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sonofzell

sonofzell

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Kirk
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'21 F150 XLT Sport 2.7EB SCrew 302A High
In case it's of any interest, here's my latest developments, and a surprising (if not shocking) minor "victory"...

* Per my dealer's suggestion, I brought my truck in for visit #5 on March 8th. They tried once again to apply system updates and/or restore my modem functionality but claimed that, even with the [unspecified] update they had received from Ford, my truck refuses to accept any updates.

* After replacing the APIM and TCU, the current suggestion is replacing the gateway module and once again attempting to update. I've been told that part is "on order", and that I'll need to return the truck once again for installation and programming.

Subsequent to the service visits, I'd been in a constant back-and-forth with Ford customer support. While I certainly didn't have high expectations from them, each interaction became more frustrating. I'm simply amazed at how poor their response has been... no return calls, rude/confrontational/insulting interactions, and circular "double-talk" at every turn. Finally, after losing my sh*t and going full "Karen", I was able to get the attention of a higher-level rep. Obviously, they didn't have any "magic fix" for my situation, but for the first time, I was able to engage in a conversation that went deeper than "there's a fix coming, just keep waiting". My case was opened in November of 2021; there's simply no excuse for it to take 5+ months to have someone willing to engage in a serious conversation about a $60k transaction.

Okay, rant aside: my conversation ended with a promised follow-up (as all others had, but never did), and I was quite surprised when the rep apologetically told me that, while there's nothing they can do to expedite a solution, he was prepared to offer me a complimentary Ford Protect PremiumCare plan with coverage to 5yrs/75k miles.

It certainly doesn't help with getting my truck to operate as it was advertised, but considering the frustration and runaround I've had to deal with in the first 13 months of ownership, I have to consider it a win. As for an actual fix, the saga continues....
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Wookie

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I've been through something similar, however mine was water in the cab. I eventually told the dealer I would be contacting the TX AG office, that is when the wheels started to really turn. I clearly met the threshold and they knew it. I pulled up the Pennsylvania lemon law and from what I've read you clearly qualify. I would let them know this is there last and final attempt to repair and you will contact you AG. If they don't do anything, go ahead and file it. It's free, well your taxes pay for it. They will be forced to respond and pay legal fees....they won't want anything to do with that. Right now they have the power over the situation, time to take it back.
 
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sonofzell

sonofzell

Well-known member
First Name
Kirk
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Threads
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186
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197
Location
Philadelphia, PA
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'21 F150 XLT Sport 2.7EB SCrew 302A High
At this point, I'm likely just updating my progress for my own venting, but in case anyone is still interested, here goes...

04/19/2022
So the gateway module for my truck finally arrived, and I arranged for service visit #5 on April 19th. After two days with the truck, the dealer said they were able to install the GWM, but that it would not "program" properly. They suggested that I return for another visit since I needed the truck back the next day and they couldn't guarantee they could complete the work by then. Fair enough.​
While I was still running the same Sync version 20262 r229 that I bought it with, the new GWM did yield some improvements:​
  • I was able to authorize my vehicle with the Fordpass app and use its remote features
    • My Sync version is now able to be displayed on the stack screen, and the toggles/menus for enabling and scheduling automatic updates were no longer "grayed out".
    • The My View resets became noticeably less frequent, but did still occur.
    • My Sync voice response was once again able to respond with something other than "Sorry, something went wrong".
Despite these glimmers of hope, there was no indication of any OTA updates, and many of my Sync issues remained unchanged. Radio preset settings wouldn't last more than a day, cluster and stack nav prompts pointing in different directions, etc. My Fordpass widget data indicated that the 1.7.1 power-up was in a "canceled" state.​

05/02/2022
For visit #6 I had explicitly requested that the dealer manually install any pending updates, as well as perform work for any outstanding recalls. This ended up being a 4-day visit, but I was overjoyed when they called to say the truck was ready - I even confirmed with the service manager that Sync updates were manually installed and was assured "yes, it's all taken care of".​
You can imagine my frustration when I picked up the truck (after service hours) and immediately saw that it was STILL at version 20262 r229!!! I called the next morning and he eventually responded (later that afternoon) that he was able to speak with the technician and was told that "the update failed". Regardless of how accurate that is, giving it back with some BS assurance that it was updated just baffles me. At best, I want to believe it was just really bad communication within their service department, because anything else suggests that they just gave up on updates and punted it back to me thinking I wouldn't notice(???)​
At any rate, the only suggestion offered was to "give it some time" to see if anything updates OTA, and he would contact me when they had a loaner vehicle available so I can bring it back once again.​

05/06/2022
With the gracious help of another user on the original forum, I was able to view the update history for my truck. As of that date, 13 modules indicate that updates are available. It was also confirmed that APIM/Sync was indeed still "stuck" on the 1.7.1 update, which indicated a status of "Cancelled in Cloud". It also seemed* to indicate that the only update attempts that were made during the service visit were to the TRM (for the recall TSB) and an unsuccessful "Module Update Repair".​
*I freely admit that I'm no expert and could be misinterpreting the FDRS data. I'm awaiting confirmation on this
To my untrained eye, there is no indication whatsoever that ANY attempts were made to actually install any updates to the Sync system. While I admit that I'm certainly not qualified to make any conclusions here, it looks to me like they ran into problems repairing the APIM/Sync database, gave up on it, and handed it back to me saying it was "taken care of".​
In addition to obtaining the FDRS information, I had also contacted the Ford OTA support team for a clarification of my update status, which unintentionally resulted in the creation of yet another "support case".​

