NHTSA Complaint #10488263 — 2011 FORD EXPLORER

2011 FORD EXPLORER. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO ISSUES WITH A "MY FORD TOUCH" VOICE ACTIVATED SYSTEM. *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED THE "MY FORD TOUCH" IS A VOICE OR TOUCH SCREEN ACTIVATED SYSTEM THAT CONTROLLED ENTERTAINMENT, CLIMATE, NAVIGATION AND HANDS FREE CELL PHONE FUNCTIONS. WHEN THE SYSTEM STOPPED WORKING, THERE WAS NO CONTROL OVER ANY OF THE AFOREMENTIONED DEVICES. THE CONSUMER HAD TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER THREE TIMES, BECAUSE OF THE MALFUNCTIONING SYSTEM. A TYPICAL PROBLEM WAS THE SYSTEM LOCKING UP, THE SCREEN WOULD FREEZE AND THERE WAS NO CONTROL OVER THE HEATER/AIR CONDITIONER OR RADIO VOLUME. USUALLY AFTER 10-12 MINUTES THE SCREEN WOULD GO BLANK AND A MESSAGE APPEARED THAT READ PERFORMING SCHEDULE MAINTENANCE. WHEN THE SYSTEM WAS FINALLY RESTORED, EVERYTHING WORKED AGAIN. SOMETIMES WHEN USING THE NAVIGATION TO FIND AN ADDRESS, THE CAR ICON WOULD WANDER OFF THE PRESCRIBED ROUTE EVEN THOUGH THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING THE PRESCRIBED ROUTE. WHEN THAT HAPPENED, THE SCREEN WOULD OFTEN DISPLAY A LARGE YELLOW QUESTION MARK. THE FIRST TIME THE CONSUMER VISITED THE DEALER, THEY FLASHED THE MEMORY. IT HELPED, BUT IT STILL FAILED, AT TIMES. THE SECOND TIME, HE RETURNED TO THE DEALER, THEY INSTALLED AN UPDATED PROGRAM FROM FORD THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEMS. BUT, AS TIME WENT ON, THE NEW PROGRAM STARTED TO FAIL IN A SIMILAR WAY AS THE OLD PROGRAM. THE LAST TIME, THE CONSUMER VISITED THE DEALER, THEY DID A MASTER RESET BY DISCONNECTING THE BATTERY, THEREBY REMOVING ALL POWER FROM THE SYSTEM AND REBOOTING IT WHEN THE BATTERY WAS RECONNECTED. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER, HE COULD ALSO PULL FUSE 29 AND PUT IT BACK IN AGAIN. HOWEVER, THE CONSUMER STATED HE WAS NOT ABLE TO REACH THE FUSE, AS IT WAS TUCKED WAY UP UNDER THE DASHBOARD, BUT EVEN IF HE COULD REACH IT, IT WOULDN'T FIX THE DEFECTIVE SOFTWARE PROVIDED BY FORD AND MICROSOFT. DISCONNECTING THE BATTERY DIDN'T FIX THE PROBLEM, IT ONLY REBOOTED THE COMPUTER AND EVENTUALLY, THE PROBLEM WOULD RETURN. *JB