Lemon Yellow instead of Rapid Red? Serious system failures on my MME FE that could trigger Lemon Law return to Ford

[fayt349]

I would have your dealer get a Ford Field Service Engineer out to your car immediately. By looking at the updates that they did to mine, below, these are what are affecting your car.

It took the FSE over three hours in the car plugged into it and overnight to get it uploaded and fixed.

Was this for the power train malfunction / reduced power error? I just got my car yesterday and have this issue and it's not going away

 

[machefan]

Was this for the power train malfunction / reduced power error? I just got my car yesterday and have this issue and it's not going away

I posted on the other thread you asked the same question. It’s a generic message for any various errors that could be present. Dealer will have to read the codes. In my case it’s not anything that is wrong with the MME. The codes are coming up due loss of messages and errors out.

 

[Fatawan]

Just like in a home network, Ford should connect all those internal modules with wires rather than rely on wireless communications. Lots of people getting those failure to communicate errors. Seems like it would be common sense.

 

[machefan]

Just like in a home network, Ford should connect all those internal modules with wires rather than rely on wireless communications. Lots of people getting those failure to communicate errors. Seems like it would be common sense.

They are aware and working on it.

 

[ten8bike]

My car has been at the "service" department since March 16. I was getting the "blind spot detection with cross traffic" outage, the "pre-collision assist not available" and "park aid malfunction", whenever it was below 50 degrees. I will fill out the NHTSA form, and do some emailing and texting.

 

[0CO2]

Last week my Ford dealer flashed five of my car's system modules with updated firmware. They had an advisory that another of the modules (ABS I think) also required updating, but no firmware update was actually available yet - as of last week.

I took my MME FE on its first significant road trip this past Saturday - now equipped with updated firmware. Virtually all of the previous issues with system warnings and malfunctions appeared to be resolved. CarPlay also worked properly for the first time - previously it couldn't stream music for any length of time without more or less hanging the system, plus other oddities - but now wireless CarPlay seemed to work fine. The built-in Nav app has strange ideas about where charging stations are located - it had a tendency to direct me to non-existing ones - so I had to rely on third party apps for that. Also after my car was flashed the in-vehicle tire pressure display no longer worked for most of the day, but eventually it started to display erroneous pressures, but eventually they became more realistic. I don't know why Ford is struggling with such a simple TPS system issue, but after a few days I am starting to believe the pressures that are displayed whereas before the system was re-flashed, all pressure were 3 psi too high. Just an aside...

I did have an episode where the adaptive/intelligent cruise control was disabled because the required sensors got covered with dirty snow. After I got where I was going, parked, cleaned off the sensors, and let the system rest, the system cleared the alarms and cruise control was fully restored. It didn't restore automatically when the snow had melted when I was still underway though. It seemed to require a power cycling to do that. It's not a major issue - arguably if there is a lot of snow around, perhaps one should be relying too much on cruise control anyway.

So that's good progress. I would like to see my ABS firmware update though - but at least the local service center went from being clueless about the MME when I first got it, to being able to flash new firmware. My confidence in them being able to service my car is starting to improve. It was the ability to get my car serviced almost locally that tipped the scales in favor of the MME over the Model Y - since the nearest Tesla service center is 2-hours away from home.

This was also an education about what OTA updates mean at Ford. It is OTA of software, not lower level system firmware. At least not yet. Teslas can do OTA firmware updates - which is how Teslas can become more efficient over time. For that to happen with a Ford, I think one would actually have to bring it into the dealer to have a firmware update, at least as things are configured at present. At some point that won't be considered a warranty issue and will cost money to do - so something to ask Ford about. Will OTA firmware updates ever be possible?

