2014 FFH Issue thread: MFT, Sync, add your own!

[Richard Goodwin]

Starting this thread so people can list specific issues with their 2014's. Generally I'd keep away from MPG issues, which have been talked to death. Rather, I wanted to post about Sync, MFT, general build/mechanical, etc. Here's my running list, please feel free to agree/disagree/add to the thread! Some are gripes, many are actual issues. For the record, I have an iPhone 5S when referencing BT issues.

 

1. Keyless entry (touching the handle) works about 50% of the time. Generally give up and just use the keyfob.
2. BLIS fires frequently, as do parking warnings, steering wheel warnings, and driver alert warnings even when driving safely. Tried turning down sensitivity.
3. Have had to master reset MFT/Sync (once so far) to try to resolve performance; this is literally the best solution the Sync services team can offer.
4. No AppLink (mentioned as incompatible, but covered in the manual) and hyped by Ford constantly. Is it ever coming, especially to the flagship MFT/Sync/Nav system?
5. No downloadable apps. Shame, I bought the car thinking Ford had incubated an ecosystem already. If no Applink, then what do we even get?
6. Car gets stuck in backup camera mode, and if so messes up Bluetooth connection. I've had it stick in camera mode for up to 30 seconds, and I have to stop, shift to Park and then Drive. BT music gets staticky and/or skips until I remedy this.
7. Lost control of climate controls twice, required turning off and on climate system. Specifically the heated seat controls.
8. Changing audio sources is poorly designed and inconsistent. (Have to cycle through multiple presets for each band; skip buttons on steering work differently than on console. No way to rearrange audio sources so constantly toggling between screens).
9. Constant wiping of fingerprints on MFT screen. Literally the worst fingerprint problems I've seen on a screen.
10. MPG: enough said in various threads.
11. Nav system unbearably slow (especially text input). Often short turns/streets are missed as it spins its wheels trying to update the screen/"compute route" after a turn.
12. Nav directed down one way streets (twice). This is a maps issue I would think but still very dangerous.
13. Nav system terrible at finding places by name. Better off using Siri. Literally have not been able to get to a POI by name before giving up and just typing in the address. (See #11 ;) )
14. Build quality poor: vent control popped off, driver ext. door handle flexing, sunglass holder flexes.
15. Poor design of steering wheel controls. This may be a gripe vs issue, but seriously why put the music controls on the same side as the hand that already is close to the console controls? They hardly ever end up getting used because of this. That doesn't even count the "angled" four way controls that often send you the wrong way in the menu if you don't hit them just right.
16. Sync randomly loses connection to Bluetooth. Sometimes when getting in the car, sometimes when switching audio sources if I didn't start the car in BT Stereo mode. "The Bluetooth device that was previously connected is no longer connected. Sync is trying to reconnect to the previously connected device." That is the most wordy phrase I've heard from a speech system, and I get to hear it often.
17. Phone doesn't always reconnect when entering car. Have to go to "Connect a phone", then tap my phone, then tap Connect. (2 taps too many, btw). But turn off the BT on the phone while Connect a Phone is showing, and MFT/Sync pops up a "Phone Disconnected" dialog. You don't get to have two levels of disconnected-ness, Ford ;)
18. I think a lot of problems like 16 and 17 are due to poor software switching between Hands Free and BT audio profiles, the way the system treats them as separate functions in separate systems (MFT vs Sync vs dashboard controls).
19. Sync is the wordiest person I've ever had a conversation with. There are lots of phrases/responses that are complete sentences that don't even need to be there.
20. Sync voice recognition is very hit and miss. I don't have an accent or anything :)

Hope you don't see this as sour grapes, just trying to see what others agree with and other issues seen so we have a master list.

 

 

[Toz]

I can't comment on all of thoes issues, but my keyless entry works 100% of the time. My build qualilty has been flawless so far. My MPG is right where I expected it to be in the middle of winter. My LG dumb phone connectes to bluetooth 100% of the time when I get into the car. Never had my backup camera hang up, never had to master reset my MFT, never lost control of my climate.

 

I hope Ford helps you get your issues fixed. I also hope I never have any of thoes issues.

