3.5.1......Anyone? Anyone?

[VirginiaRick]

...to make it installable in the older Hybrids.

 

Sigh!  We're just talking 'months' here folks! :rant:

[ceemax71]

I am starting to think that Ford is waiting to roll out several software fixes at one time to minimize the cost and inconvenience of multiple trips to the dealer.

 

These are some of the known software update fixes that are supposed to be coming soon:

 

Sync 3.51 software update to fix multiple issues (clock, radio display, phone contacts, etc.)

GPS module software update (GPS still unable to locate vehicle) 

Dead 12 volt battery issue

Hands-free liftgate issues

Intermittent failure/delay to engage reverse gear

[jmckinley]

Took my car in last week, dealer says update not available.  

 

Sent an email to the tech guy at the dealership and here was his answer:

"............the current C-MAX's are still running on the system you have in yours. Hybrid and Electric models are being produced without the update because it's yet to be completed.

 

I fired back a response with quotes from the several owners who do have the update including the screen shots that someone posted of the energy management screens. I suggested he go out to the lot and take a look at the new C Max sitting there.

 

Apparently Lord Motor Company is jerking around its own people too.

[wab]

Took my car in last week, dealer says update not available.  

 

Sent an email to the tech guy at the dealership and here was his answer:

"............the current C-MAX's are still running on the system you have in yours. Hybrid and Electric models are being produced without the update because it's yet to be completed.

 

I fired back a response with quotes from the several owners who do have the update including the screen shots that someone posted of the energy management screens. I suggested he go out to the lot and take a look at the new C Max sitting there.

 

Apparently Lord Motor Company is jerking around its own people too.

 

Don't forget he's a SALESMAN first, last and forever.

He would MUCH rather sell a 50, 60K F250 or Mustang than a lowly C-Max.

So what time he has to spend keeping up to date he spends on the BIG BUCK items.

[jmckinley]

Nope, this wasn't the salesman.  It was the Tech guy whose whole job is to help customers with Synch and MFT problems.  In fact, so far I've been introduced to three of these guys at this dealership.  That should tell us all something.

 

He called me this morning to give the spiel again (he hadn't read my email yet).  I stopped him and suggested he take a look at the email.  He did, and now he's pissed because Lord Motor Company hasn't told him the right story.

 

He promised to dig into it with Ford (Like I said, he's pissed) and get back to me.  He was headed to the lot to look at a new C Max they've only had a week or so.

[joe]

For those having problems with the GPS showing you off road, I had the GPS Module replaced yesterday by dealer.  GPS now works great.

[frbill]

I just found an interesting post over at syncmyride. It states that to get 3.5.1 we will need our PCM( Power Control Modules) flashed to work with 3.5.1. The poster claimed unnamed sources but this is the first credible rationale I have heard. Check out the Post here.http://boards.synccommunity.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?tsn=27&nav=messages&webtag=fordsyncmb&tid=6497

[jmckinley]

After some complaining and questioning, the geek guy at my dealer went on a quest to get Ford to tell him the truth about 3.5.1.  He was being told that it was not ready and cars were not shipping with it installed.  I copied some of the posts from this forum and he went after Ford with that evidence.

 

He called me back today and said he found someone in Ford who admitted that new cars were shipping with 3.5.1 but it is not ready for installation in 2012 build date cars.  It was scheduled for March, but didn't make it.

 

My guess is there is a hardware issue.  The older cars somehow won't support the new software.

 

He promised to let me know when 3.5.1 was ready.  I told him I would most likely know before he does, thanks to this Forum. 

[ceemax71]

I can confirm that version 3.5.1 is being installed at the factory now.  That is what mine has with a build date of 3/16/13.

 

It looks like the factory started loading version 3.5.1 sometime in February.

I looked up a VIN with build date 2/1/13 and it has version 3.1.3.

I looked up a VIN with build date 2/21/13 and it has version 3.5.1.

 

Verison 3.5.1 has been out for a while and non-hybrid Fords have been able to be updated.

Hybrid and Energi models with older Sync versions won't accept version 3.5.1.

 

This message was issued on OASIS on 2/6/13:

 

"BEV and Hybrid vehicles at this time will not accept the A4 navigation card or the latest MyTouch update. A release for Hybrid vehicles is forth coming. Monitor OASIS for updates."

 

They haven't said why hybrids can't be updated.

[darrelld]

I have worked in the Tech Industry for years and I understand all software has bugs. What Ford needs to learn is how to communicate effectively with its customers when they can reasonably expect a deliverable solution.

 

Don't make press releases, set deadlines and then go silent when the dates slip. Be open and communicate via SyncMyRide with something like "We ran into some unforseen issues that we expect to resolve by Date XX-XX." I believe most rationale people could accept that.

