2014-2017 C-Max Energi 3G to 4G modem update

[eostrike]

On 12/27/2021 at 10:35 AM, SayheyBj said:

I made an appointment today to have the upgrade done. I was charged $350 + tax in Massachusetts for the parts. I was told that it would take 1 1/2 days to complete but that Ford would not cover a loaner car. I will definitely see if it is working before I leave the dealer. Does this sound like everyone's experience? Has anyone gotten a loaner while this has been done?

All this means is your car will be sitting in the back lot until they get to it. I was in and out in 3 hours and this included an oil change. 

 

The update is fairly easy, remove one module and antenna and plug the new one and reroute the new antenna and then do some type of programming in the car.

 

You will most likely not get a loaner as this is not a typical recall. Ford is doing all of us a favor by putting it in for free as long as we purchase the parts. It is not the fault of Ford that the phone carriers are shutting down 3G next year. 

[eostrike]

On 12/27/2021 at 4:58 AM, dbakerhmb said:

Any update as to whether your Ford service department was able to fix your FordPass communication issue?

 

I have a very similar problem since my 2017 CMAX Energi was upgraded to the 4G modem on December 23rd.

I was easily able to “activate” the new 4G modem using the FordPass app, but the app could not control ANYTHING and could not show ANY status updates such as location, fuel, or charge levels.

The FordPass app showed my 4G upgraded CMax as still needing to get the 4G upgrade.

 

I also tried using the MyFord Mobile app that used to work flawlessly, but my CMAX was no longer listed and the app would not allow me to re-enter the vehicle as it is now a 4G vehicle and must therefore use the FordPass app.

 

I decided to start over and removed my CMax from the FordPass app as well as from my online ford owner account.

I double-checked my modem ESN and was able to confirm that it was different than it was before the 4G upgrade.

i performed a master reset of the Sync system in my CMax as well as updated the Sync system software to the latest Sync version 3.0 build 20204.

I then re-added my CMax VIN into my online Ford owner account where I was able to see things like the service history.

I then re-entered the CMax VIN into the FordPass app and again was able to successfully “activate” the modem, but again with no functionality.

As before, the FordPass app cannot control ANYTHING and does not show ANY status updates such as location, fuel, or charge levels.

The FordPass app also still shows my 4G upgraded CMax as still needing to get the 4G upgrade.

What is also strange is now there is problems accessing my CMax service history on the Ford owner website… I can see the vehicle listed under “my account”, but see NO vehicle info at all if I click for details or click for the vehicle dashboard.

 

I strongly suspect that a step was missing in the installation of the 4G modem itself that it preventing the FordPass app from recognizing that it has been upgraded from the 3G modem (despite the MyFord Mobile app insisting that it IS a 4G modem); and that this is affecting BOTH the FordPass app and Ford owner website from functioning properly.

I plan to contact Ford Guide today for help, but am not very hopeful based on the experience of others.

Would  love to know if the dealer can help… I was the first install at my dealer!

 

I had taken my car back to Ford 3 days after the installation of the 4G modem. At noonish I looked at the app and I had the activate button and the recall notice in the Ford Pass app was now gone. Ford Dealership said they had not done anything with the vehicle when it started working.

 

So, either they did miss a step and are not fessing up to it, or Ford support may have fixed it on their end as I had an open ticket with the Ford Pass support team or maybe it just took 72 hours for everything on Ford's end to synchronize. Mine has been working fine since then but I do not know what really fixed it.

 

 

[cr08]

It's my understanding from those on the F150 forums doing FordPass retrofits on their trucks that the FordPass servers do take some time to fully activate and are not immediate. MyFord Mobile was also that way as I recall in the early days with the 3G modem recall. Give it a couple days after adding your car to the app and if it still doesn't activate/functions don't return, then you can bug Ford/your dealer about it.

[cr08]

So brought back my '13 from the dealer after getting the 12v replaced. Service advisor found nothing on file for the upgrade after prodding about it and recommended I call their parts desk back on occasion to check in on it so not quite happy about that result.

