Ford BlueCruise OTA rollout delayed until Q1 2022

[DevSecOps]

You make good points. That said, Ford did say that I'd get BlueCruise later in 20210 (then 2021) when I initially purchased my car. I get that there are going to be delays, but I'd appreciate it if Ford would notify me if they're going to slip their dates. Also, I totally understand that early versions of software will not be very mature. I can be tolerant of that, as long as Ford is really committed to improving the software over time and deploying those improvements.

I am 100% in agreement that Ford sucks at OTAs. I'm not sure that Ford officially *in writing* ever said when they would release BC to older MMEs. I wouldn't take anything an exec says as gold ever... But if they did give a date and didn't come through then that was just wrong of them. If they can't complete on their promises to people, just don't make them.

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[Jimrpa]

I am 100% in agreement that Ford sucks at OTAs. I'm not sure that Ford officially *in writing* ever said that they would release BC to older MMEs or not. I wouldn't take anything an exec says as gold ever... But if they did say that then that was just wrong of them. If they can't complete on their promises to people, just don't make them.

As I said, I'm willing to give them slack - I don't expect them to be Apple right out the gate - heck, I had issues with my iPhone 13 Pro upgrade on the Apple iPhone Program and how long has Apple been at it? And yes, Ford absolutely DID say that BlueCruise was going to be a feature that would be available on Mustang Mach Es with Copilot 360 Active 2.0 Prep Package. It wasn't branded as BlueCruise at the time.

 

[DevSecOps]

As I said, I'm willing to give them slack - I don't expect them to be Apple right out the gate - heck, I had issues with my iPhone 13 Pro upgrade on the Apple iPhone Program and how long has Apple been at it? And yes, Ford absolutely DID say that BlueCruise was going to be a feature that would be available on Mustang Mach Es with Copilot 360 Active 2.0 Prep Package. It wasn't branded as BlueCruise at the time.

I was replying to you and in a DM at the same time. I revised my last post. I meant to say "when", not if they would release it. I know it was always marketed as such. My apologies. And yes all technology has its issues. It's about how you set expectations and if you fall short of those how you deal with it. I think Ford is really struggling with that.

 

[Jimrpa]

I was replying to you and in a DM at the same time. I revised my last post. I meant to say "when", not if they would release it. I know it was always marketed as such. My apologies. And yes all technology has its issues. It's about how you set expectations and if you fall short of those how you deal with it. I think Ford is really struggling with that.

No worries - I make that mistake all the time And I agree with you about the expectation setting - that's the point I'm trying to make about the lack of clear communications to customers

 

[imstriker]

Did anyone happen to keep a copy of what we signed at the dealer for the rebate surrounding BlueCruise? I was not smart enough to keep one and I wonder now what it said about availability. Was it just generic?

 

[generaltso]

I'm not sure that Ford officially *in writing* ever said when they would release BC to older MMEs.

I'm not up in arms about the delay, but Ford did say in press releases that it would be released OTA in Q3 of 2021. This is from a press release a year ago (it was called Active Drive Assist before the BlueCruise branding):

For customers purchasing F-150 and Mustang Mach-E at this year’s launch, the hardware enabling Active Drive Assist – including forward-facing camera and radar sensors – will be available through the Ford Co-Pilot360 Active 2.0 Prep Package, while customers choosing to purchase the software for $600 will receive it through an Over-the-Air Update in the third quarter of next year.

https://www.macheforum.com/site/thr...nounced-ota-update-available-in-q3-2021.1869/

 

[generaltso]

Did anyone happen to keep a copy of what we signed at the dealer for the rebate surrounding BlueCruise? I was not smart enough to keep one and I wonder now what it said about availability. Was it just generic?

Yup, I sure did. It says that it's expected to be available in the 3rd quarter of 2021. This Q3 time frame was communicated to customers through several press releases for about 18 months, well before deliveries even started, so it's pretty reasonable that people expected it to happen. But Ford was pretty careful to use words like "anticipated" and "expected" in official documents, even if they didn't always use those words in press releases.

 

[DevSecOps]

Yup, I sure did. It says that it's expected to be available in the 3rd quarter of 2021. This Q3 time frame was communicated to customers through several press releases for about 18 months, well before deliveries even started, so it's pretty reasonable that people expected it to happen. But Ford was pretty careful to use words like "anticipated" and "expected" in official documents, even if they didn't always use those words in press releases.

Ah the good old "anticipated". Even though they never hard committed technically, it doesn't look good on their part and anyone who signed that should at least get BC at no charge or some other nugget.

 

[generaltso]

Ah the good old "anticipated". Even though they never hard committed technically, it doesn't look good on their part and anyone who signed that should at least get BC at no charge or some other nugget.

That would be a nice gesture, but I'm not holding my breath.

Ford also sent an email in early August to Early Access participants asking us to sign up to be among the first to experience BlueCruise in the "coming weeks". I get that delays happen, but since the last email that Ford sent said that we would get it in the "coming weeks", it does seem like they should send a follow up email telling us that it has been delayed if it's going to be 6+ months later.

 

[BMT1071]

That would be a nice gesture, but I'm not holding my breath.

Ford also sent an email in early August to Early Access participants asking us to sign up to be among the first to experience BlueCruise in the "coming weeks". I get that delays happen, but since the last email that Ford sent said that we would get it in the "coming weeks", it does seem like they should send a follow up email telling us that it has been delayed if it's going to be 6+ months later.

Six months is 26 weeks...
??

 

[DevSecOps]

Six months is 26 weeks...
??

Yeah the language they use is very deceptive. They are dangling a carrot out there and keep moving it further away. Not a good look at all.