Oh another thing I've learned. Unlike every other vehicle I've driven over these particular mountain passes in the winter over the past 18 years, the slip stream aerodynamics of the MME (and I would bet dollars to donuts, also for Tesla vehicles) makes sure that road grit, gravel and road salt WILL do maximum damage as it flows over and close by the car's hood and then slams into the windshield. One drive over two mountain passes in the winter and I now have a significant paint touchup to do all over the top of he car's Rapid Red clearcoat frunk/hood, with my windshield full of little dings right in my field of view that are small enough to be really irritating but not big enough for say a Rain-X ding repair kit to deal with effectively. There was hardly any traffic ahead of us, so this is just from a relatively brief exposure to road grit/salt kitcked up be a car some distance ahead while we weren't going particularly fast. So that's disappointing - so much damage from the very first real road trip. Not sure what type of glass Ford uses, but it seems awfully prone to collecting little dings.

After I repair the dings in the paint I am looking into putting some film on the front of the car (quoted $1699 for XPEL to cover front of car back to windshield and fenders), probably with a ceramic overcoat (if done commercially, quoted $1200 for that). That's money I've never had to spend on any previous vehicle, but maybe with the MME's aerodynamic profile and shape, it'll be necessary. More money going into an already very expensive FE but I have to admit it is a very attractive car so keeping it looking good is a priority.

According to the shop I talked with, Tesla owners are their biggest customers - which is consist with my hypothesis that the streamlines flowing around the front of the car hug close by the surface rather than making a big bow shock in front that deflects grit away from the car - so that nice laminar flow is efficient at scraping debris across the paint and into the windshield. Winter drivers beware!

I mentioned on another forum thread that the efficiency on this drive was disappointing. I gained and lost approx. 3000-ft of elevation and generally drove at around 55 mph, although going up the passes on twisty roads, often below 45 mph, and on the other side in the high desert around 65 mph. I always drive in unbridled mode, with one pedal driving/L selected for maximum regen.

I think I was seeing about 2.1 mi/kWh with no cabin heating, only low-to-medium seat heating and steering wheel heat, and with outside temperatures in the low 30's to high 40's. I did precondition the car. So... what the Nav app indicated would require a 1-hr Level 2 charge at my destination to get me home actually required a 3-hr charge instead. One the way home the nav app also insisted I had to charge up near home on my way back, but that was clearly wrong and I got home with a 15% charge left without that 2nd charge-up. So the algorithm needs some work, or at least some more learning of my car's actual performance under local conditions.

 

[SMDJim]

Last week my Ford dealer flashed five of my car's system modules with updated firmware. They had an advisory that another of the modules (ABS I think) also required updating, but no firmware update was actually available yet - as of last week.

I took my MME FE on its first significant road trip this past Saturday - now equipped with updated firmware. Virtually all of the previous issues with system warnings and malfunctions appeared to be resolved. CarPlay also worked properly for the first time - previously it couldn't stream music for any length of time without more or less hanging the system, plus other oddities - but now wireless CarPlay seemed to work fine. The built-in Nav app has strange ideas about where charging stations are located - it had a tendency to direct me to non-existing ones - so I had to rely on third party apps for that. Also after my car was flashed the in-vehicle tire pressure display no longer worked for most of the day, but eventually it started to display erroneous pressures, but eventually they became more realistic. I don't know why Ford is struggling with such a simple TPS system issue, but after a few days I am starting to believe the pressures that are displayed whereas before the system was re-flashed, all pressure were 3 psi too high. Just an aside...

I did have an episode where the adaptive/intelligent cruise control was disabled because the required sensors got covered with dirty snow. After I got where I was going, parked, cleaned off the sensors, and let the system rest, the system cleared the alarms and cruise control was fully restored. It didn't restore automatically when the snow had melted when I was still underway though. It seemed to require a power cycling to do that. It's not a major issue - arguably if there is a lot of snow around, perhaps one should be relying too much on cruise control anyway.

So that's good progress. I would like to see my ABS firmware update though - but at least the local service center went from being clueless about the MME when I first got it, to being able to flash new firmware. My confidence in them being able to service my car is starting to improve. It was the ability to get my car serviced almost locally that tipped the scales in favor of the MME over the Model Y - since the nearest Tesla service center is 2-hours away from home.

