Interesting PAAK Issues this week

[stmache]

Twice this week, I've gotten in and got the Key Not Detected error come up. I knew something us up as I had to use the App to open the doors. Since I had the dealer software update back in August, PAAK has worked flawlessly.

The only thing that has changed this week is I am now putting the Mach-e inside my one car garage. When backing in, I manually fold the outside mirrors and leave them folded when I turn off the car. Has this been reported? The next time I tested PAAK, it worked fine.

I feel I need to carry the one and only Key FOB that came with the car in a Faraday bag in my work backpack. The passcode works but I feel better with the FOB handy just in case.

Not sure this matters but last week the OTA update for 1.7.1 failed. Ford hasn't initiated an update since.

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[prdude]

PAAK definitely throws a curveball, every once in a while! It's been a while, since I've had to use FordPass to unlock .... knock on wood.

When you get in and get the "key not detected" message, where is your phone? Is it in your pocket? Right or left pocket? I've been told to have my phone in my right pocket or set it somewhere in the center console for best recognition by the PAAK module.

 

[bshaw]

I feel I need to carry the one and only Key FOB that came with the car in a Faraday bag in my work backpack. The passcode works but I feel better with the FOB handy just in case.

Why not just carry the solo FOB in your backpack *without* the Faraday bag and let it do its thing to unlock the doors and drive the car? Promise you, it will work every time, and you can forget PAAK was even a thing.

 

[Nklem]

I have completely given up on PAAK. It is flawed and cannot be relied upon. Much easier just to throw a fob in the pocket and it always works.

Folks that solely rely on PAAK are brave for sure. While I attempted that, I experienced a nationwide Fordpass outage (in the pouring rain and a 1 hour delay in getting in my car), complete crash of the App while driving, not working in parking lots while hands were full of bags of groceries etc.

I tried it, I used it for nearly 60 days after the PAAK dealer update, but then it started to crumble again a few months later and I never went back. My phone is still configured for it, I get journey recording etc, but the FOB has proven 100% reliable, where PAAK is certainly less at best.

Maybe its the same reason I print an airline ticket and carry the paper copy (and 2 of them just in case). My phone can fault, die, drop, break, get stolen or catch on fire, and will not be able to board a plane. The paper (and multiple ones) has always provided me entry to the plane.

I commend anyone who is willing to give it exclusive use and report back when it does not work.

 

[hjp]

Twice this week, I've gotten in and got the Key Not Detected error come up. I knew something us up as I had to use the App to open the doors. Since I had the dealer software update back in August, PAAK has worked flawlessly.

The only thing that has changed this week is I am now putting the Mach-e inside my one car garage. When backing in, I manually fold the outside mirrors and leave them folded when I turn off the car. Has this been reported? The next time I tested PAAK, it worked fine.

I feel I need to carry the one and only Key FOB that came with the car in a Faraday bag in my work backpack. The passcode works but I feel better with the FOB handy just in case.

Not sure this matters but last week the OTA update for 1.7.1 failed. Ford hasn't initiated an update since.

Had the same issue. Only had the car for two weeks. First week flawless. Now twice it unlocked the door just fine but then gave me a no key found message when I got in. First time entered code and it let me back out of the garage but when I moved the selector to drive the message popped up again and locked into Park. Guess I could have used code again but was at home so just got the key fob. Second time it was already running, so at at least it recognized the PAAK long enough to start, and didn't complain again. Both times Iphone on the charging pad. Definitely flakey. As long as I am around my home area won't loose sleep over it but no way would I go further than a few miles from home without the key fob.

 

[stmache]

PAAK definitely throws a curveball, every once in a while! It's been a while, since I've had to use FordPass to unlock .... knock on wood.

When you get in and get the "key not detected" message, where is your phone? Is it in your pocket? Right or left pocket? I've been told to have my phone in my right pocket or set it somewhere in the center console for best recognition by the PAAK module.

I usually put the phone in the charging spot under the screen. I learned about the right pocket so I know to do that if I get that message and its in the left pocket.

 

[stmache]

Why not just carry the solo FOB in your backpack *without* the Faraday bag and let it do its thing to unlock the doors and drive the car? Promise you, it will work every time, and you can forget PAAK was even a thing.

Because I'm not always driving to work. Like I said, it has worked great so I haven't needed the Key FOB since August until this week. The Key FOB is for my wife when she drives it.