[Jus-A-CMax]

I have worked in the Tech Industry for years and I understand all software has bugs. What Ford needs to learn is how to communicate effectively with its customers when they can reasonably expect a deliverable solution.

 

Don't make press releases, set deadlines and then go silent when the dates slip. Be open and communicate via SyncMyRide with something like "We ran into some unforseen issues that we expect to resolve by Date XX-XX." I believe most rationale people could accept that.

 

With the Irvine Pow-Wow, I thought Ford was making some huge stride here with the customer service & relationship. It was HUGE. This 3.5.1 and TSB debacle and silence, it seems like the Old Guard is back in control....think Ford is due some Perestroika  :)

[darrelld]

Hi all!

 

New member on here. First off, a big thanks to all members, this forum helped convince me to purchase the car.  Love it so far!

 

 

Just picked up our 2013 C-Max 4 days ago, I have not checked the build date but it did come with Gen2 3.5.1.  In my short ownership it has worked perfectly in all uses so far.

 

 

A good 3.5.1 stress test is plugging in an iPod Classic or USB drive with a few thousand songs. Next pull the voice command button on your steering wheel and give it command. Pre 3.5.1 will usually choke and die at this point.

[darrelld]

With the Irvine Pow-Wow, I thought Ford was making some huge stride here with the customer service & relationship. It was HUGE. This 3.5.1 and TSB debacle and silence, it seems like the Old Guard is back in control....think Ford is due some Perestroika  :)

 

Thanks for taking on the Mod job, you were an excellent choice.  :) 

[Jus-A-CMax]

Thanks for taking on the Mod job, you were an excellent choice.  :) 

You're welcome and thanks for the support.  :rockon:

[altabrig]

Not sure if its the Ipod classic or I just need the flash, but my hands free nav is a non syncing stinker.   Freezes screens and has blacked out and rebooted during navigation a couple of times.    I guess I need to go and try to get flashed.  I also have a kick liftgate that has a 1 in 3 failure rate when it just unlocks.

 

Car is awesome despite the problems with the liftgate/nav package.   Hoping the right software/firmware Ford team can give us some coding that will be the ultimate fix.

[Jus-A-CMax]

Not sure if its the Ipod classic or I just need the flash, but my hands free nav is a non syncing stinker.   Freezes screens and has blacked out and rebooted during navigation a couple of times.    I guess I need to go and try to get flashed.  I also have a kick liftgate that has a 1 in 3 failure rate when it just unlocks.

 

Car is awesome despite the problems with the liftgate/nav package.   Hoping the right software/firmware Ford team can give us some coding that will be the ultimate fix.

altabrig, i don't have an ipod but I just use the usb so someone else will chime in here. Freezing screens and black out, I get this on and off....nothing much we can except do a master reset. As for the liftgate...take a look at this thread: http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/index.php?/topic/788-foot-activated-liftgate-is-intermittent/page-2 ...in summary, try kicking with the foot just under the bumper bar. It worked for me but as of now, there is no software patch YET (it's still in the works - the cause is a "sleeping" sensor which explains why its 1 or 2 kicks intermittentcy). Hope this helps...

[altabrig]

Thanks.  It helps.  I have been trying to get my finesse Karate kick down, but I still get the clunk trunk.  No big deal.  It was bothering me at first, but I am sure a software fix will arrive for the sleeper cell.  

 

I was a bit scared by ceemax71's post about there being no flash for pre 2/6/13 build date cmaxes.   His post said the the 3.5.1 version will not stick in the earlier builds.  If this is true than I assume it is a hardware issue for the earlier builds that IMO needs to be replaced in good faith, because the software is rather hard to manage and prone to frozen screens and reboots. with or without devices in the USB ports. 

 

Again, hopefully a good software patch will cure the ills.

[Jus-A-CMax]

Thanks.  It helps.  I have been trying to get my finesse Karate kick down, but I still get the clunk trunk.  No big deal.  It was bothering me at first, but I am sure a software fix will arrive for the sleeper cell.  

 

I was a bit scared by ceemax71's post about there being no flash for pre 2/6/13 build date cmaxes.   His post said the the 3.5.1 version will not stick in the earlier builds.  If this is true than I assume it is a hardware issue for the earlier builds that IMO needs to be replaced in good faith, because the software is rather hard to manage and prone to frozen screens and reboots. with or without devices in the USB ports. 

 

Again, hopefully a good software patch will cure the ills.

