Proximity Alarms No Longer Sound

[dfh]

Coincident with, and possibly cause by, updating of the several electronic module’s software versions at a Ford dealership, the proximity alarms of my 2013 C MAX SEL no longer sound when they should.  They still do lower the radio volume, if it happens to be on when a nearby object is detected.  Here are the changes that were made:

2013 Ford C MAX Software Updates     Software Ver. Ids-118.01 "A later calibration is available." Electronics Module Software Version Was Is SOBDM-C DM58-7P120-AGA DM58-7P120-AEC PCM DN5A-12A650-DP DN5A-12A650-TG ABS FV68-2C219-ZA FV68-2C219-CC IPC DM5T-10849-AJ DM5T-10849-SEA GWM CM5T-14F642-AF CM5T-14F642-BC GPSM DE8T-19H463-AD DE8T-19H463-EA DCDC FM58-14B227-AF FM58-14B227-AG BCM BV6N-14A073-PD BV6N-14A073-PF

Note that the software tool used to perform these updates (Ids-118.01) was not the then current version.

 

Can anyone confirm that one or more of these upgrades resulted in the proximity sensors no longer producing an audible alarm when detecting a nearby object?  Can anyone explain how to recover this functionality?

 

Another change I observed after the updates is that when backing, a bell sound no longer repeats until the transmission is shifted to Drive.

 

A third change is that when I step on the brakes, I no longer see a spinning circle overlaid the HV battery icon in the left panel of the dashboard.  The up-caret symbol still indicates HV battery charging during braking, and the battery charge does increase.

 

(The reason for upgrading the software versions was it was the only thing the dealership though might fix the problem that the 12V battery was losing its charge while the vehicle was parked more rapidly than it should have been.  I was charged $418 for the upgrades and it didn’t fix that problem.  According to Ford Co. records, CSP 15B04 had been performed 7/31/15 before I owned the vehicle.)

[homestead]

Does the bell sound normally come from the sound system or is there a separate speaker?

Edited September 6, 2020 by homestead

[dfh]

On 9/6/2020 at 12:30 PM, homestead said:

Does the bell sound normally come from the sound system or is there a separate speaker?

I'm almost certain that it used the regular sound system, which, incidentally still is working with the radio and to sound some an alarm when other situations occur (e.g., driver door opened with car running).  Furthermore the sound volume of anything playing does still decreases when something is close to the proximity sensors.

[plus 3 golfer]

Turn your parking aid on in the left had display.?  It likely defaults to off when the IPC was updated.

[dfh]

23 hours ago, Plus 3 Golfer said:

Turn your parking aid on in the left had display.?  It likely defaults to off when the IPC was updated.

The CMAX is currently at the dealership that did the software updating, so I can't verify by inspecting the vehicle dashboard, but I'm almost certain that there is no parking aid on/off available from the left-hand display.  (Nor is it shown in the version of the owner's manual that I have in the section that describes the left-hand panel functions.)   Perhaps that function was moved to the left-hand display panel in a later model year, or a later part of the 2013 model year.  My CMAX was first offered for sale on 10/31/12 according to CARFAX.

 

There is a parking aid button below the entertainment system, as shown on page 226 of the "2013 C-MAX HYBRID + C-MAX ENERGI Owner’s Manual (13cmhom3e.)."  I tried pushing that button several times while near enough to an object that the proximity sensors should have sounded, but that didn't seem to have any effect.

Edited September 8, 2020 by dfh

[stolenmoment]

On my 2013 the "Parking aid" button only shows up when you put it in reverse.

[plus 3 golfer]

Here’s a pic.  If you turn it off, no beep but radio will still reduce volume. 
 

Edited September 9, 2020 by Plus 3 Golfer

[plus 3 golfer]

Here’s pic from 2013 owners manual.

 

[plus 3 golfer]

I looked in the Service Manual and disabling the rear park aid (and audible alarm) is only suppose to last one key cycle.  So, don't know whether cycling rear parking aid in left cluster will solve problem but it might since the IPC was updated.  Also, the sound comes from the rear speakers.  Are rear speakers working?

[dfh]

17 hours ago, stolenmoment said:

On my 2013 the "Parking aid" button only shows up when you put it in reverse.

My 2013 C-MAX SEL has a physical parking aid button below the entertainment screen.  Are you speaking of a virtual button in the left hand dashboard display, in addition to the physical button?

[plus 3 golfer]

If you have a button for Active Parking Assist, then you have both front and rear parking aids (sensors). The Service Manual says with respect to the parking aid system (includes both front and rear sensors): "The parking aid system is enabled and disabled through the message center, located in the IPC. Disabling lasts one key cycle." I do not have the front parking sensors, a rear view camera and an active parking assist button on my SEL.  Also, if the front sensors detect an object, the sound will come from the front speakers.  The Owners Manual does not show a virtual button in the IPC displays for the front parking aid.  Since you have a physical button then you have Active Parking Assist which requires both front and rear parking aid sensors.  But IMO, that button should not turn off the parking aid sensors as one still wants to know when objects are near even if one does not want use the active parking assistance.  

[stolenmoment]

On 9/9/2020 at 2:33 PM, dfh said:

My 2013 C-MAX SEL has a physical parking aid button below the entertainment screen.  Are you speaking of a virtual button in the left hand dashboard display, in addition to the physical button?

My 2013 doesn't have front sensors or the dash button, it does have rear sensors and a backup camera.  It shows a button in the left-hand screen when backing up.

[QuandAns42]

On 9/8/2020 at 6:30 PM, dfh said:

The CMAX is currently at the dealership that did the software updating, so I can't verify by inspecting the vehicle dashboard, but I'm almost certain that there is no parking aid on/off available from the left-hand display.  (Nor is it shown in the version of the owner's manual that I have in the section that describes the left-hand panel functions.)   Perhaps that function was moved to the left-hand display panel in a later model year, or a later part of the 2013 model year.  My CMAX was first offered for sale on 10/31/12 according to CARFAX.

 

There is a parking aid button below the entertainment system, as shown on page 226 of the "2013 C-MAX HYBRID + C-MAX ENERGI Owner’s Manual (13cmhom3e.)."  I tried pushing that button several times while near enough to an object that the proximity sensors should have sounded, but that didn't seem to have any effect.

Have you had any success sorting this out?  My only other thought is - did the software updates somehow mess with your cluster?  Try these folks if you find yourself dealing with that: https://www.instrumentclusterstore.com/scs_model.htm?make=Ford&model=C-Max&year=2013

Best of luck!

[Bill-N]

FWIW, my (2013 SEL) back-up sensors failed to work when the 12V battery was on it's last legs.  Lots of funkiness with a weak 12V battery.

 

Cheers.