 

Good thing is as noted in the original post: It has been confirmed that DIY upgrades are possible with TCU's from newer vehicles that are 4G capable. Catch is that there is a potential model year cutoff that I am unsure of the details for where the specific CAN bus that is used by the TCU has migrated from I-CAN to HS3 and can make some incompatible. Per the user on the MFM forums that has done this, his is a '14 C-Max with a TCU pulled from a '16 Escape, Part # HJ5T-14G087-UF. In theory the CAN bus lines should be the same between '13s and '14s. Beyond that I am unsure of what changes possibly exist in later model years. At this point I'm assuming I'll ultimately be going the DIY route. 

[eostrike]

On 12/30/2021 at 12:25 PM, cr08 said:

So brought back my '13 from the dealer after getting the 12v replaced. Service advisor found nothing on file for the upgrade after prodding about it and recommended I call their parts desk back on occasion to check in on it so not quite happy about that result.

 

Good thing is as noted in the original post: It has been confirmed that DIY upgrades are possible with TCU's from newer vehicles that are 4G capable. Catch is that there is a potential model year cutoff that I am unsure of the details for where the specific CAN bus that is used by the TCU has migrated from I-CAN to HS3 and can make some incompatible. Per the user on the MFM forums that has done this, his is a '14 C-Max with a TCU pulled from a '16 Escape, Part # HJ5T-14G087-UF. In theory the CAN bus lines should be the same between '13s and '14s. Beyond that I am unsure of what changes possibly exist in later model years. At this point I'm assuming I'll ultimately be going the DIY route. 

That is a bummer. It looks like 2013 is not included in this recall. 

[Rich in NJ]

I went into my local Ford dealer parts dept and he was able to determine that a new 4G modem could be ordered. Cost was around $330.   I then spoke with the service dept who told me that my car is not covered for the installation.  My car is a 2015 C-Max Energi SEL.  So I called Ford and got no where with them.  I ended up sending a snail mail letter to the name at the top of the Bulletin.  No answer yet.

 

Has anyone had the 4G modem work done on a 2015 or 2016 C-Max?  Thanks.

[oldbeyondmeasure]

I am finally getting my 4G modem upgrade done today. It would have been done about two weeks ago, except that I contacted Covid shortly before Christmas and had to isolate for ten days. Responding to Rich in NJ, I have a letter from Ford to dealers that I found somewhere. I only have the first page of the letter. As I read it, the letter indicates that C-Max Energi models assembled in Michigan from April 15, 2014 through October 2, 2017 are included in the 4G modem upgrade. But a 2015 C-Max Energi SEL would have been assembled during that period, right?

Letter_to_Dealers_re_3G_4G.pdf

[oldbeyondmeasure]

Second comment back to Rich in NJ: if you haven't looked on the Ford website yet, try going to https://ford.com/support/. You should be able to enter your VIN, then click the search button. Then if your vehicle comes up, scroll all the way down the page to a "Recalls" button. Even if it says "No Recalls," click on "View Details." When I did that, I found an entry about the 3G to 4G modem upgrade under "Customer Satisfaction Programs." Hope this helps. 

[EDC]

On 12/19/2021 at 10:12 AM, eostrike said:

So Ford's support are useless. I spent over 3 hours yesterday on the phone trying to get my new 4G card to be recognized by Ford pass. Calling the Ford pass support they found that in their system my vehicle is still showing that it has a 3G card. So they transfer me to the sync department. On two of my phone calls I was hung up on as they kept telling me I am using the wrong app and need to use "My Ford Mobile". When I told them they are wrong and read them the message from MFM and the instructions from Ford they dropped the call and I would need to start all over. Yesterday was very frustrating. 

 

Now Ford pass support says that the dealer installed it wrong and that I need to go back there. Not sure how the dealer installed it wrong when my car shows the new modem serial number, MFM app says I am on 4G and to use Ford pass where Ford pass still thinks I am on 3G, something is not synchronized. I kept trying to get them to work on getting my car to show up as 4G on Ford pass but no one seems to be trained in doing this. I was hoping we could verify the modem serial number (ESN) but they say they do not see that information. 

