Modem failure at 35,965 miles and Ford won't replace (SOLVED)

[STL-Mach-E]

I"m frustrated with Ford Coverage on my 2023 Mach E GTPE. Bumper to Bumper warranty would end at 36,000 miles. Ford is denying coverage because the modem failed at 35,965 miles. I have documentation showing this in my ford app which is still stuck at that mileage. The Fordpass App's last update still shows my car is running despite being parked in my garage and in last GPS position on 3/27/25. My state of charge is forever stuck at 59%.

It is 35 miles to my selling dealer alone, not to mention that I had to drive it a week before they had any openings. It was over 36,000 once they received it.

Cost for replacement with labor is estimated about $1700 which aligns with other posters on the forum.

I have a case number created when I originally diagnosed the modem failure via phone support with the Ford Pass team. They diagnosed the modem was bad. Another issue that bothers me is that although it was already diagnosed, the dealer charged me a $250 fee to diagnose what I already knew was the issue.

Common Sense and attached documentation seems to logically say that it should be covered within the 3/36 Bumper to Bumper warranty. The timing is horrible, but I wonder if anyone else has had failure days or just miles before warranty expiration.

The ford dealership was helpful, but there doesn't seem to be an appeal process inside of Ford without going to an outside consumer affairs or legal process. Ford customer relations that I called did not help.

I have already DM'd @Ford Motor Company and have not had a reply.

Everything functions on the car without the modem except updating GPS Location, and current state of charge. Looks like walk away lock and remote unlocking when not on the same wifi network is also failing as well.

WHAT ELSE HAVE I LOST if I JUST DRIVE IT LIKE IT IS?

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[jay1122]

Unfortunately, the official mileage is recorded when the dealer service logs your system mileage when brought in. The only step left is to ask ford for some goodwill coverage and make your argument. I have heard some people had success with ford covering fully or half.

My car's front camera broke at 40K mile. Been driving it with the error ever since. I did not even bother to bring it in as people reported repair cost as high as $4000 to replace the cable. Will be my last Ford for sure.

 

[squirtbrnr]

I’m not saying this will fix your issue, but I had a similar situation where FordPass was stuck and wouldn’t update. With the car off, I pulled the GWM module 7.5A dual fuse in spots 21/22 in the BCM fuse box which is under the glovebox for about 30 seconds and put it back in. As soon as I turned the car on, it started updating in FordPass again. Of course if your modem entirely failed, this may not fix anything but it’s something easy you can try first.

 

[STL-Mach-E]

I’m not saying this will fix your issue, but I had a similar situation where FordPass was stuck and wouldn’t update. With the car off, I pulled the GWM module 7.5A dual fuse in spots 21/22 in the BCM fuse box which is under the glovebox for about 30 seconds and put it back in. As soon as I turned the car on, it started updating in FordPass again. Of course if your modem entirely failed, this may not fix anything but it’s something easy you can try first.

I assume the soft reset Ford online support had me do was essentially accomplishes the same thing. But I will be pulling that fuse tomorrow for sure. I feel like the dealer techs still treat this like an ICE vehicle, when they need to think more like a computer technician to address the electronics in the vehicle. Some of this was based upon my text exchanges with the dealership this week.

 

[STL-Mach-E]

Thanks to the forum and no thanks to Bo Beuckman Ford or @Ford Motor Company , my problem has been solved by pulling Fuse 11/12. Maybe they should add this to their TSB's for their "Certified Technicians". For the next guy, I've added a color picture of the BCM fuse panel. It's the Tan fuse in my panel.

 

[STL-Mach-E]

Now if I could just get my wasted diagnostic fees back from @Ford Motor Company or the dealer, the world would be a better place! . I know, don't hold my breath.

 

[zvez]

I’m not saying this will fix your issue, but I had a similar situation where FordPass was stuck and wouldn’t update. With the car off, I pulled the GWM module 7.5A dual fuse in spots 21/22 in the BCM fuse box which is under the glovebox for about 30 seconds and put it back in. As soon as I turned the car on, it started updating in FordPass again. Of course if your modem entirely failed, this may not fix anything but it’s something easy you can try first.

this is a tip worth knowing!!

 

[ipca204]

I assume the soft reset Ford online support had me do was essentially accomplishes the same thing. But I will be pulling that fuse tomorrow for sure. I feel like the dealer techs still treat this like an ICE vehicle, when they need to think more like a computer technician to address the electronics in the vehicle. Some of this was based upon my text exchanges with the dealership this week.

This forum is awesome because of peope like you..

 

[ipca204]

Unfortunately, the official mileage is recorded when the dealer service logs your system mileage when brought in. The only step left is to ask ford for some goodwill coverage and make your argument. I have heard some people had success with ford covering fully or half.

My car's front camera broke at 40K mile. Been driving it with the error ever since. I did not even bother to bring it in as people reported repair cost as high as $4000 to replace the cable. Will be my last Ford for sure.

depends on how good of a dealer you have. "Unfortunately, the official mileage is recorded when the dealer service logs your system mileage when brought in" is NOT written in stone...

 

[Paul H. Martinez]

If you used a credit card to pay that diagnostic fee and the problem was not corrected that's probably worth disputing it, as it seems you made the repair yourself. They charged you for services not made.

 

[Vgkfan]

They should send sqrtbrner the diagnostic fee, and send op a check for doing the warranty repair.

 

[Trick.Mach-E]

If you used a credit card to pay that diagnostic fee and the problem was not corrected that's probably worth disputing it, as it seems you made the repair yourself. They charged you for services not made.

I'll go even further. I bet the dealer didn't even try to submit the warranty claim and was hoping the OP would fork over the $$$ to replace the modem. Lots of lazy profit to be made from pulling a fuse and putting it back in.

 

[nicholsjon]

I had a similar situation as OP with mine recently where Ford Pass was stuck and no longer reporting vehicle status, location, etc correctly. I ended up pulled the 12v battery terminal off for 30 minutes to reset things and that seemed to work. Pulling the fuse is far easier! Good to know for next time!

 

[rugedraw]

I assume the soft reset Ford online support had me do was essentially accomplishes the same thing. But I will be pulling that fuse tomorrow for sure. I feel like the dealer techs still treat this like an ICE vehicle, when they need to think more like a computer technician to address the electronics in the vehicle. Some of this was based upon my text exchanges with the dealership this week.

The reset they had you do was for the APIM (touchscreen) and not the GWM. If the GWM is hung up in a funky state, resetting the APIM will accomplish nothing. The "issue" you had affects all Ford vehicles regardless of it being ICE or EV.

I had a similar situation as OP with mine recently where Ford Pass was stuck and no longer reporting vehicle status, location, etc correctly. I ended up pulled the 12v battery terminal off for 30 minutes to reset things and that seemed to work. Pulling the fuse is far easier! Good to know for next time!

The reason I recommend the battery pull instead of the fuse pull is because the TCU itself can also get hung up in a funky state and need a reboot. If you pull the fuse for the GWM and the TCU is what needs to be rebooted, then the issue will remain. By doing the battery pull trick, you will force a reset of the entire module network.

Or, you can pull the fuses for both the GWM and the TCU, too. In the case of the Mach E that the 12v battery is a bit of a PITA to get to, the fuse pulls is probably easier.

 

[Mach-Lee]

Well said, anybody experiencing a modem problem should just suck it up and do the 12V battery disconnect. 10-minute fix that would alleviate a lot of frustration.

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