.

[Waldo]

Yep, this is a Customer Satisfaction Program, not a TSB. Just like many of the recent MFt updates, or the 2011 Explorer fan update and a few others. it's basically a category in between a recall and a TSB; the repair is not mandatory but Ford thinks everyone will benefit from it, so they encourage customers to have it done. TSBs are just instructions on how to fix specific problems that customers may or may not have.

Edited July 31, 2013 by Waldo

[djminfll]

My car is at the dealership getting it's software update. I am going to fill it up when I pick it up, and start monitoring MPG from that point. I'm hoping for an improvement. The current tankful is only at 40.5mpg, due to the rain we have been having (I'm still on that tankful!) I really want to maintain 45+ at all times!</p>

Oh, I almost forgot, they are also going to repair the loose piano black trim piece on the driver's door.</p>

Edited July 31, 2013 by djminfll

[Aquineas]

Over the years I have never received a letter from Ford regarding a TSB. You normally find out about these when you take your car in for service....or if you are on these forums. Then your are usually the one who tells the dealer about. I've done this a few times.

For the record, I've never received a letter from Nissan, Honda, Acura, or Hyundai about TSBs either.

Edited July 31, 2013 by Aquineas

[neod192]

Has anyone actually received a letter from Ford regarding this update?

My dealer was very nice and printed out the letter for me (before it came in the mail) along with the letter the dealer received from Ford.

[jeff_h]

My dealer was very nice and printed out the letter for me (before it came in the mail) along with the letter the dealer received from Ford.

 

OK neod192 I saw your post over in Happy Talk with the good MPG, among several others who have received the update and I have not seen anyone note an adverse effect (other than the user whose update may not have saved in the system, etc) - so I've requested an appt at my local dealer for Friday morning to get the software update done and parts ordered for TSB 13-5-24 (popping sound), Recall 13S04 (fuel delivery) and Customer Action 13B03 (the much-vaunted leather shifter knob).

 

I will hit the 20k miles mark in a couple days and have had the car for 6½ months, this will be the first time back to the dealer.

Edited July 31, 2013 by jeff_h

[Osofast]

Does anyone have a link to the actual tsb13b07 that can be printed out or a scanned PDF of the letter you may have received. This is always a great thing to bring to a dealer who may have not got this info yet.

Most of the other tsb's are available from the fordservice content but i can't seem to find this yet.

[keithsm2]

Does anyone have a link to the actual tsb13b07 that can be printed out or a scanned PDF of the letter you may have received. This is always a great thing to bring to a dealer who may have not got this info yet.

Most of the other tsb's are available from the fordservice content but i can't seem to find this yet.

I advise going to Eli's and put in your vin number. It will show required update. Then you can print it out

[keithsm2]

I advise going to Eli's and put in your vin number. It will show required update. Then you can print it out

E t I s .com. Jeez. Spell check

[jeapa]

is the consensus that this update does no harm? I am getting very good MPG after only 3 days so I thought maybe my car already had the update, but I checked and the etis sight says my car needs it.

 

Thanks.

[corncobs]

is the consensus that this update does no harm? I am getting very good MPG after only 3 days so I thought maybe my car already had the update, but I checked and the etis sight says my car needs it.

 

Thanks.

I sure hope for no harm and reading the feedback here it doesn't seem like.

I'm in the same boat and I'm currently very very happy with my average but winter is coming and I have high hopes for an improvement then.

 

What scares me more are the stories about failed updates.

[djminfll]

I sure hope for no harm and reading the feedback here it doesn't seem like.

I'm in the same boat and I'm currently very very happy with my average but winter is coming and I have high hopes for an improvement then.

 

What scares me more are the stories about failed updates.

I honestly think that many of the mechanics who work on the FFH don't really know what they are doing. It is like they are following an instruction manual when they work on our cars. Maybe in a year or two they will have more experience, but for now, I think that many of them are too inexperienced to be effective. I may try a different dealership and let them know that the update was done incorrectly and ask if they can do it again.

[jeff_h]

I honestly think that many of the mechanics who work on the FFH don't really know what they are doing. It is like they are following an instruction manual when they work on our cars. Maybe in a year or two they will have more experience, but for now, I think that many of them are too inexperienced to be effective. I may try a different dealership and let them know that the update was done incorrectly and ask if they can do it again.

 

We are on our 3rd Ford Hybrid since 2005, geez you would think there should be an adequate number of trained hybrid techs... but I tried to schedule my software update for Saturday and THE guy that works on hybrids is not there on Saturday... so I am in the same boat and hope my one hybrid guy knows what he is doing -- will see him on Friday morning.

[djminfll]

 

We are on our 3rd Ford Hybrid since 2005, geez you would think there should be an adequate number of trained hybrid techs... but I tried to schedule my software update for Saturday and THE guy that works on hybrids is not there on Saturday... so I am in the same boat and hope my one hybrid guy knows what he is doing -- will see him on Friday morning.

I think part of it is that the 2013 is using lithium-ion batteries for the first time. In fact, I believe the Fusion/MKZ hybrids are the ONLY hybrids using lithium-ion batteries. So even if the mechanics have been working on hybrids since 2005, this is still pretty new territory for them.

That's the only explanation I can come up with, b/c it seems like it's not just my dealership that seems inexperienced - lots of us in the forum have the same problem.

[MXGOLF]

Just had my upgrade done yesterday. We will see after a long trip next week how it works. I am not holding my breath for this to really fix my mileage. We'll see.