 

I have been instructed to go back to the dealer to get this resolved. The dealer stated that there is nothing that they need to do, they said it is pretty much plug and play. They will get back to me sometime Monday regarding this but first thing Monday morning I will be back on the phone trying to get this resolved. They are making this more difficult than I believe it should be. 

 

The people from Ford pass are nice to work with but not trained in this particular issue. The people from Ford sync are not good in my opinion as when they do not know how to resolve something they just disconnect the call. I also believe they are from a call center outside the United States. No accountability there!

 

If you run into a similar situation do not let them tell you that you need to be using MFM app as it is for 3G modems and not 4G modems. I attached a screenshot just incase you get some untrained person telling you that Ford pass is the incorrect app for your car after upgrading to 4G.

 

So far I am $350.00 out of pocket for something that does not work. I know it will get resolved but me spending 4 hours at the dealer getting it installed, then more than 3 hours calling over and over again to support and getting no where, the need to do this again on Monday and possible drive more than 20 miles back to the dealer to sit there for hours is all time wasted for something that should have worked right from the start. 

 

I hope everyone else's upgrades go smoother than mine but once I find out what the issue is/was I will update it here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

eostrike, thank you very much for posting this, had mine installed yesterday and same exact issue. New 4g modem will not sync with the app, I keep getting an error that states "Sorry, there was an error and we are unable to complete your request to change authorization rights on C-Max. Please try again later"

[joefromsf]

OK, I've got a 2016 CMax Energi and am just learning about this modem issue. I never received a notice about CSP 21B09 and it doesn't come up when I search my VIN on the Ford site.

 

Thanks to folks on this site who posted a copy of that CSP I see that my vehicle should be covered. But there are two Notes in the CSP relating to whether Ford pays some costs and those notes Notes qualify by who is in or out of the "complimetary trial period". What's that mean?

 

Thanks.

 

 

[eostrike]

On 1/12/2022 at 2:12 PM, joefromsf said:

OK, I've got a 2016 CMax Energi and am just learning about this modem issue. I never received a notice about CSP 21B09 and it doesn't come up when I search my VIN on the Ford site.

 

Thanks to folks on this site who posted a copy of that CSP I see that my vehicle should be covered. But there are two Notes in the CSP relating to whether Ford pays some costs and those notes Notes qualify by who is in or out of the "complimetary trial period". What's that mean?

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

In this thread I have mentioned what Ford pays and what the owner pays. Basically the owner will purchase the modem upgrade kit (~$330.00 plus tax) and Ford will install it free of charge as long as your vehicle is one that qualifies for this recall. 

[Marz]

Stumbled upon this thread a couple of weeks ago because I also had a recall notice mailed to me for 21B09 3G to 4G modem upgrade and wanted to share my experience.

 

I don't have a C-MAX but the car type is irrelevant to this thread considering this recall is for multiple models of Ford. I took my car into my local dealership here in Bentonville, Arkansas on January 5th, 2022 for this recall. I paid $350 + tax for the modem and did not pay for any labor. I took my car in at 7am and they advised 2-4 hours to complete but they also admitted that I was the first person to come in with this recall upgrade at that location so they have no experience with this at all. They had called me and let me know that the install was completed but needed my car over night as it required programming for the new modem which I already had a feeling it was going to need on their side for FordPass to recognize I had the new modem installed. I got the car back the next day January 6th around 1pm. I asked about FordPass and they had no idea how I would go about getting that working and that I'd have to contact their "Sales" department for something like that so I shrugged it off and went home, opened the FordPass app and deleted my car and added it again just so that it could re-initialize and to no avail, did not show an "Activate" button but figured it would take a couple of days so I left it alone.

 

Fast forward to today January 14th (8 days after I got the car back), I decided to open the FordPass app and the "Activate" button was there so for future reference, it does take at least 4-6 business days for it to recognize the new modem so be patient. I did not call FordPass to open a support ticket and have not called the dealer at all since I got the car back, I just let it be.

 

Went inside of car, clicked the "Activate" button on my phone app, pop up came up on the car screen (SYNC 3 v3.0.20204) and clicked "Allow" on the screen. After that, everything worked: Lock, Unlock and Start without issue.

