It amazes me the number of people who are willing to accept the issues that MFT has. I paid 26k USD for a car, I expect it to work properly, or for Ford to fix the flaws. In fact, Ford promised me that it would fix the issues in the form of a warranty that they are NOT fulfilling.
I see a small but significant minority of people in the MFT threads saying "everything works fine" - and when I point out flaws that are easily repeatable in the 3.5.1 software, they blow it off as unimportant. If the bother to try, they can repeat the issues, however.
If this was a $200 phone with buggy software, or a 99 cent "app", I'd be more forgiving of the issues. However, car companies charge thousands of dollars for these "infotainment" systems. When questioned on why their technology is costing 10 and 20 times what similar technology costs in the consumer space, they claim its because they have to be more reliable, etc.
Guess what? Its NOT more reliable. It's actually LESS reliable. The Kenwood head unit in my previous vehicle had nav, bluetooth, pandora, touch screen, played DVD's, a functional ipod interface, sirius, and at times I think it washed dishes, and said "bless you" when I sneezed... and it worked all the time. Cost? $750. (DNX6900HD)
Ford claims that "MFT" enhances safety. By making that claim, Ford takes on a responsibility to fulfill it. However, due to the flaws, it can actually REDUCE safety as the user is encouraged to pay less attention to the road in front of them and more attention to the touch screen trying to get things working. I'm not suggesting that this user SHOULD be doing that - only that they will.
Those saying that Ford shouldn't be responsible for that probably also think that Ford shouldn't be responsible for the seatbelt warning light, the passenger airbag, or other numerous safety issues... (However, various government agencies have decided that car manufacturers are responsible for protecting us from ourselves. Ford is also responsible for making sure we can't use certain functions when the car is moving...)
If MFT decides to flip out, the "manual" controls (power, volume, and A/C controls) can become non-responsive. As well, the speakers can start making a VERY LOUD squealing noise. I've had this happen twice. That's not a safety issue? Actually, it IS. As well as startling the driver, the noise is a MAJOR distraction, the user trying to turn knobs and press buttons to get it to stop making the noise is a major distraction, and forcing the user to pull over on the side of a busy highway to turn off the engine and open a door is also a safety issue.
I once considered giving this focus titanium to my daughter for her to learn to drive. I originally figured that "MFT" would help to keep her safer, as I know I can't forcibly prevent her from doing stupid things (like chatting on the phone and text messaging in the car), but perhaps that the features in MFT would encourage her to do it in a safer manner. After having the car for 2 weeks, however, I consider that MFT actually will make things LESS safe.
(Oh, and anyone who thinks they can really prevent a teenager from doing stupid things is living in a fantasy world - don't bother replying.)
Just because YOU aren't having issues with the MFT flaws (and are willing to live with them), please don't berate others if they aren't happy with the flaws, or find that the flaws endanger their safety.