My Ford Touch Thread

[pil__]

I develop firmware for a living and I'm also responsible for software test strategy. I don't want to go down a rathole, but the comparison to Vista is not apples to apples. Vista worked just fine from a stability viewpoint. The problems were with annoyances (UAC) and application incompatibility rather than incorrect behavior and core bugs.

From my perspective, it's quite clear that MFT should never have been shipped. It wasn't ready, and to be this buggy, even using the most basic operations shows that the test strategy employed was fundamentally flawed (or, more likely, nonexistent).

I am more than willing to deal with minor bugs, beta test software, provide feedback, etc. However, instead, I am dealing with a constant fault-ridden system that I cannot rely upon at all. I can't stream music, fine. But I also can't use the nav, because if I try to give it voice commands, there's a 50% chance it will fail in some way (and I don't mean not recognize what I said. I mean fail) causing a dangerous driving distraction and negating the whole purpose of the thing. Ford doesn't even want to accept bug reports or look at the problems. And they also can't tell me that each bug I've hit is known, documented, reproducible and on the list to be fixed in the next release. If the engineers can't reproduce the problem, then you know it won't be fixed. Instead, they try to blame it on device compatibility.

The other point that's important here. I came from my previous car where I used my Garmin GPS or phone GPS along with a Sony aftermarket radio. The radio supported bluetooth audio streaming just fine. So, I've basically paid to downgrade my technology.

I don't expect the problems to be fixed overnight. Or in a month. But the customer relation attitute here is a serious problem.

@VOLDAR: It's FAT32. I bought it explicitly for the car to be a generic USB key with nothing special about it. The problem with your argument is that my Droid X is advertised in Ford latest big shiny brochure as the premier phone for bluetooth music streaming. And I did stop using music streaming since it's broken. That's when I starting finding all of the USB bugs...

[VOLDAR]

pil___, I had no idea what phone you have so don't be too harsh on me. I am not, yet, a mind reader. But I am still working on. I only told MY story, not arguing about anything.
I only hope your problems will be solved in a way or another in the near future.

P.S. MFT is stable just fine, till you try using bluetooth and USB. Nav, Radio, Sirius, Phone work just fine. The same as first version of Vista. So Rogerschro was not that way out with his comparison. And no, you didn't pay to downgrade the technology. You paid a higher price on a supposedly better technology (voice commands). Because you can always use Nav as you did when having the Garmin.

[pil__]

@VOLDAR, not trying to be harsh with you, just explaining why I don't accept the argument :)

As far as most of MFT being stable, I can't agree with that at all (though your experience may vary). Even the radio has bugs. They are minor in comparison to the bluetooth disaster, but they are there. And the nav has all kinds of bugs for me. I can't go back to my aftermarket stereo, so it is in fact a downgrade. My phone accepts voice commands including for navigation, and understands me far better than Sync ever could (but this isn't a fair comparison, because Android just sends the recording to Google servers, which have unlimited processing power). I haven't hit any major bugs with phone, but I don't use that all that often.

My current theory, which I've concluded from my experience with software development, forum posts, what Ford has told me and my own issues, is that every issue I've seen is a common bug, and there's nothing special about my car. The difference is simply that some people don't use some or any of the features, or might not have the nav option. Bluetooth music streaming is the one wildcard, since that is highly phone-depenent (but not excusable. My phone works just fine with my old stereo).

At any rate, my plan is to wait for the new upgrade, but continue to complain to Ford continuously until then. I just found on another forum that there is a reboot app tech support can give you to load so you don't have to do a master reset or pull a fuse. Would have been nice if I had been offered that instead of having to find out for myself...

[VOLDAR]

Originally Posted by pil__

...At any rate, my plan is to wait for the new upgrade, but continue to complain to Ford continuously until then....

Do that, pil___. I'd do it too in your place ! I hope you don't get me wrong. I don't have anything against you complaining about something that is broken when it shouldn't. Only take the matter there where it counts : to Ford courtyard. Not on the persons in this forum who might not experience the same things like you do.

Best of luck and I hope everything is gonna be fine for you once the upgrade will be on the market.

[Phantom Zero]

Hey guys i dont know if this was posted previously but engadget has reported on the MFT upgrade heres the spill after the break.

They got a little hands on on the system and they are expecting for 2011 models to get the upgrade as well by a mailed in usb stick. The issue is that it wont be available until the new 2013 models start comming out which wont be for a little bit

[Hypnotoad]

Originally Posted by pil__

The other point that's important here. I came from my previous car where I used my Garmin GPS or phone GPS along with a Sony aftermarket radio. The radio supported bluetooth audio streaming just fine. So, I've basically paid to downgrade my technology...

I also previously used a Garmin (256WT). It had a voice interface that understood only about 50% of what I told it, which is about on par with the focus Nav, but the Garmin would routinely lock up or go into thier equivalent of a BSOD and that required pulling the battery to reset. In my case the Focus electonics are an improvement.

This is to say that Ford aren't the only ones with poor exception handling, and inadequate testing.

[Stryker412]

I got in my car tonight after work and noticed my touch screen never turned on. I started to freak out and about 10 minutes later it turned on with performing system maintenance message. Why did it do this on its own?

[15inthefastlane]

Originally Posted by Stryker412

I got in my car tonight after work and noticed my touch screen never turned on. I started to freak out and about 10 minutes later it turned on with performing system maintenance message. Why did it do this on its own?

Did you do anything somewhat out of the ordinary the last time you were driving? IE pairing a phone, using the navigation, plugging in a USB drive, etc? When I used to get these kind of 10+ minute crashes, it was usually because I had done something like that the last time I was driving.

Note that so far 2.11 has been good to me (after a battery pull) but I haven't used it enough to for sure call it stable. 2.10 was not, me and the "scheduled maintenance" screen would visit each other at least once a day. But I'm optimistic that within 6 months or so most of the serious MFT issues will be a thing of the past.

[danyall2010]

Originally Posted by Phantom Zero

Hey guys i dont know if this was posted previously but engadget has reported on the MFT upgrade heres the spill after the break.

They got a little hands on on the system and they are expecting for 2011 models to get the upgrade as well by a mailed in usb stick. The issue is that it wont be available until the new 2013 models start comming out which wont be for a little bit

I know that job one for the 2013 Taurus is 2/6/12. Do you think, or anyone on the board think it could be mailed around that time? I do not want to wait too long. I am excited for it!

[Phantom Zero]

Originally Posted by danyall2010

I know that job one for the 2013 Taurus is 2/6/12. Do you think, or anyone on the board think it could be mailed around that time? I do not want to wait too long. I am excited for it!

I dont have the system but i like looking these things up i mean 2013 vehicles could show up around that time but i think everyone else will get it earlier hopefully cause it would suck you know if they took too long. Also anyone actually follow the link to see the review and what's in the update.