Edited January 14, 2014 by Toz

[Richard Goodwin]

Great, this data is still useful, absolutely. Do you know what software versions you have? I assume we would both have the latest builds as they rolled from the factory.

[Toz]

I am on MFT 3.6.2 as far as I know. No updates after delivery.

[acdii]

Sounds more like a buggy module than an issue with Sync. A bad module can cause all the problems you have.

[hybridbear]

Sounds more like a buggy module than an issue with Sync. A bad module can cause all the problems you have.

I agree. I have had ZERO issues with Sync. Bluetooth has worked perfectly in both cars. Sounds like you need a new module, Richard.

[bsondhi]

I have seen the following

 

1. Keyless entry (touching the handle) works about 80% of the time.
2. BT Audio is flaky. Requires twice to connect.

Other than those do not have any of the issues mentioned.

Thanks

B

[trvlrschick]

Ditto everyone else. I had one incident where the touchscreen froze and didn't display anything, but everything else... nope. No issues.

[Scott Arnold]

For phone issues, check to see if you have the latest firmware. I had connection issues until I updated mine and now it works great.

[Richard Goodwin]

@scott, there's only one firmware so far from what they've told me, the one from the factory. I'm going to drop it off tomorrow for diagnostics. The module may solve some finicky things but overall the interface is just a mess. I would pay (probably will have to) to go back to my non-touchscreen TL with crappy mileage. Anyway, this is an issue thread so off I go :)

[acdii]

He is referring to the phone. Droid software 4.3 appears to be stable with Sync. ALthough from what you have described, it isnt the phone its the module.

[Richard Goodwin]

He is referring to the phone. Droid software 4.3 appears to be stable with Sync. ALthough from what you have described, it isnt the phone its the module.

Ah gotcha. Yes, iPhone here so no dice trying another, but I'm dropping it off tomorrow so we will see. Thanks!

[bradycl98258]

_{This is a serious bummer. And I've got to think you've got deeper problems going on.}

 

_{First post, 2014 HyTi, purchased 12/17. Came from a 2003 CR-V that got me 197,000 miles without one penny in anything other than gas and regular maintenance. But the CV-joints were starting to go, and I found myself with a nice big down payment seed in December when I refinanced my house. So after I did all of my research, I decided I wanted a Sterling Gray Titanium, and the only options I wanted were ACC and the moonroof. I was going to wait until the tax refund came in, but I found one on the lot nearby in December that was exactly what I wanted except it had Nav too (don't use it as I use waze for all my navigation needs), and was able to work an end-of-year deal that was better than I would have gotten in March, and now I get to keep my tax refund.}

 

_{I'm up to 1500 miles now, and I've had none of the QC issues you mention.}

 

_{I cannot speak to iPhone, unfortunately, but my Galaxy Note 3 has never had a single connection issue. The only oddity that I experience is that it seems to be truly random whether the music in Google Play starts back up again when I get into the car, or whether I have to pull up the app on my phone and hit play. But I have never failed to have it make the connection when I get into the car, and have never failed to see the last song I was listening to show up on the bottom corner of the screen. Not enough of an annoyance to matter, and as soon as Cyanogenmod 11 is official for the Note 3 I plan to upgrade, and expect good things (text message functionality) from the new KitKat Bluetooth stack.}

 

_{Exactly once, this morning in fact, I have thought that I might have had an MFT glitch, when I went from R to D at the bottom of the drive the rear cam disappeared and the screen was just black for a good 5 seconds, but then the normal home screen popped up and all was good. We're obviously spoiled by the fact that our phones have just as much CPU as our PC's anymore, but I have yet to see a fail.}

 

_{I do agree that the changing of audio sources on the sync screen is unfortunate in that BT is far enough down that a screen change is needed between it and the radio. Would be nice to be able to hide unused sources and/or reorder them to our liking.}

 

_{The only physical build quality issue that I've noticed would definitely be the sunglasses holder. The one on my CR-V was flat out solid, whereas this one just feels cheap and flimsy, especially when it is closed, but in my case it has been this exception that has proved the rule--this shocked me because everything else seems to be impeccably solid and laser fitted.}

 

