Updates Will Not Turn On

[roadPilot]

Here we go again!
About a couple of hours later I get an email from the tech support division of Ford telling me to call my dealer and have them install the almost day long update. Well, that is what they did 6 week ago and it would not take. So we are back to square one with a still sick sync 4 system.

Ford Engineering did release supplemental instructions to several CSP's related to the Sync4 updates.

Most module SW update "failures" are/were the result of the battery voltage being allowed to drop too low during the install.

The supplemental instructions were to fully charge the battery BEFORE they start programming and keep it on a charger (to keep the voltage above 12.5V to 12.8V) DURING programming.

If your dealership tried SW updates six weeks ago, that was before those supplemental instructions.

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[Doggy-Dog]

Ford Engineering did release supplemental instructions to several CSP's related to the Sync4 updates.

Most module SW update "failures" are/were the result of the battery voltage being allowed to drop too low during the install.

The supplemental instructions were to fully charge the battery BEFORE they start programming and keep it on a charger (to keep the voltage above 12.5V to 12.8V) DURING programming.

If your dealership tried SW updates six weeks ago, that was before those supplemental instructions.

That may be the answer. The email I got from Ford had a different TSB number and that just may have the info to get my truck fixed. I am going to my dealer Friday with this new info and see what they have to say about it.

 

[Doggy-Dog]

Another update...................................W O W.......

That is great. We have the same truck. Maybe they can finally fix mine.

 

[roadPilot]

That may be the answer. The email I got from Ford had a different TSB number and that just may have the info to get my truck fixed. I am going to my dealer Friday with this new info and see what they have to say about it.

Hope so. Good luck!

 

[Doggy-Dog]

At dealer today and next attempt with updated software is scheduled for Thursday the 26th. I just hope when they call late in the afternoon they say, "IT WORKED!"

 

[Doggy-Dog]

Took the truck out to my dealer this morning and got a ride back home. About 3:00 Pm my driveway alarm went off and there were two trucks in my yard. Mine and another Ford. Went out and the service man said they made the attempt and best they can come up with is one of their cables is bad and they ordered a new one. Ford parts said maybe a week for them to get it. Then they stated the center display is dead. Totally dark. Will not come on. They said when new cable comes in they will try again. I told them OK.
So I got to thinking(dangerous)and popped the + battery cable off for a half hour. Put it back on and listened to a whole bunch of relays clicking. Got in and started truck and display is back on and looks OK. Some of my settings have been reset but not a problem until the truck sync finally gets fixed. Then I will set them again.
Gee this is getting to be fun.

 

[JamesT]

Hi there! Will you send us a private message with your VIN and dealership info? I can look into things on my end. Thanks!

Ford, thanks for monitoring this group. I attempted to have this fixed via manual updates at the dealer. The sliders for auto-updates are still greyed out, no explanation (nice people but I think they flat out don't know what's going on). The truck is connected to WiFi at my house. I'm trying to rule out the battery and have a battery tender on the way. The updates the dealer applied manually really stabilized the SYNC 4 system

 

[JamesT]

I don't disagree with the concepts, but if Ford corporate/engineers are getting it right, you really don't need a lot of this support at the dealer. It won't fail, it won't need a lot of hands on, it will install and just work. If it written and tested then fails, it is likely a rare hardware failure of some sort. The shop mechanic will need to be able to troubleshoot the failure and replace a part.

I've had 2 Tesla's for almost 4 years. The updates don't fail. If they get something wrong, there'll be another update the next day or two. I will note that Tesla likely sends more updates than a typical Ford owner might like, but over the 4 years they have added and given me a ton of functionality that the cars didn't have the day I bought them.

I have a 3rd party service that tracks access to the car through an API. Below is a partial list of the most recent SW updates I've received. The point here is that Ford can do much better than what I'm seeing and hearing folks complain about. Push the SW, let it download and the owner can decide when to install. Most don't take more than 25 minutes and can be done overnight. Almost everyone has access to a wifi point somewhere, even the hotspot from a phone. If you don't - with Tesla when you pull up to a Service Center your car will connect to their wifi. It'll download there. USB could be a backup possibly, but Tesla won't package it that way.