 

[stmache]

Had the same issue. Only had the car for two weeks. First week flawless. Now twice it unlocked the door just fine but then gave me a no key found message when I got in. First time entered code and it let me back out of the garage but when I moved the selector to drive the message popped up again and locked into Park. Guess I could have used code again but was at home so just got the key fob. Second time it was already running, so at at least it recognized the PAAK long enough to start, and didn't complain again. Both times Iphone on the charging pad. Definitely flakey. As long as I am around my home area won't loose sleep over it but no way would I go further than a few miles from home without the key fob.

I was just getting comfortable with PAAK and thought Ford had finally fixed it. I drove over 450 miles using PAAK a couple of weeks ago. (Yes, I had the Key FOB in the Faraday bag for the entire trip, I"m not crazy! LOL).

I know Ford is now giving 2 FOBs with Mach-e's. They should give an extra one to all the owners who didn't get them initially. Burns me that I will have to pay for one and its programming for peace of mind.

 

[Nklem]

I had found, for PAAK to work flawlessly in the car as a sole key, you must place the phone on the charging pad in the console for it to be 100% detected, 100% of the time. I never had an issue with that PAAK feature, Iphone XR BTW, and following that method.

If it was in my shirt pocket, cupholder, pants pocket, briefcase, on the armrest etc, I repeatedly got the "key not found" message. many times. Somewhere it is documented from Ford that says that's where it needs to be placed. It's also supposed to be in your hand, when you go to open the doors or hatch. 98% reliability doing this as well.

 

[whadenIV]

This morning - while running but parked - I got the Key Not Detected message when I picked up the phone to take a picture of the screen. The car recognized me walk up this morning and unlocked the doors as it should. I know I have a module updated needed for PaaK that wasn't installed when i took delivery 2 weeks ago.

 

[stmache]

I had found, for PAAK to work flawlessly in the car as a sole key, you must place the phone on the charging pad in the console for it to be 100% detected, 100% of the time. I never had an issue with that PAAK feature, Iphone XR BTW, and following that method.

If it was in my shirt pocket, cupholder, pants pocket, briefcase, on the armrest etc, I repeatedly got the "key not found" message. many times. Somewhere it is documented from Ford that says that's where it needs to be placed. It's also supposed to be in your hand, when you go to open the doors or hatch. 98% reliability doing this as well.

Like you, I almost always (can't say 100%) put my iPhone 8 Plus on the charging pad. It has worked when I've had in my right pocket, too. I seldom have the phone in my hand when walking up to the car and it has always detected it and woke up. It also always locks the doors when I walk away.

This is the first issues I have had since the dealer update.

I will test it again tonight without leaving the mirrors folded manually and let the car fold them when it locks. If it then starts working flawlessly again, I will report it to Ford as it should not matter how or when those mirrors are folded. I do it so there's less a chance of me hitting them as I go through my garage door. Had a bad experience once with my 2017 Mustang.

 

[prdude]

This morning - while running but parked - I got the Key Not Detected message when I picked up the phone to take a picture of the screen. The car recognized me walk up this morning and unlocked the doors as it should. I know I have a module updated needed for PaaK that wasn't installed when i took delivery 2 weeks ago.

I have experienced where PAAK let's me unlock and start the vehicle. But while sitting in park, with vehicle on and making a phone call, it throughs a "key not detected" message (phone in either cupholder or atop center console tray) ....... this kind of thing is why I named mine HAL.

full disclosure: I do not yet have the PAAK s/w update

 

[stmache]

I had found, for PAAK to work flawlessly in the car as a sole key, you must place the phone on the charging pad in the console for it to be 100% detected, 100% of the time. I never had an issue with that PAAK feature, Iphone XR BTW, and following that method.

If it was in my shirt pocket, cupholder, pants pocket, briefcase, on the armrest etc, I repeatedly got the "key not found" message. many times. Somewhere it is documented from Ford that says that's where it needs to be placed. It's also supposed to be in your hand, when you go to open the doors or hatch. 98% reliability doing this as well.

Okay, something else changed this week. I updated the phone to iOS 14.8.1 and the FordPass app updated to its current version of 3.34.0. I know there's iOS 15.1 out but I usually wait a couple of months for Apple to work out the bugs before updating to a new version number.

Is there a way to revert the FordPass app back to last revision to test?

 

[stmache]

The Mach-e seems to have reverted to pre-dealer PAAK fix. I can't open the rear driver side door again unless I open the driver door first even though all indicators say the car should allow any door to open. What would cause this to happen?

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