 

Hope this info helps someone.

[bookemdano]

On 1/12/2022 at 4:12 PM, joefromsf said:

OK, I've got a 2016 CMax Energi and am just learning about this modem issue. I never received a notice about CSP 21B09 and it doesn't come up when I search my VIN on the Ford site.

 

Thanks to folks on this site who posted a copy of that CSP I see that my vehicle should be covered. But there are two Notes in the CSP relating to whether Ford pays some costs and those notes Notes qualify by who is in or out of the "complimetary trial period". What's that mean?

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

You have hit upon a crucial point that I and others misunderstood about this CSP--the free labor coverage is only for people who are still within the "free trial" of MFM that came with their vehicle. For model years 2014-2018 (so all the C-Max Energis) that period was always 5 years from the date of initial purchase. For the Fusion Energi, the 2019 model year dropped the MFM free trial to 2 years, and for 2020 it dropped again to 1 year. Obviously, Ford knew that 3G was going away several years ago hence the drastically lowered service guarantee. For everyone else affected, they can have the work done but will not receive the free labor coverage.

 

To boil it down--in terms of the C-Max lineup, only the 2017 Energi is covered under the program, because none of the 2013-2016 models would have still been within their 5-year trial period in November 2021 when the CSP was set up. For the Fusion Energi, the 2017-2020s should be covered.

 

 

Where the confusion came in is over the chart on that first page of the dealer letter. But note that it is showing all affected vehicles, not all those getting free labor coverage . The letter encourages dealers to contact customers with affected VIN numbers to inform them they'll lose MFM coverage and let them know that they can pay (full parts + labor) to have a 4G modem installed. Remember that this particular letter was not sent to nor intended for customers--it was for dealers to be aware of which vehicles have 3G modems that will lose signal and stop functioning next month.

 

The actual letter sent to owners covered under the CSP does not include that chart and makes no mention of the range of vehicles covered--it only notifies the owner that their particular vehicle is covered and provides instructions on how to initiate the repair.

 

Not everyone who has posted here and elsewhere about receiving the CSP notice has disclosed the model year of their vehicle, but those that I have seen have all been 2017 or newer. I haven't heard of anyone with a 2016 or older vehicle receiving the CSP letter.

 

That said, there must be some other factor at play because I myself have a 2017 C-Max Energi, with a first sale date of 12/16/16. My MFM complimentary trial period should have run through 12/16/21, and therefore my car should have been covered under the CSP. But I never received an owner letter, and the CSP does not show up under my owner.ford.com account. I also called into Ford's recall/CSP call center and they confirmed that my VIN is not covered under 21B09. Attempts to escalate with a supervisor led no where. They couldn't or wouldn't tell me why my C-Max wasn't covered, only that it wasn't.

 

So either Ford screwed up and mistakenly didn't include some VINs that should be covered, or perhaps there is some other criterion they're using. I wonder if it could be that I am not the original owner of this car. Perhaps the MFM agreement only applies to the original owner? That would surprise me, since recalls and CSP coverage usually apply regardless of who owns the vehicle. But it's at least a possibility.

 

So, can those of you who received a letter/notification from Ford (whether you've had the work done or not) state what model year/model your car is, as well as if you are the original owner? Note that some dealers are contacting customers about the loss of MFM functionality even if they aren't covered by the CSP. Please only respond if you received the letter from Ford or see the 21B09 CSP in your Ford account.

 

 

 

[oldbeyondmeasure]

Replying to bookemdano: I have a 2017 C-Max Energy Titanium, purchased in June 2017. The window sticker lists "MyFord Mobile" as standard equipment but doesn't indicate a time limit. It could be five years as bookemdano says; I don't know.

 

I am the original owner. The letter from Ford stated in part: "If you no longer own this vehicle, and have an address for the current owner, please forward this letter to the new owner. [New paragraph.] You received this notice because our records, which are based primarily on state registration and title data, indicate that you are the current owner."

 

The letter also says: "If you have questions or concerns, please contact our Ford Customer Relationship Center at 1-866-436-7332 ... " It lists Ford.com/Support as a way to contact Ford through the Internet.