This was also an education about what OTA updates mean at Ford. It is OTA of software, not lower level system firmware. At least not yet. Teslas can do OTA firmware updates - which is how Teslas can become more efficient over time. For that to happen with a Ford, I think one would actually have to bring it into the dealer to have a firmware update, at least as things are configured at present. At some point that won't be considered a warranty issue and will cost money to do - so something to ask Ford about. Will OTA firmware updates ever be possible?

Oh another thing I've learned. Unlike every other vehicle I've driven over these particular mountain passes in the winter over the past 18 years, the slip stream aerodynamics of the MME (and I would bet dollars to donuts, also for Tesla vehicles) makes sure that road grit, gravel and road salt WILL do maximum damage as it flows over and close by the car's hood and then slams into the windshield. One drive over two mountain passes in the winter and I now have a significant paint touchup to do all over the top of he car's Rapid Red clearcoat frunk/hood, with my windshield full of little dings right in my field of view that are small enough to be really irritating but not big enough for say a Rain-X ding repair kit to deal with effectively. There was hardly any traffic ahead of us, so this is just from a relatively brief exposure to road grit/salt kitcked up be a car some distance ahead while we weren't going particularly fast. So that's disappointing - so much damage from the very first real road trip. Not sure what type of glass Ford uses, but it seems awfully prone to collecting little dings.

After I repair the dings in the paint I am looking into putting some film on the front of the car (quoted $1699 for XPEL to cover front of car back to windshield and fenders), probably with a ceramic overcoat (if done commercially, quoted $1200 for that). That's money I've never had to spend on any previous vehicle, but maybe with the MME's aerodynamic profile and shape, it'll be necessary. More money going into an already very expensive FE but I have to admit it is a very attractive car so keeping it looking good is a priority.

According to the shop I talked with, Tesla owners are their biggest customers - which is consist with my hypothesis that the streamlines flowing around the front of the car hug close by the surface rather than making a big bow shock in front that deflects grit away from the car - so that nice laminar flow is efficient at scraping debris across the paint and into the windshield. Winter drivers beware!

I mentioned on another forum thread that the efficiency on this drive was disappointing. I gained and lost approx. 3000-ft of elevation and generally drove at around 55 mph, although going up the passes on twisty roads, often below 45 mph, and on the other side in the high desert around 65 mph. I always drive in unbridled mode, with one pedal driving/L selected for maximum regen.

I think I was seeing about 2.1 mi/kWh with no cabin heating, only low-to-medium seat heating and steering wheel heat, and with outside temperatures in the low 30's to high 40's. I did precondition the car. So... what the Nav app indicated would require a 1-hr Level 2 charge at my destination to get me home actually required a 3-hr charge instead. One the way home the nav app also insisted I had to charge up near home on my way back, but that was clearly wrong and I got home with a 15% charge left without that 2nd charge-up. So the algorithm needs some work, or at least some more learning of my car's actual performance under local conditions.

Maybe those of us with Delayed MME's should be grateful to those that are taking the early arrows. I think I will ask my dealer to do all of the updating before delivery and show reports of activity, if it ever get here. NSF railway does seem to be very slow!

 

[breeves002]

Sounds like all software bugs...that they're saying they're working on...not actual "problems" in my opinion. Well documented though I haven't had the same experience. Some issues may be with electrify America too, not Ford.

How did collision warning almost cause an accident? I almost always react faster than it. I've had 1 time where I truly believed it saved me and it was from a car without brake lights that worked.

The antenna codes are common in every single MME as well as lost communication, invalid data received, etc. It is just software bugs causing the erroneous codes. Mine has 20-25 codes all the time yet has relatively few issues.

I get it is frustrating, so I guess if you don't want to deal with it get rid of the car, if you can be patient, then wait for the software.

Edit: I read your late post that it got updated firmware which resolved some issues. That's great. I wonder when your car was built? Mine from January may have the newer firmwares. I need to re-subscribe to my IDS/FDJS sub and check for updates.

 

[SMDJim]

I agree some of the issues do sound just annoying, but I would also remind you to not say things are "Just Software Bugs". In this modern world it is becoming more obvious every day that bad sofware in the wrong place can kill!.

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