Did any of 13A01, 13C07, 13S09 involve replacing hardware?

[WattsUp]

I recently had all of the above recalls performed on my FFE and, while the car seems to be working well, it also came back with a subtle, but annoying electronic "buzz" from somewhere within the dash. Like from a transformer or power supply. It clearly starts when I turn the car on and stops when I turn it off.

I swear, before the recalls, my FFE was absolutely silent when turned on. I also noticed a "new" smell inside the cabin when I picked up my car after having the recalls performed. I am now wondering if some in-dash electronics were replaced as part of any of the recalls?

Does anyone know if 13A01, 13C07, or 13S09 involve the dealer having to replace or mess around with any electronics?

Does anyone else hear a constant electric buzzing from inside their dash while the FFE is turned on? (Assuming you have the radio, climate, etc. all turned off, so the cabin is otherwise silent.)

 

[jmueller065]

No buzz here, but my car is much more recent than yours.

I would suspect that the amount of changes involved in the recalls is determined by the vintage of your car. Since yours is a bit older it may very well have involved new modules. A careful inspection of the work order from the dealer may indicate that (and again may not tell you anything).

 

[WattsUp]

The buzz is subtle, but it is a sound that I can't unhear now. I hear it every time I come to rest at a quiet intersection, or parking in my garage. It's exactly like the sound you hear when you put your ear up to a good-sized wall wart.

Yeah, the work order doesn't really tell me anything. Not much more than listing each recall by number and $0.0. No hints of exactly what work or parts were involved.

 

[JTCalif]

I recently had all of the above recalls performed on my FFE and, while the car seems to be working well, [ ... ]

Besides that slight sound, have you noticed a clear improvement in some behavior, or in displays that are helpful?
I have skipped updates because was not aware of a significant gain to come of them,
but am I missing a neat new feature?
(Our Focus was built in May 2012, original everything. Quite silent, other than sound of tires and air motion.)

 

[dmen]

No buzz here either, in a car about as old as yours, wattsup.

JT, no obvious improvement other than that it no longer loses drive power and becomes unresponsive at random (assuming the stop safely now issue was correctly diagnosed and solved by the update). And the little yellow LEDs do look quite nice.

 

[WattsUp]

I recently had all of the above recalls performed on my FFE and, while the car seems to be working well, [ ... ]

Besides that slight sound, have you noticed a clear improvement in some behavior, or in displays that are helpful?

Keep in mind that some of the improvements with the recalls (depending on which your car needs) are to the car's actual drive-train software, not just the MyFord Touch info-tainment app. For that reason alone, I believe they are worth getting. I also suspect, in mine, that the MFT computer itself may have been replaced (possibly one reason for the improved performance I mention later). Perhaps Ford realized it was just too under-powered.

Anyway, here are a few things I've noticed about the car's driving performance so far:

• Cruise control is way smoother in operation; single step increments/decrements in the set speed were previously felt as "hard" changes in vehicle speed; now the speed changes are much more subtle and pleasant. As I use cruise a lot, I am very pleased about this.
• Range estimation seems to be less "scatter-brained"; I completed a hilly trip today (that had previously caused my FFE to estimate that it had 150 miles of range on 50% battery) and the estimated range stayed somewhat within reason (though it still got a bit high, 60 miles on 50% battery).
• Usage of the climate doesn't seem to cause such "drastic" initial hits, but I suspect probably overall it leads to same decreases in range, just factored in more accurately. Again, I think they just refined the range algorithm a bit.

And a few things I've noticed about the MFT so far (I went from 3.1 straight to 3.6):

• The new "leaf screen" (with energy flow animation and charging profile access) is probably the biggest UI addition; I don't use the charging features much, but simply having a clear read-out of the battery SOC as a percentage is worth the MFT 3.6 upgrade, IMO.
• All the MFT physical inputs (steering wheel buttons, etc.) now seem to register clicks the first time; before the updates, I would often have to hit buttons twice, or simply more deliberately, which was annoying.
• MFT performs a bit faster in general; it's not a night and day difference, but I do think it is improved.

I recommend you go for the recall improvements.

----

Update: Another small but cool MFT improvement (at least going from 3.1 to 3.6). Today, I received a text on my iPhone while driving... and MFT actually offered to read it to me! That never worked with 3.1. Texts would only arrive on my iPhone screen, and the MFT lady wouldn't give a crap. Now she wakes up and read them!

 

[jmueller065]

One thing I noticed after getting the recall fixes performed is that the ABS and Traction Control work A LOT better. Along with this the amount of regen seems to be slightly less (like they dialed back the regen ever so slightly to favor using the brakes a bit more in some situations).

Prior to the fixes the car would feel skittish when breaking on rough roads (it was still regenning when the front wheels would lose traction and feel like it was on ice) after the fixes this is completely gone.

 

[WattsUp]

Prior to the fixes the car would feel skittish when breaking on rough roads (it was still regenning when the front wheels would lose traction and feel like it was on ice) after the fixes this is completely gone.

