I had BlueCruise installed by Ford service. Here's what to expect...

[Jambler]

I applied updates myself. It took 11 hours. And had to finish the next day. The process is very detailed. If you forget or miss-order the steps it does not work. Some updates have to be applied multiple times before they take and sometimes the Ford server goes down. The official Ford instructions include things like leaving the car off after each update for 10 minutes with the door open. Then closing the door, restarting and waiting for 5 minutes. That's $50 buck of time right there! times 28 steps. For some of the updates if you mess this up they do not work. For others it does not matter. Also if the tech is using an older Ford adapter, slow WIFI or an old windows laptop some steps take 5x the time.

But in the end, the Hands Free Blue Cruise is great!

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[cjljr41]

I applied updates myself. It took 11 hours. And had to finish the next day. The process is very detailed. If you forget or miss-order the steps it does not work. Some updates have to be applied multiple times before they take and sometimes the Ford server goes down. The official Ford instructions include things like leaving the car off after each update for 10 minutes with the door open. Then closing the door, restarting and waiting for 5 minutes. That's $50 buck of time right there! times 28 steps. For some of the updates if you mess this up they do not work. For others it does not matter. Also if the tech is using an older Ford adapter, slow WIFI or an old windows laptop some steps take 5x the time.

But in the end, the Hands Free Blue Cruise is great!

If I have to jump through that many hoops to get it to work, I'll just hold the steering wheel when I drive.

 

[TonyaE]

If I have to jump through that many hoops to get it to work, I'll just hold the steering wheel when I drive.

I’m glad I’m not the only one that finds BC less than impressive. Maybe when I try it, I will feel differently.

 

[Doctaz]

Finally … after 3 weeks, 10 days in the shop, and two dealerships …

 

[me-stang]

You both should get a message in the phone app Message Center when they get BC installed correctly - title "Your Blue Cruise Feature is Ready".

Dealer thought they had it right on first day but they didn't - after the 2nd try they got it. Probably 10 -12 hours for them to get it right.

Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Centering with Hands-Free should be turned on in Settings-> Driver Assistance.

I have Activation Prompts turned on also - supposed to tell you when Hands Free is available..I've never been notified. I just turn on cruise control and get Hands Free on the larger roads.

Update to last post : As of yesterday we are now being notified when the road driven on has BC is available.

 

[67 Stang Convertible]

3rd times a charm. I have Blue Cruise! Dealer with help from Blue Oval finally got it installed. Took it out last night; IT WORKS

 

[Ford Motor Company]

3rd times a charm. I have Blue Cruise! Dealer with help from Blue Oval finally got it installed. Took it out last night; IT WORKS

Yay!! So happy it works now.

 

[mjmarco33]

On Tuesday, I took my 2021 Mach-E into my local Ford dealer, so that they could manually install the necessary updates to enable Blue Cruise. A bit of background, back in late-January my vehicle stopped communicating with Ford Pass. I think this was a common issue with one of the OTA updates messing up the TCU or something. Regardless, the vehicle hasn't been connecting to cloud services for months now, so I wanted the updates installed not just for Blue Cruise capabilities, but also just to get the modem up and running again.

Anyway, I came to my appointment armed with the attached PDF (OPTIONAL PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM 21G01) provided by Ford to its service techs, outlining the steps to perform all the updates. I did this, because I've heard that since they don't get paid for performing these updates, service reps will claim that they can't do it. I've personally been told that certain things can't be done when I know for a fact that they can. Thankfully, I got no resistance, and the rep I was working with was great, but I'd still advise people to come prepared.

The most important thing to note about this process is that IT TAKES A LONG TIME. You'll see in the PDF that there are numerous modules that need to be installed. Initially I was told it would take 8 hours. I left the dealership, and awaited a phone call telling me my car was ready for pickup. A couple minutes before closing time, they called and said that it was taking longer than they thought, because something had crashed during one of the updates. They said it would be ready around lunchtime the following day, but in my mind I'm thinking, "Wait, it crashed mid-update. Is my car bricked?"

By mid-afternoon I still hadn't heard from the service rep, so I tried calling, left messages, but no one called me back. Again, I'm thinking, they've bricked my car, and they're trying to figure out what to do about it before they tell me. Eventually my wife just drove me out to the dealership, so I could talk to them in person. Timing was good, because they said the tech was out doing the mandatory test drive to ensure the Blue Cruise was functioning properly.

While I was waiting, a service rep explained that mine was the first vehicle they'd done these updates on. He confirmed that after the mid-update software crash that the car was completely unresponsive for a period of time, and they thought they'd bricked it. Somehow, though, they brought it back to life, and all was well. He said that while Ford estimates it's an 8 hour job, they found it was more like 12 hours, but I'm not sure if they're counting the panicked troubleshooting they had to do to resuscitate my car.

Another important note: the rep told me that just that day Ford had mandated that owners who bring their Mach-E in for the Blue Cruise update be given a rental vehicle, since the process takes so long. Even if it had been an option presented to me, I probably wouldn't have taken it, because my circumstances didn't necessitate a loaner, but still good to know.

I haven't had a chance to try the Blue Cruise yet, but I'm happy to report that all the systems that weren't functioning these past few months are now restored, and I'm maybe even seeing improved range?? Admittedly, this could just be my imagination or coincidence that the weather has been warmer this week, but a 100% charge was giving me 250 miles of range, and now it's giving me 309 according to FordPass. Also could be my imagination, but the touch screen seems to be way more responsive than it was before, and I like the little design changes, like moving the on-screen volume meter so it's not shooting vertically through the middle of the screen anymore.

Anyway, to sum up:

• Come with the OPIP doc in case the service rep doesn't know about the update or is trying to get out of having to do it.​

• Expect 8-12 hours for the job to be completed. This isn't a "wait-in-the-lounge" type of service appointment.​

• If you need a loaner, and it's not offered to you, tell them you heard that Ford has informed its service reps to provide a rental vehicle while the updates are taking place.​

• Pray that you don't have a system crash mid-update, or if you do, that the tech knows some alchemy to turn bricks back to functioning EVs.​

I took my 1st gen 2021 MME into the local dealer one week ago for the suggested updates to enable Blue Cruise. After five days including two visits by a Ford engineer, and 2 master resets, I am up and running with Blue Cruise. In my opinion, worth the wait. Ford customer service and my local dealer were honest and respectful of my concerns.

 

[duneii]

You both should get a message in the phone app Message Center when they get BC installed correctly - title "Your Blue Cruise Feature is Ready".

Thanks for this tip. Had mine at dealer for 11 days for windshield/roof recall and BC. On Monday they said they spent 23 labor hours total on updates and still failing programming. I got notification last night in the Ford Pass app Blue cruise is enabled with 1 free year. Calling dealer to see if I can get the car back... Wonder why they didn't call me.

Update: Alert in app was accurate. Picked up car today and BC was a joy on the highway with traffic. I like how it easily blends between having control and not for things like changing lanes or taking an off ramp.

 

[AllenXS]

3.5 days as there were some issues. Ford engineering supported the local mechanic and he made sure it was perfect. He didn't get BC running but knew it would work. I took it out and it burst in to life as soon as I hit the highway.

It runs much smoother as well and some changes on the screens.
Gone from frustrated to super happy. Thanks @Ford Motor Company.
Seems that they had planned to really get BC going this month and they are doing it, even if its slowly and carefully, so hang in there! I think the more they do the faster it will get as they work out the kinks on this round.

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