05/09/2022
While I still haven't made any "official" contact with an attorney, I decided that my course of action would be to send the truck back once more, this time with a detailed list of software updates that I know are available and applicable to my truck. My plan was to demand a manual installation each and every one, as well as a detailed account of all attempted updates (including any that are omitted due to installation failures or any other reason. I printed the instructions below and plan to leave a copy with the service desk AND in the truck when it's dropped off:​
Vehicle has yet to successfully install any module updates over-the-air. Sync4 remains at v20262 r229, which has remained unchanged since its purchase in Feb 2021. Update 469399-x (1.7.1) repeatedly fails to install and is presumably preventing the identification/installation of any subsequent packages. Manual installation of ANY & ALL of the updates listed below that are applicable to this specific vehicle is requested:​
Power-Up 1.3.0 (v21139 r263)​
Power-Up 1.4.0 (v21146 r145)​
Power-Up 1.6.0​
Power-Up 1.7.1 (v21174 r 168)​
Power-Up 1.8.0​
Power-Up 1.9.0​
Power-Up 2.1.0​
Power-Up 2.1.1​
Power-Up 2.3.0 (v21281 r 244)​
Power-Up 2.4.1​
Power-Up 2.4.2​
Power-Up 2.4.3​
Power-Up 2.4.4​
Power-Up 2.4.5 (v22028 r358)​
Power-Up 2.5.1​
Power-Up 2.5.2​
Power-Up 2.5.3 (v22034 r364)​
Any subsequent or additional updates that are not listed, but are applicable to this specific vehicle should be installed as well. The recent replacement of TCU and GWM were unsuccessful in allowing any OTA installations, and after having spent 15 months trying to remedy various issues with the Sync4 system, I am no longer willing to “wait it out” in order to determine if my truck will ever update over-the-air (to subsequently determine if issues are corrected with updated system software).​
In addition to the APIM-SYNC updates, it appears there are software updates available for the modules listed below as of 05/09/2022. Again, without any indication that a functioning OTA delivery is imminent, a manual installation of these module updates is also requested:​
PCM​
ABS​
CCM​
IPMA​
PSCM​
DDM​
PDM​
GSM​
SCCM​
ACM​
IPC​
BCM​
There are also two active recalls indicated for the vehicle for which I do not have any documentation of resolutions:​
21B07 (ITRM Flash)​
21S56 (Driveshaft) Completed 1/21/22​
22S12 (Wiper motor)​
22S17 (TBCM) Completed 5/5/22​
It is also requested that a record be provided indicating any module updates that are successfully installed, as well as any updates that are unable to be installed for any reason.​
I can be reached at (xxx) xxx-xxxx with any questions regarding this request. Thank you.​
I planned to tell them that I do NOT want the truck back until these updates are either installed or a reasonable alternative solution can be provided. I had also determined that this would be my final attempt at a resolution before contacting legal representation.​

05/10/2022
In what is easily the most surprising development of this saga, my daughter pointed out that album art was displayed on my sync side screen as I was driving her home from a banquet. We both agree it was NOT there on the trip TO the event, and sure enough - when we arrived home, my Sync version was showing 21146 r145! It seems that, after 5 months, 17,000 miles, and over 30 days in the shop, my truck had finally received the 1.7.1 update. There was no indication of the update's availability or installation status in the FP app until the next morning and no indications at all on the truck itself.​
In the 3 days since the 1.7.1 update, I've only experienced one MyView reset. Sync navigation between the cluster and the stack are still out-of-sync, but I now have cluster prompts for Apple maps. I will assess the status of my other Sync issues more closely over this weekend. I've also not seen any indication of subsequent updates' availability (or install attempts) since.​

So, despite the recent glimmer of hope (knowing, for the first time, that my truck is at least capable of receiving an OTA update), I'm not sure that my strategy has changed. If and when I ever hear back from the service manager (it's been one week to the day since he promised to "get back to me" with availability), I intend to proceed with my demand that they take this truck and keep it until they can give it back with all module software updated. The update I did receive was promising, but by no measure does it provide any confidence that I will continue to get future updates. I'm sure I've lost some leverage having gotten 1.7.1 OTA, but knowing (and being able to prove) how much BS they've been feeding me regarding their previous "attempts" should be enough to back me up in demanding that they suck it up and get my truck updated, regardless of how difficult that may be for them. I intend to get into one of their loaner vehicles and not give it back until they either complete the job or I desperately need to tow something!

If they can't make that happen, then I suppose it's time to litigate. As stated, I still don't see any way that works for me without losing money or ending up with no truck, so I sincerely hope I don't have to go that route. I guess it will depend on how seriously the dealer is willing to take my request... at the very least, the past few days have finally given me some thread of hope that this truck may actually be able to function as it was advertised when I bought it...
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