 

Here the deal - we are a vocal lot. If we got all us early adopters to call our local dealers and Ford Customer Service, Ford -may- listen. U knew about the Irvine event in Feb, right? If we are to take away from that pow-wow, Ford is paying closer attention to their customers and this new car. It will be very SOUR and very poor thinking if Ford decides never to release the 3.5.1 to us early adopters of their CMax car. Mine is less than 4 months old - hell, we should not even be thinking like this....but if the worse happens...we are a hardy and vocal lot...a lot of people come across this website....hee...not that I am some  :stirpot:  or anything.... ;)

 

Which part of SoCal are u in, out of curiosity?

[altabrig]

I got my Max on 2/2/13.  I am in Costa Mesa.   I know that a few members on the Energi site have attempted flashes at the dealership and were disappointed with the results.  I will get up to Villa Ford, where I purchased the car in the next month or two for the TSB if I can verify that members here or on the Energi site can actually get their systems updated with a the newest and hopefully not too buggy version.

 

Hope that some pre 2/6  build owners have success with the 3.5.1 reimage before I make a fruitless dealership run where no useful information is gleaned and time is wasted.  

 

Yep.  Ford needs to make it work with the Hybrid and Electric vehicles that have just been and are now being brought to market.  Making it work mean putting the right face on and the best foot forward to ensure postive ownership experiences and market feedback in the form of our relevant user beta.

[Wingrider01]

I just found an interesting post over at syncmyride. It states that to get 3.5.1 we will need our PCM( Power Control Modules) flashed to work with 3.5.1. The poster claimed unnamed sources but this is the first credible rationale I have heard. Check out the Post here.http://boards.synccommunity.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?tsn=27&nav=messages&webtag=fordsyncmb&tid=6497

 

Again bull - it is a piece of hardware, hardware can be fork lifted out and replaced with a full functioning piece - if it is as claimed this can be a explanation on the dead batteries and other electrical issues that have been reported. Be the same - if the software cannot be updated because of this, then it is defective and should be replaced with the newer version that is shipped with the newer cars and already have the new update. This is the 4th big fallacy that is being told

[wab]

Again bull - it is a piece of hardware, hardware can be fork lifted out and replaced with a full functioning piece - if it is as claimed this can be a explanation on the dead batteries and other electrical issues that have been reported. Be the same - if the software cannot be updated because of this, then it is defective and should be replaced with the newer version that is shipped with the newer cars and already have the new update. This is the 4th big fallacy that is being told

 

"we will need our PCM( Power Control Modules) flashed to work with 3.5.1."

 

Flashing the PCM is not a hardware forklift, it's like a BIOS update to your PC, or a driver update.

 

Which means Ford is having to rewrite more "software" for our cars before we can get 3.5.

 

Not a big deal but they should publish a new delivery date.

[Wingrider01]

"we will need our PCM( Power Control Modules) flashed to work with 3.5.1."

 

Flashing the PCM is not a hardware forklift, it's like a BIOS update to your PC, or a driver update.

 

Which means Ford is having to rewrite more "software" for our cars before we can get 3.5.

 

Not a big deal but they should publish a new delivery date.

 

Well aware of what it means to "flash" a unit - been in the information technology line for 43 years. the "supposed" excuse in this customer non-appreciation issue is

 

"The latest details I have (from un-named sources) are that the issue is the PCM (Power Control Module) in the EV/Hybrid cars requires a firmware update (not part of MFT but works with MFT). On new cars the PCM firmware is already updated, but Ford is trying to come up with a plan/process for updating the PCM firmware for existing cars that have already shipped".  

 

If they can;t come up with a plan or a process then their technical staff needs a review and they should just forget about throwing money into that issue by just fork lifting the module to a new one that includes the vaporware code, after all they have been trying to figure out how to do it for 4 1/4 months. they spent more in hourly salaries and customer distrust then it will cost them to change out the module to one that works. What good will it do to publish a new date, they won;t make it anyway

Edited April 12, 2013 by Wingrider01

[mtb9153]

How does one check to see what version I have?  My build date is September 2012 so pretty sure it isn't 3.5.1

 

Thanks, enjoy the ride...

[Jus-A-CMax]

How does one check to see what version I have?  My build date is September 2012 so pretty sure it isn't 3.5.1

 

Thanks, enjoy the ride...

Go to syncmyride.com and follow the instruction on checking your version there...

Edited April 12, 2013 by Jus-A-CMax

[altabrig]

Again bull - it is a piece of hardware, hardware can be fork lifted out and replaced with a full functioning piece - if it is as claimed this can be a explanation on the dead batteries and other electrical issues that have been reported. Be the same - if the software cannot be updated because of this, then it is defective and should be replaced with the newer version that is shipped with the newer cars and already have the new update. This is the 4th big fallacy that is being told

Absolutely.

 

The is shouldn't even be open for discussion by FMC or a dealer.  If the hardware can't load or run the software than it is defective and falls under the bumper to bumper 3year 36k fix or replace deal we signed up for buying a new car from dealer.