 

I had the 4G modem installed on Tuesday of this week at a dealer in Southern California. It is not working; FordPass cannot connect to it for remote lock/unlock, etc. I had an online chat through the FordPass app with Ford Support yesterday. Ford Support told me that I have not activated the modem but when I install the FordPass app on my Android smartphone, the activation prompt never appears. (I have done this six times and I did two master resets on Sync 3 in the car. No go so far.) Ford Support told me to take it back to the dealer: “Since the modem was recently installed and it’s not loading the activation in the app you will have to go back to the dealership. The dealership will have to reach out to the Ford Technical Hotline.” I keep hoping that this issue has to do with Ford Motor Company's computer servers updating slowly as some on this site have suggested. If the modem doesn't magically fix itself over the weekend, that is what I will do next week. 

 

I hope this helps.

[GeR2]

Hello folks,

 

I've been following a similar topic on the MyFordMobile.com forum...

 

I have a 2017 Ford Cmax Energi SE.  I received the CSP notice a few weeks back.  I've since brought my vehicle to a dealer in Lancaster, CA.  They were generous enough to pay for the 4G modem upgrade kit.  I was responsible for the cost of labor.  Long story short... They installed the modem.  I was told that it was working, according to the technicians.  When I went to pick up the car, I wasn't able to get it to work with my Samsung Galaxy A51 smartphone.  It turns out that the day that I picked it up, the FordPass service was down.  I ended up bringing it back home in the hopes that it would resolve itself when Ford fixes the issues on their side.  After trying to get it to work over the weekend, it still didn't work.  I brought the car to the dealer two more times.  On the last visit, they were able to perform a firmware update on the modem.  This seemed to resolve the issue.  The service manager showed me her iPhone with the Lock / Unlock / Start buttons on the home screen.  (Silly me forgot to ask her to try the features on her phone, I guess I was too excited).  When we tried to activate the FordPass app using my smartphone we couldn't get the app to display the "Activate Vehicle" button on the home screen.  After exhausting various trouble-shooting steps, it was late in the day, so I decided to bring it home since it was Friday.  Just a few days ago, my phone began to show the "Activate Vehicle" button.  After going through the activation procedure, I was able to see the Lock / Unlock / Start buttons on the home screen.  Unfortunately, they were unresponsive.  When tapping on them, it would timeout.  That's where I'm at now.  So frustrating...  On the positive side, the modem upgrade includes a 12 month, 20k mi warranty.  So, I can bring it in as many times as it takes to resolve the issue. 

 

I've been in contact with the FordPass phone support.  I'm supposed to get a callback from an "Advanced Guide" to further investigate the problem.  If the problem persists, they recommended to bring the car back to the dealer.  The dealer can contact Ford's hotline to troubleshoot the problem.  The last resort is to have a Ford specialist go to the dealer to resolve the issue.  I'll try to post updates on my progress.

 

Any advise, comments or questions are welcome.

[GeR2]

A quick update...

 

I called FordPass tech support.  The agent I spoke with was able to confirm that my modem was properly installed according to the information on his side.  He seemed reasonably convinced that the issue is on Ford's side.  I asked him what I should and shouldn't do.  Things I shouldn't do are, Resetting the Sync 3 system to factory settings and removing the vehicle and activating the vehicle.  Given that I was able to activate the vehicle and view all of the features on the FordPass app, he said it was ok to log off and log on once in a while.  I still haven't received a call from an advanced guide, I was told to expect a call "soon".

 

 

[RalphIac]

I'm not sure this is of any value, but I recently purchased a used 2017 C-Max Energi SE. I still have the 3G modem and had tried for several days to connect the car to MFM to no avail.

I downloaded the app, created an account, registered my car in the app (using the VIN), and then turning on the car. According to Ford, a pop up should show up on the car screen asking to allow it to sync to the app. This didn't happen.  I tried resetting sync from the screen and then deleting and re-adding the car in the app, the pop never appeared.