_{I cannot speak to BLIS as I specifically sought to avoid this option--did not want the distraction. In reading the forum I do sometimes look at things people say about it and think it's pretty cool, but ACC is as close as I get to being willing to give up the helm.}

 

_{MPG--let's face it, if you ditch the car, this will be the reason. You can see my fuelly below, and I'm learning, I've been following the tips and my brake score has been improving. I'm in Washington, and it's chilly but not freezing, and I really only use my seat heater on the lowest setting and the front defroster on the lowest fan setting when necessary (which is for about 2 minutes out of every 10 in our humidity). We did have some freezing temperatures, and I have a pretty hilly commute. My fuelly is currently pretty awful. But this tank has been almost night and day--finally got a break in the rain Saturday night after the game (Go Hawks) and took my new digital pressure guage to the gas station. Hadn't checked once since leaving the dealer. Found my two driver's-side tires at 37 and my two passenger-side tires at 35. Brought them all up to 40.5. My hilly commute went from 34-37 to 41-44 overnight. Still learning to drive with an egg under my foot and build muscle memory and ditch 25 years of DILYSI stress, but I feel so much better when I get home at night after relaxing my way home at the speed limit instead of riding bumpers, my wife has even commented on it. I may never get to where hybridbear is, but I used to get about 280-300 miles at the most out of a 16 gallon tank that I rode to fumes. I'm looking at 450-500 miles for this tank, and it's probably going to be about an 11-12 gallon fill. And as the weather improves and I improve it's only going to get better. And I'm driving in style listening to my playlists in Surround? I couldn't be happier. But you've got a completely different situation if you are locked into driving at those kinds of speeds, and yeah, you were misled if they knew that and told you you'd still be getting mid-40's.}

 

_{Side note, I live about 40 miles from my dealer, and because of this forum I learned that at the etis.ford.com site I could find my build date, and found out there that I needed the Customer Satisfaction Program HD radio fix. Hadn't even noticed but sure enough, HD radio was definitely not working right. When I got the postcard last Thursday that my plates were ready, I called and asked them if they could do this at the same time, and made an appointment for this Friday after work to do so. Got the Customer Satisfaction Program letter in the mail from Ford on Monday. Since I'm sure I would have just driven down to get my plates last Friday otherwise, this forum has already saved me one 80-mile round trip to the dealer. Thanks all!}

[Richard Goodwin]

Thanks Brady! I definitely didn't know about the HD radio fix; was wondering why I didn't get any HD radio equivalents of stations that I knew were broadcasting in HD (assuming that's the case). I can bring the tires up from 38 to 40, but let's see what the dealer does first.

 

I've internalized all the tips and tricks, including driving like a grandpa (no disrespect to any speed demon grandpa's or otherwise :) ), but still pulling out the same mileage. I look forward to the explanation from service tomorrow. I'm told my rental will be a Fiesta, so that should be interesting ;)

[Riggo]

For the touch to unlock door handle entry problem. I know that if my key fob is in the same pocket as my smart phone my touch to unlock door handle won't work. There seems to be some kind of interference between the phone and the key fob that causes the failure. Just throwing that out there as a possible solution to those people having that problem.

[acdii]

I do believe the Fob works based off RFID, the car sends out a signal looking for the chip in the Fob when you touch the door handle. It could be the phone is blocking the signal. There are sensors in the doors, trunk and center console that do this. The one in the console is right in front of that slot you put the key in when setting up MyKey or the battery fails in the Fob.

[tr7driver]

I do remember reading in the manual somewhere that having a fob close to a cell phone could interfere with the signal.

[Richard Goodwin]

For those following along, the latest updates from dealer:

 

1) They "updated and recalibrated the PCM", and said they were getting 47MPG going north on the local highway, "while hooked up to the IDS". Going south into the wind was registering 38. Given that I can barely get 38 registered in general, maybe this is a big improvement. (Other than single Trip meters if I glide from destination to destination and get 38-40MPG over a couple of miles.) He had said there was a PCM update so I am inclined to believe there was one; I just don't know how to actually tell, versus just doing a reset on things. Are there versioning records somewhere? (The etis site seems to be down but will keep trying.)