[acdii]

Just had my upgrade done yesterday. We will see after a long trip next week how it works. I am not holding my breath for this to really fix my mileage. We'll see.

That would be a long time to hold your breath. Where are you heading to? Hopefully you can get on some nice flat stretches and see if it really did help, or if you have one of those like my old one. I hope its fixed though.

[MidnightX]

Has anyone actually received a letter from Ford regarding this update?

 

The dealer printed out my letter for me since I hadn't received it from Ford yet. I had the update done yesterday (7/31) and the letter he printed out is dated "August 2013." I suspect Ford will distribute the letters in such a way that everyone doesn't show up at the dealership at the same time. The service manager wasn't aware of the update and printed his dealer TSB letter at the same time. I wish I had asked him for a copy of that as well. I have attached a copy of the letter. I redacted my VIN number on the letter because ... well, just because.

 

PCM Update Letter.pdf

[Fastronaut]

 

We are on our 3rd Ford Hybrid since 2005, geez you would think there should be an adequate number of trained hybrid techs... but I tried to schedule my software update for Saturday and THE guy that works on hybrids is not there on Saturday... so I am in the same boat and hope my one hybrid guy knows what he is doing -- will see him on Friday morning.

I'm certain we will want to follow your performance changes after the TSB. Hope you get stellar results.

[Fastronaut]

Just had my upgrade done yesterday. We will see after a long trip next week how it works. I am not holding my breath for this to really fix my mileage. We'll see.

Let's hope so!!

[smr2112]

My car is in for this and some other stuff today. Service guy said it can take up to 4 hours to do the PCM reprogramming? Really???

 

[Fastronaut]

My car is in for this and some other stuff today. Service guy said it can take up to 4 hours to do the PCM reprogramming? Really???

 

I find that hard to believe unless it's the first time. Maybe they're using 120 VAC slow electrons. 240 VAC electrons are twice as fast ;)

[jeff_h]

Update completed this morning, took an hour. I snapped pic of lifetime before I checked in -

 

When a customer is waiting on the car, the tech pulls the car out to a separate bay (next to the customer lounge) instead of the back lot for those that will be picked up later. I was standing right there as the hybrid tech brought it out, and got to talk with him for a couple minutes - I asked "did you see my note?" (about the IDS version 85.05 that someone else noted above, thanks again!) he said yep and he already had the proper version. He said he is also ordering the thrust washer kit (snap/crackle/pop TSB 13-5-24) for both sides, and also ordering the fuel delivery parts (recall 13S04). He said the PCM update went fine (his name also Jeff, a good sign), so I thanked him and drove out of the bay long enough to snap another lifetime pic, below.

 

As noted above, regen miles and brake score reset to zero, and I found on my way home that the EV+ for the house is also gone. All that was expected based on other posts here.

 

I then went out to I-95 to go from one exit up to the one 4 miles up the road to see if the EV would work above 62, and got up to 70 and set cruise and when I hit a downhill, YES the EV came on at 70 MPH.

 

I have only had one short trip since then, which is a very favorable one in town (goes to wife's office, her Energi burns through 0-1 miles of HVB during the trip) that is just over 3 miles and a couple weeks ago I got 72.3 MPG on it (lots of conveniently-situated hills for EV/Regen) and today I got 90.5 MPG. Those are definitely not representative of the normal trips (catching a couple stoplights in that short distance probably makes a huge difference), but the update was applied successfully and I'll post in the 'guinea pig' thread next Monday or Tuesday as to how the regular commute MPG differed).

 

[djminfll]

Jeff_h, based on your comment above, mine was definitely done incorrectly. My regen score was not reset, my mpg since getting my car back is down to 35mpg, the worst ever since I got my FFH, my EV+ still works, and I do not go into EV mode over 62mph.

I called the service manager, and I am bringing the car back in on Monday AM. They are giving me a loaner for the day, since they want to keep the car all day to ensure it is done right this time.

Once the update is done correctly, I am going to reset Trip 2 which maintains my lifetime figures and start again.

[smr2112]

I find that hard to believe unless it's the first time. Maybe they're using 120 VAC slow electrons. 240 VAC electrons are twice as fast ;)

 

Yep, I doubt it took more than 1/2 hour, because I had PCM done, axle clicking fixed, steering wheel centered and trim piece fixed

and it was all done today by 1pm. I am anxious to get my newly renovated car back later today.

[jeff_h]

Jeff_h, based on your comment above, mine was definitely done incorrectly. My regen score was not reset, my mpg since getting my car back is down to 35mpg, the worst ever since I got my FFH, my EV+ still works, and I do not go into EV mode over 62mph.

I called the service manager, and I am bringing the car back in on Monday AM. They are giving me a loaner for the day, since they want to keep the car all day to ensure it is done right this time.

Once the update is done correctly, I am going to reset Trip 2 which maintains my lifetime figures and start again.

 

Well I know you've seen the below tip (thanks again to keybman) , which I printed out and left on the front seat, tech said yes he saw it and was already on the correct system version etc... based on the below, sounds like your experience may be the same as his was -- I told my tech that of about 10 people that have posted that they got the PCM update, I would guess 4-5 of those needed to get it done twice, so definitely worth going back and printing out the below and having them verify it.

 

http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/topic/7238-ford-fuel-efficiency-update-guinea-pig-testers/?p=61696

Edited August 2, 2013 by jeff_h