I just figured I would need the 4G upgrade and let it go at that but continued to do some research. On some blog or website I found a suggestion with these steps:

1. Turn ignition off
2. remove fuse F67 located in the passenger fuse block for at least 3 minutes (this fuse powers the modem)
3.  reinstall the fuse
4. delete the vehicle from MFM
5. re-add and activate the vehicle in MFM
6. start the car
7. Then the pop up asking to allow sync to MFM appeared!

Success! I am now able to start, lock, unlock, and see battery and fuel levels, location, etc.

At least until 3G stops functioning, but at least I know the functionality works.

[oldbeyondmeasure]

After five days, the "Activate Vehicle" prompt showed up on the FordPass app this morning. I was able to execute all of the other instructions in the page that came with my original letter from Ford (copy attached). The lock and unlock features are working, although not always perfectly. I suspect that may have to do with the quality of cellular service in my neighborhood; it isn't the best. 

 

So the upshot of all of this is that I needed to be much more patient than I was. The advice from cr08, eostrike, Marz, and others about the process taking several days between modem installation and modem activation appears to be exactly right. 

FordPass_Activation.PDF

[GeR2]

oldbeyondmeasure, That's great news!  It seems Ford is making progress.  Unfortunately, the FP app on my smartphone remains unresponsive.  When viewing the FordPass app, what do you see when you open the "Vehicle" screen?

[oldbeyondmeasure]

Responding to GeR2: On the Vehicle screen, I see location/address (which I have removed from the screenshot), odometer, total driving range, electric range, gasoline range, that the car is unplugged, and a series of menus: Status, Charging, Service, Features & Settings, and Driving Data. 

 

The location and range information was not present before yesterday. I have attached a partial screenshot. The white bar above the odometer reading is where the location information is displayed. 

 

[GeR2]

Thanks for the update oldbeyondmeasure.  That is exactly as it should appear.  Are you able to access data that shows how far you've driven and energy used for each trip? (This data would be helpful for me as I keep track of these statistics to help calculate the cost per trip).

[oldbeyondmeasure]

Responding to GeR2: I can get data on distance traveled but not on energy used.

 

[bakedpatato]

Hi folks, owner of a 2016 Energi here, I will be attempting to DIY the swap!

But given the discussion on the MFM forum and how the person had to first activate his originally from an Escape TCU in an actual Escape I suspect that my also from an Escape TCU will also not work with its current config.

 

 

If you did the swap for your 2017 Energi, would you mind dropping me a PM with your VIN, or if you are able, provide the as built for the new TCU that they installed? I will also be posting that as built for future folk. 

 

 

 

[cr08]

On 1/22/2022 at 12:28 AM, bakedpatato said:

Hi folks, owner of a 2016 Energi here, I will be attempting to DIY the swap!

But given the discussion on the MFM forum and how the person had to first activate his originally from an Escape TCU in an actual Escape I suspect that my also from an Escape TCU will also not work with its current config.

 

 

If you did the swap for your 2017 Energi, would you mind dropping me a PM with your VIN, or if you are able, provide the as built for the new TCU that they installed? I will also be posting that as built for future folk. 

 

 

 

 

Haven't done the DIY upgrade yet, but plan to give it a go at some point with my '13 Energi. Biggest headache right now is trying to track down the correct TCU. Almost all being sold on eBay look to be 3G based on the FCC/IMEI info.

[bakedpatato]

On 1/21/2022 at 10:28 PM, cr08 said:

 

Haven't done the DIY upgrade yet, but plan to give it a go at some point with my '13 Energi. Biggest headache right now is trying to track down the correct TCU. Almost all being sold on eBay look to be 3G based on the FCC/IMEI info.

Yeah the H Series TCUs are very expensive because the F150 guys originally used them for their swaps...

 

 I paid way more for the H series TCU than I wanted to (mainly that the L Series are pretty cheap) but as far as I can tell beyond trying to actually source the 4G upgrade kit from the dealership  an H or J series from an Escape is the only TCU that our cars will support because the other TCUs don't support I-CAN

 

thankfully I paid less than what the dealership was charging for the kit

 

and this all happened because my 3G TCU seems to have bit the dust, I got annoyed that I lost value charging lol