My point here isn't necessarily to say Ford needs to do it like Tesla, but to at least say they can up their game. Every 60 days get a release out, push it to everyone. When it comes time for Blue Cruise - you need me to believe it takes 7 freaking updates? Maybe a map update and a major SW update, but 7. Ford do Ford, just do it and make it happen.

Yep, think about updates to things like Android/Apple phones, most major (and very complex) operating systems, etc. We humans have been doing this a long time. I think the Sales side of the business is likely pushing this stuff out the door before it is out of "alpha" or even beta testing. Safety is at play here. Concerning.

 

[JamesT]

Ford “HELP”!!!


I took my truck to the dealer last week on Thursday for the TSB update fix and they told me that they couldn’t perform the update because they needed 2 special cables that they didn’t have on hand and needed to order them through their parts department. I called today and the cables still have not arrived.
Have you heard of anyone else running into this situation (or story) when taking their vehicle into the dealership?

I’m getting frustrated with the run around and with my new truck not working/performing/updating as it should.

please help

Oy, very poor execution by the dealer.

 

[PatchManager]

Took the truck out to my dealer this morning and got a ride back home. About 3:00 Pm my driveway alarm went off and there were two trucks in my yard. Mine and another Ford. Went out and the service man said they made the attempt and best they can come up with is one of their cables is bad and they ordered a new one. Ford parts said maybe a week for them to get it. Then they stated the center display is dead. Totally dark. Will not come on. They said when new cable comes in they will try again. I told them OK.
So I got to thinking(dangerous)and popped the + battery cable off for a half hour. Put it back on and listened to a whole bunch of relays clicking. Got in and started truck and display is back on and looks OK. Some of my settings have been reset but not a problem until the truck sync finally gets fixed. Then I will set them again.
Gee this is getting to be fun.

Now that it has been over month since you last post, what is your current status? Are updates working correctly now?

 

[Doggy-Dog]

Now that it has been over month since you last post, what is your current status? Are updates working correctly now?

Dropped the truck off today and by 4:30 Pm they stated it was still being worked on. I told them I have to be out of town on Thursday and when they get it done I will make arrangements to pick it up. I can only hope this time it works. This is the third time they tried.

 

[SanJuanTech]

After 6 tries, my dealer finally got past the stuck update so I am at version 20262, revision 229 and nothing since that. I know there still has to be about a years worth of updates after that but when I check manually it says no updates available. WTH!!

 

[JamesT]

After 6 tries, my dealer finally got past the stuck update so I am at version 20262, revision 229 and nothing since that. I know there still has to be about a years worth of updates after that but when I check manually it says no updates available. WTH!!

Oy, six tries. I picked up my truck in April 2021 and it has always said no updates. Dealer did manually apply updates but the APIM is still borked in some way. Thanks for the update and glad progress was made.

 

[Doggy-Dog]

Got the truck back and still broke. Service said APIM is bad and is ordered. That may take a month, three months, six months, no one knows. By the time they get one, the software will be out of date. I thought waiting 18 week for the truck to arrive was bad. This "never fix" is much worse.

 

[rugedraw]

After 6 tries, my dealer finally got past the stuck update so I am at version 20262, revision 229 and nothing since that. I know there still has to be about a years worth of updates after that but when I check manually it says no updates available. WTH!!

If they just fixed your truck, you will have to wait until an OTA campaign gets pushed out from Ford to you. You can't do anything to actually initiate the OTA being sent to you. Just make sure you have your automatic updates turned on and a time set for them to check for and download updates. Make sure you check your truck once a week to make sure the schedule settings didn't revert back to factory, as this has been known to happen a lot, too.

List of updates and when they were released are below:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Power-Up_Version_History

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