I concur... I used to feel that weird effect too. And your description is more or less what I imagined was happening as well. As if the algorithm was going merrily along using regen to brake and then something changed (sudden rough road) and it had a strange reaction (that made the car feel like it was skidding for a second). Frankly, it seemed a bit dangerous. I haven't felt the improvement in action yet, but I look forward to it.

Btw, have we always had the ability to enable/disable traction control in the FFE? I found the setting under Driver Assistance in the left-hand dash menus, and it struck me as a new thing.

 

[jmueller065]

have we always had the ability to enable/disable traction control in the FFE? I found the setting under Driver Assistance in the left-hand dash menus, and it struck me as a new thing.

I think that has always been there--I recall seeing it in the user manual back in Feb when I ordered the car (its on page 264 of the user manual I have 13fevom1e.pdf).

 

[JTCalif]

[...] I haven't felt the improvement in action yet, but I look forward to it.
Btw, have we always had the ability to enable/disable traction control in the FFE? I found the setting under Driver Assistance in the left-hand dash menus, and it struck me as a new thing.

Our non-modified FFE (from May 2012) does have that ability, set to "on" by default I think.

Thank you both for sharing your observations. The possibility of better control in slippery conditions will probably be enough to drive me to get the recall work done, soon. There is hope that the prolonged spell of record warmth + No rain here (San Fran. bay area) will end, and I know that wet streets require more care, especially driving up the hill we live on.
13S09 is the key one for this, right? (I waver about the earlier 13A01, and think 13C07 is unnecessary for ours: a warning sounds just fine, as is.) Not sure if dealership will do one without others, though.

 

[WattsUp]

I know that wet streets require more care, especially driving up the hill we live on.
13S09 is the key one for this, right? (I waver about the earlier 13A01, and think 13C07 is unnecessary for ours: a warning sounds just fine, as is.) Not sure if dealership will do one without others, though.

Correct. Recall 13S09 may involve some drive-train reprogramming (if you car needs it). Check if the recall applies to your FFE by logging into fordowner.com.

If the dealer gets their hands on your car, I don't think 13C07 will be optional. It is required by the NHTSA, since the FFE is in violation of regulations without it. Also, it's no big deal... the chime is just the same old chime the car makes for everything. You probably won't notice any difference. Same goes for the side-marker recall; it's required.

Let us know how your updates go.

 

[dmen]

• Cruise control is way smoother in operation; single step increments/decrements in the set speed were previously felt as "hard" changes in vehicle speed; now the speed changes are much more subtle and pleasant. As I use cruise a lot, I am very pleased about this.
• Range estimation seems to be less "scatter-brained"; I completed a hilly trip today (that had previously caused my FFE to estimate that it had 150 miles of range on 50% battery) and the estimated range stayed somewhat within reason (though it still got a bit high, 60 miles on 50% battery).
• Usage of the climate doesn't seem to cause such "drastic" initial hits, but I suspect probably overall it leads to same decreases in range, just factored in more accurately. Again, I think they just refined the range algorithm a bit.

Like you, I also noticed the range estimation to have much less wild swings right after completing the recall, especially when toggling cabin heater on/off (only cut range down by 1/4). But now it's back to the old wild pattern (cuts range by between 1/3 and 1/2 with heater on). I wonder if the estimator reset to default assumptions after the recall, and now a month later is reflecting input from driving again. I noticed that my lifetime regen miles reset after the recall, so maybe the old driving data was erased, though my lifetime efficiency seems to reflect old data- it has me at 254Wh/mi which would accurately reflect my 13 months with the car, but since completing the recall mid-December, my efficiency should be around 350 or worse.

Update: Another small but cool MFT improvement (at least going from 3.1 to 3.6). Today, I received a text on my iPhone while driving... and MFT actually offered to read it to me! That never worked with 3.1. Texts would only arrive on my iPhone screen, and the MFT lady wouldn't give a crap. Now she wakes up and read them!

I am pretty sure I have the latest MFT version but my car still doesn't do anything with my iPhone's texts. Is your phone running iOS 7? Maybe I have to fiddle with MFT settings?

 

[WattsUp]

Update: Another small but cool MFT improvement (at least going from 3.1 to 3.6). Today, I received a text on my iPhone while driving... and MFT actually offered to read it to me! That never worked with 3.1. Texts would only arrive on my iPhone screen, and the MFT lady wouldn't give a crap. Now she wakes up and read them!

I am pretty sure I have the latest MFT version but my car still doesn't do anything with my iPhone's texts. Is your phone running iOS 7? Maybe I have to fiddle with MFT settings?

No, I'm still running iOS 6.0.1 on my iPhone 4.

I haven't changed many MFT settings since the update to "Gen2-V3.6.2" (just audio settings, backup camera, etc.), certainly nothing to do with texting. I "paired" my phone so it would connect, but that was it.

You can check your MFT version at syncmyride.com:
https://support.ford.com/tools/account/sync-software/history

 

[WattsUp]

New information: The buzzing/whining I hear from inside the dash not only occurs when the vehicle is on (and not when off), but also changes pitch depending on whether the full headlamps are on.