 

2) It goes next to MFT/Sync/HD Radio fixing and any resets that need to happen there.

[jeff_h]

1) They "updated and recalibrated the PCM", and said they were getting 47MPG going north on the local highway, "while hooked up to the IDS". Going south into the wind was registering 38. Given that I can barely get 38 registered in general, maybe this is a big improvement. (Other than single Trip meters if I glide from destination to destination and get 38-40MPG over a couple of miles.) He had said there was a PCM update so I am inclined to believe there was one; I just don't know how to actually tell, versus just doing a reset on things. Are there versioning records somewhere? (The etis site seems to be down but will keep trying.)

 

I assume they did the 13B07 PCM recalibration, which was released in August -- on my hybrid and for I think everyone else that got theirs done, two ways to check it was done. On Etis did it show up as an outstanding field service action? When my car was done it took about 7 days for it to disappear from Etis and made me think that the dealer didn't register its accomplishment properly, but I guess it takes time.

 

1 - Can you go over 65 MPH in EV without the ICE coming on? You might not be able to get it to come on on flat road as the system may sense that the ICE is needed, but check on a downhill and see.

2 - There was a number on the lifetime summary that was reset to zero, I think it was the lifetime EV miles, IIRC.

 

There is already a lengthy thread on the 13B07 elsewhere here on the forum, it's not a miracle cure but I think most owners found it helped by 5-10%, and as always YMMV.

Edited January 16, 2014 by jeff_h

[Richard Goodwin]

 

I assume they did the 13B07 PCM recalibration, which was released in August -- on my hybrid and for I think everyone else that got theirs done, two ways to check it was done. On Etis did it show up as an outstanding field service action? When my car was done it took about 7 days for it to disappear from Etis and made me think that the dealer didn't register its accomplishment properly, but I guess it takes time.

The 2014's (to my understanding) would have already had that particular PCM update applied from the factory, so I'm hopeful that this is a new new one ;) Nothing on Etis except the HD Radio recalibration, but I'll keep an eye on it.

[jeff_h]

The 2014's (to my understanding) would have already had that particular PCM update applied from the factory, so I'm hopeful that this is a new new one ;) Nothing on Etis except the HD Radio recalibration, but I'll keep an eye on it.

 

I didn't realize you were talking about a 2014 model, would have been easier if maybe the thread was titled that way. Oh wait... (guess I get a "here's your sign")

Edited January 17, 2014 by jeff_h

[acdii]

Hope they got it fixed for you.

[Double-Tap]

For your issue #19, just a suggestion to cut down the lady's voice:

In settings under voice commands, change it to "advance".

 

If you know HOW and WHAT to say, the voice command feature on this car is absolutely brilliant.

Edited January 17, 2014 by Double-Tap

[Howie411]

Starting this thread so people can list specific issues with their 2014's. Generally I'd keep away from MPG issues, which have been talked to death. Rather, I wanted to post about Sync, MFT, general build/mechanical, etc. Here's my running list, please feel free to agree/disagree/add to the thread! Some are gripes, many are actual issues. For the record, I have an iPhone 5S when referencing BT issues.

 

1. Keyless entry (touching the handle) works about 50% of the time. Generally give up and just use the keyfob.

 

1. Poor design of steering wheel controls. This may be a gripe vs issue, but seriously why put the music controls on the same side as the hand that already is close to the console controls? They hardly ever end up getting used

 

For the Keyless Entry I had major issues with this on my 2013 Ford Escape. On my 2014 FFH its like 100% better. Only have had issues 1 time (knock on wood)

 

For the Steering Wheel Design, see the thread I posted comparing the wheel in the Fusion, Escape and C-MAX on the Electrical, Gauges, Instruments, Lighting, Rear View Mirror page, the Fusion by far has the best layout.

 

 

One item I didn't see listed that drives me crazy is the front sensor beeping randomly going off. I could be stopped at a stop light and randomly it starts beeping for a second or two and displays on the dash. Though i had this issue on my Escape too.

Edited January 17, 2014 by Howie411

[acdii]

Front sensors are too sensitive, happened a lot on the one I had before with the APA. Thankfully my Flex doesn't use them.