Unable to take ownership of my car in MyFordMobile app

[uhsarp]

I installed "MyFord Mobile" app to manage my Ford C-max 2015 Energi. When I put in the VIN, it says the following 

 

 

When I click on Take Ownership (as own the car), I get this

 

 

I completed the Master reset but nothing happens. Am I missing something here?

[plus 3 golfer]

The master reset should transmit / delete  the key data which links the VIN to the previous owner’s account.  Then, you should be able to add the VIN to your account.  If that doesn’t work, call Ford Customer Service as they should be able to manually do it.

[raadsel]

3 minutes ago, Plus 3 Golfer said:

The master reset should transmit / delete  the key data which links the VIN to the previous owner’s account.  Then, you should be able to add the VIN to your account.  If that doesn’t work, call Ford Customer Service as they should be able to manually do it.

 

It would help to know the year of the car. If this is a Sync 2/MFT, I don't believe the car "talks" to Ford anymore -- Ford shut down the system that communicated with the old Sync units. As such, it likely will require a call to Ford to be able to create a new owner on the car.

[uhsarp]

This is 2015 Cmax.

 

I called Ford support and requested them to add me as the owner for this vin. They claim that I need to take it to the dealer and perform a modem upgrade by paying them hundreds of dollars. That doesn't make any sense to me. I called multiple times and they aren't willing to budge.

[homestead]

Don't know about Energi cars but

for Hybrids after they shut down the sync 2 software updates and the car self-test the Ford site offers little for sync 2 users.

I don't go to the web site or use the app any more.

Edited April 12, 2020 by homestead

[plus 3 golfer]

Have you seen this.  Does your Energi still qualify? 

SB-10094770-2532.pdf

[bookemdano]

18 hours ago, Plus 3 Golfer said:

Have you seen this.  Does your Energi still qualify? 

SB-10094770-2532.pdf 547.78 kB · 8 downloads

That program ended December 31, 2017. I see now it only ends on that date if the 5 years from the warranty start date has already elapsed. Unfortunately, a MY2015 C-Max may already have hit that 5 year mark. Definitely worth checking though!

 

This has nothing to do with Sync2/MFT. It's the modem (which is what makes MyFordMobile work). From 2013 until later in the 2016 model year, Ford was putting in modems that used AT&T's 2G cellular network. Which is crazy because AT&T dismantled that network January 1 2017 (and announced its plans to do so 4 years prior).

 

There is most likely nothing malfunctioning with your modem--but the cellular service it needs to operate doesn't exist any longer. So the car can't communicate with the MyFordMobile servers.

 

The only solution is to get a 3G modem installed at a Ford dealership. Sucks, since Ford should not have been installing 2G modems in any C-Max, and certainly shouldn't have been by the 2015 model year. You can try to fight them to cover it, but I don't recall reading any reports from folks who had success doing that.

Edited April 13, 2020 by bookemdano

[plus 3 golfer]

Yes, the only reason I knew about this is I frequented the old Energi site.  There was discussion on making sure one got the free modem upgrade prior to the 5 year expiration date.  If Ford support told uhsarp he has to pay, he is likely past the 5 year date as they have the records.

 

uhsarp, did you take your car to a dealer or purchase the car prior to the 5 year date? If the car was serviced by a dealer when you owned it prior to the 5 year date, the CSP says: “Dealers should ensure that customers are aware of the impending loss of MyLincoln Mobile or MyFord Mobile service.“  Perhaps, you can argue that the dealer didn’t inform you of this and Ford should, as goodwill, cover the modem replacement. Good luck.

[C-MaxA2]

bookemdano - Thanks!  Now I know why I couldn't do anything about Sync2 (downloads, etc.) and Ford technical was of no help.  I don't think the Ford chat people knew about the 2G stuff.  Now it's clear as day.  How stupid of Ford.  2G!  Duh.  Glad I didn't waste any more time on it.  My '2016' was manufactured in Oct. of 2015, so... Everything I had read from Ford said 2016s had Sync3 or could be upgraded to it. 

[bookemdano]

1 hour ago, C-MaxA2 said:

bookemdano - Thanks!  Now I know why I couldn't do anything about Sync2 (downloads, etc.) and Ford technical was of no help.  I don't think the Ford chat people knew about the 2G stuff.  Now it's clear as day.  How stupid of Ford.  2G!  Duh.  Glad I didn't waste any more time on it.  My '2016' was manufactured in Oct. of 2015, so... Everything I had read from Ford said 2016s had Sync3 or could be upgraded to it. 

 

2016 C-Max's do have Sync3. It's an early version of Sync 3 that lacks Apple CarPlay/Android Auto support, but can be upgraded (there's a software and a hardware component) to a newer version of Sync 3 that does allow CarPlay/Android Auto. The software update is not automatic--it must be done manually. There's another thread here somewhere with some info on how to do it if you're interested.

 

But that has no bearing on the modem issue discussed in this thread. The modem is for the MyFordMobile app (which is only used for C-Max Energi, not C-Max Hybrid).

[C-MaxA2]

bookemdano - Yes, I know 2016s are supposed to have Snyc3.  Mine was called a '2016' but really isn't from my experiences.  Could you tell me when a 2015 in Oct. became a ''2016'?  I'd love to know.  Sync3:  Mine didn't have it and does not upgrade to 3 easily.  I tried, the Ford tech on-line folks tried and the dealer tried.  So far nothing. The dealer really didn't try as far as I can tell - I think they found they'd have to charge me hundreds to get there and we all decided to end it there.  

 

But thanks for the modem issue.  Yes, I know you're talking about the Energi and not the hybrid that I have.  

 

Yes, it's hard to sort through all the 'noise'.  

[plus 3 golfer]

9 hours ago, C-MaxA2 said:

bookemdano - Yes, I know 2016s are supposed to have Snyc3.  Mine was called a '2016' but really isn't from my experiences.  Could you tell me when a 2015 in Oct. became a ''2016'?  I'd love to know.  Sync3:  Mine didn't have it and does not upgrade to 3 easily.  I tried, the Ford tech on-line folks tried and the dealer tried.  So far nothing. The dealer really didn't try as far as I can tell - I think they found they'd have to charge me hundreds to get there and we all decided to end it there.  

 

But thanks for the modem issue.  Yes, I know you're talking about the Energi and not the hybrid that I have.  

 

Yes, it's hard to sort through all the 'noise'.  

The 2016 C-Max brochure shows Sync 3 as an option on the SE model but standard on the SEL.  The standard for the SE shows as Sync (no indication of version) which likely is more or less not Sync 2 or Sync 3 but perhaps a variant.

Brochure.pdf

[C-MaxA2]

Thanks Plus 3.  All the Ford info I had didn't reference the SE vs SEL differences.  Nor did my dealer understand either.  They wanted $250 to 'investigate' the issue  (with no guarantee they could actually fix it) so I downloaded the update on a memory stick and tried to update it myself.  Ford on-line could see that I'd tried that but that it failed (repeatedly). They could not explain why and kept asking me to 'try again'.  I ultimately decided it was more trouble than it was worth and haven't really needed the higher version of Snyc since then (retired, not working).  My 'new' 2017 C-Max has it (well, is supposedly) but I don't know if I'll do much with it.

 

I think the rule of thumb might be that the 2016s (SELs) that had the 'big screens' might be upgradeable while the SEs with the small screens were not.  Just my guess. 

 

Thanks for the 2016 brochure PDF - new information!  I had a manual in my 2016 but it turned out that it didn't really match the car (aftermarket purchase I think by the Toyota dealer I purchased it from).