I would be interested in any others can confirm anything like this in their FFE, or if it's just me.

You can run two tests to see if you can hear the buzzing/whining in your FFE:

1. Alternately turn the car on and off. The buzzing/whining should come and go with the car being powered on. Make sure the climate is off, of course, windows are up, and you are in a fairly quiet place (parked in your garage, for example). It helps to avoid listening to loud music immediately before... have your ears relaxed and "ready" to hear quiet noises.

2. With the car on, turn the full headlamps on (second-to-last position on the dial). A moment or two after you do this, the pitch of the buzzing/whining should go up it pitch, in two distinctly audible steps (up a little and then up a little more). Turn the headlamps back off. A moment or two after you do this, the pitch of the buzzing/whining should go back down in pitch, again in two steps (down a little and then down a little more). You can toggle the pitch low/high this way. (However, I noticed the pitch changes didn't occur this morning when the car was first turned on... the buzzing just stayed constant. But, last night, arriving home after driving for a while at night, the pitch changes occurred with each on/off of the headlamps as I sat in my garage.)

Tip: The buzzing/whining sound I'm talking about is best heard if you lean forward and put your ear/head near the steering wheel and center console (as if you're trying to "listen" to the START button). I can even hear it sitting fully back in the seat (which is why it bothers me), but it does seem like it is coming from "inside" the dash somewhere.

(Apologies in advance if I introduce anyone to a sound in the FFE that they then can't "unhear".)

 

[jmueller065]

Here is how you enable MFT to read the texts to you from an iPhone:
http://support.ford.com/sync-technology/how-to-allow-ios-text-messaging-sync-myford-touch

When I perform your experiment(s):

• - I can hear a 'buzzing' but to my old and deaf ears it sounds like a very small cooling fan, or small electric motor running
  - Turning the lights on/off did not appear to change the pitch of the noise at all (but then my car has been sitting in the garage for >48 hours due to the nasty weather here and is cold soaked to 32F)
  - On one of the power cycles the noise continued for a few seconds after I had turned off the car, but I could not reproduce this (each cycle after that the noise stopped when the car turned off)

Turning my head from side to side to try to locate the noise: To me it appears to be a cooling fan in the MFT module.

Does the pitch rise with the headlights or fall? If it is a cooling fan I would expect the pitch to fall with the headlights on as the 12V bus voltage drops a little with the greater current draw.

It isn't a noise that would bother me too much as I wouldn't be able to hear it while driving the car; perhaps while stopped but you hear so much outside noise that easily drowns it out.

As it is I never fully expected the FFE to be completely dead quiet: Yes it is an electric car but it has electronics in it--you'd think these are quiet but no: PCs have cooling fans, TVs buzz and creak, etc. anything "large" and electronic makes some noise of some sort.

 

[WattsUp]

Thanks jmueller.

I suppose it could be a fan, but it really sounds like an electronic buzzing to me. It rises in pitch, and possibly gets slightly louder, with the headlamps on. But, as I mentioned, this only happened to me after driving for a while.

For me, the noise goes on/off like a switch with the car power on/off. It never lingers. Again, this makes me think it is electronic in nature, like a transformer hum.

I admit, the noise is subtle, but my problem is that is it new. My car didn't make the noise before it went in for the recalls... it was pretty much dead silent when I'd come to a stop, and I really enjoyed that about my FFE.

 

[jmueller065]

Can your phone pick up the noise? e.g. if you use the voice memo and try to record it then post a .wav of it here we can listen and see if we have the same sound.

 

[WattsUp]

Can your phone pick up the noise? e.g. if you use the voice memo and try to record it then post a .wav of it here we can listen and see if we have the same sound.

Yeah, I also thought about applying some kind of recording, enhancement, etc.. I'll see if I can capture something.

Today, I again noticed that the rise/fall in pitch with the headlamps only starts to happen after the car has been on for a while, usually after I arrive somewhere after driving around. I haven't yet been able to get it to happen right after turning on the car.

 

[davideos]

My thought would be that the noise is coming from the DC to DC converter. The headlights run off of the 12V battery and I noticed that the DC to DC converter reacts to the load on the 12V batter. It is likely looking at the 12V battery voltage level and sometime after running the headlights realizes it needs to supplement after the voltage dips a little.

Have you tried popping the hood and listening for the buzz?

 

[dmen]

Here is how you enable MFT to read the texts to you from an iPhone:
http://support.ford.com/sync-technology/how-to-allow-ios-text-messaging-sync-myford-touch

Thanks! I will give it a try tomorrow. I did notice my Bluetooth sync setting was off for notifications, so maybe that was my issue. Hoping iOS 7 doesn't cause compatibility problems.

Wattsup, I definitely don't hear a buzz in normal driver/passenger positions but I'm afraid to try to hunt one down precisely because if I do hear it, it will drive me nuts. My last car had a subtle vibrating buzz between windshield and dashboard whenever it was really cold, and it was so distracting.