My opinion, based on absolutely no evidence (but running 60+ VINs), is that they still don't know how to successfully OTA the modules that need to be updated for BC to work. The amount of VINs with image sensor updates and other updates that are in the control process of BC is astounding. They must have run into issues with OTAs of those components. Based on the OTA problems with SYNC, which is non-critical to the vehicle operations, that would be my guess.

 

[ChasingCoral]

I think the question now is, at what point do we move from "Ford is overly cautious" to "Ford is incompetent" with regard to the OTA process. Everyone loves to compare against Tesla, but how about another less-established EV competitor, Polestar? They've had less experience with EVs than Tesla, but take a look at their software updates page: https://www.polestar.com/us/manual/polestar-2/2021/article/softwareUpdates/

They have actual changelogs and meaningful improvements! The 1.7.1 update weighing in at several gigabytes for what appears to be marginal improvements reeks of poor compomentization of software to me. That's probably what's holding them back - maybe they thought most owners would connect their cars to wifi, as opposed to relying on cellular connectivity.

So does that mean they put it on the road with such crappy software it needed lots of improvements from the get go?

 

[ChasingCoral]

That's a big fail of the software architect. Come on, what's a problem in checking every module's version on update?
You either update the system only as a whole, or update every module individually, but dealing with issues with different module versions. Look like they have tried to do something in between, which describes the circus with OTA version numbers and "partial" updates.

IF that rumor is true. I'd take the rumor with a shaker of salt.

 

[ChasingCoral]

Not that reality makes a difference around there but here is some actual information from Ford sources (not rumors from unidentified dealer service centers, etc.)

https://pickuptrucktalk.com/2021/11/available-or-delayed-ford-bluecruise-confusion-clarified/

Available or delayed? Ford BlueCruise confusion clarified


Jimmy Dinsmore November 3, 2021

When you’re talking about a new technology, especially one that involves hands-free driving, it’s important to get things right the first time. This week, confusion ran rampant through the interwebs regarding Ford’s BlueCruise technology.

The YouTube channel Gears & Gadgets, reported the F-150 it ordered has to wait up to 7 more months for the BlueCruise software to be installed over the air (OTA). Likewise, KBB.com reported “Buyers can still order BlueCruise, but it won’t be active until sometime next year.”

So what gives with Ford’s BlueCruise? Is it available now or not?

Mike Levine, Ford North America Product Communications Director, helped to shed some light.

“We are already delivering BlueCruise functionality in Mustang Mach-E and F-150 models leaving our plants today, and Ford customers will start receiving their BlueCruise hands-free driver assist updates over the air in the first quarter,” he said.

That doesn’t totally clarify things — especially since Ford’s CEO Jim Farley said during an investor’s conference: “We wanted to improve the customer experience. So we pushed it back to Q1.”

That led to irritation among many who had spent money to add BlueCruise hardware and software to their Mustang Mach-Es or their Ford F-150s. For F-150, BlueCruise is available as a part of the Ford Co-Pilot 360 Active 2.0 package for a total of $1,595 – $600 for the software and $995 for the hardware. For the Mustang Mach-E, it’s an available package on the Select trim for $3,200 – $600 for the software and $2,600 for the rest of the package – as part of the larger Comfort and Technology package, which includes features such as a 360-degree camera, heated front seats and heated steering wheel.

So, is BlueCruise available now?
The answer to this question, as confirmed by Levine is yes – for those vehicles that are being built and delivered now or that have just been recently delivered. However, Levine said Ford F-150 and Mustang Mach-E vehicles built prior to the “end of summer and early fall” won’t get the software update until Q1, which means any time between January and March of 2022.

Levine said, “Given the importance of this technology upgrade, we’ve retimed the BlueCruise over-the-air update so we can deliver the highest-quality OTA experience possible for customers.”

Still confused about whether your truck or SUV was built with BlueCruise or will be receiving the update? Check your MyFord Pass app — it’ll let you know if it’s active or not. Plus, well, it just won’t work if you got an earlier build.

Can BlueCruise be updated at a Ford dealer
Waiting until the first quarter could mean March for some, which will inevitably lead to impatience. However, Levine said there is some small hope for frustrated owners without activated BlueCruise.

“Mach-E and F-150 customers who are eager to have BlueCruise capability on their eligible vehicles ahead of the over-the-air updates will be able to receive their upgrades at dealers, also in the first quarter,” he said.

So, for the affected vehicles it’s still a waiting game, but at least owners have some control — and it’s a 2-month wait versus a possible 5-month wait.

The bottom line on Ford’s BlueCruise
We totally understand the frustration among the early adopters of this technology. For those who already took possession of their Mach-E or F-150 with BlueCruise hardware, having to wait until 2022 is a legit source of irritation.

Add that to the fact later builds get the software already loaded, and you can see why some people in the F150gen14 forum and Facebook groups are griping.

We support Ford in rolling out the OTA update in as simple a way as possible, but as is the case with new technology like BlueCruise, there’s already some uncertainty about it, and this only adds to that.

Are you waiting for your BlueCruise OTA or were you one of the lucky ones to get your vehicle already loaded with it? Leave us a comment about your experience with BlueCruise.

 

[benk016]

My opinion, based on absolutely no evidence (but running 60+ VINs), is that they still don't know how to successfully OTA the modules that need to be updated for BC to work. The amount of VINs with image sensor updates and other updates that are in the control process of BC is astounding. They must have run into issues with OTAs of those components. Based on the OTA problems with SYNC, which is non-critical to the vehicle operations, that would be my guess.

Ford hasn't had an OTA that targets the IPMA yet. Which is why you will see almost every car built more than 4-6 months ago have an update available in FDRS for it. The only modules the OTAs have targeted so far is TCU, GWM and APIM. The APIM is probably one of the most complicated updates because it's not just flashing a firmware. It's installing software on the Sync system. Each part is an individual file.

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