Should I bother a dealer?

[roland farm]

I haven't been to a dealer for service yet but have a few in my area. I have a couple of problems. Blue cruse usually works fine since I don't do much highway driving, but over the last few months the b/c has mysteriously kicked off while the instrument panel stayed blue and the car started to slowly brake till I accelerated to avoid causing an accident. The next problem is my radio. I have the radio tuned to Sirius and when I back up it kicks over to an AM station. The above problems have each happened intermittently and only maybe 5-6 times. Given that, I expect the dealer will not be able to experience or replicate these problems so I feel it will be a waste of time. What would others do in this situation? I guess I could just live with it.

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[bshaw]

...over the last few months the b/c has mysteriously kicked off while the instrument panel stayed blue and the car started to slowly brake...

I imagine this is how the car would behave if you ignored the "Hands on the wheel" reminder messaging.

 

[roland farm]

Thanks and that is correct bshaw, but the "hands free" words were displayed at the time so that still leaves me perplexed.

 

[4sallypat]

Knowing how poorly trained / educated Ford service techs are, I'd live with the glitchy irritations...

 

[roland farm]

I hear ya.

 

[AliRafiee]

The BC slowing down on its own is usually the result of speed limit recognition feature. Sometimes it misreads the sign.

 

[roland farm]

Thanks for that idea. I wish I could let that condition run its course to see what happens but Im in the middle of a 70mph highway so I take control. If it happened more often I might be able to start isolation theories.

 

[JohnFoxeSheets]

Thanks for that idea. I wish I could let that condition run its course to see what happens but Im in the middle of a 70mph highway so I take control. If it happened more often I might be able to start isolation theories.

You can turn off that feature in settings and then drive the same section of freeway to see if the issue still happens.

Are you by any chance ignoring the nanny camera and not keeping your eyes (mostly) on the road? (The car will slow down if you do.)

 

[roland farm]

I don't think that Is happening but I'll make a note of it, thanks

 

[Mach1E]

I haven't been to a dealer for service yet but have a few in my area. I have a couple of problems. Blue cruse usually works fine since I don't do much highway driving, but over the last few months the b/c has mysteriously kicked off while the instrument panel stayed blue and the car started to slowly brake till I accelerated to avoid causing an accident. The next problem is my radio. I have the radio tuned to Sirius and when I back up it kicks over to an AM station. The above problems have each happened intermittently and only maybe 5-6 times. Given that, I expect the dealer will not be able to experience or replicate these problems so I feel it will be a waste of time. What would others do in this situation? I guess I could just live with it.

The problems and fixes are all software related.

What you want is for them to update all available modules.

Since they have a “burden of proof” to replicate any issue before submitting a warranty claim, I’ve found an easy workaround.

When my car acts up, I take a picture and video.

I show those to the dealership, they update all my modules.

It’s worked twice so far. YMMV

 

[Vulnox]

Thanks for that idea. I wish I could let that condition run its course to see what happens but Im in the middle of a 70mph highway so I take control. If it happened more often I might be able to start isolation theories.

If it is the speed limit that's an easy one to verify without having to wait, the instrument cluster shows the currently set speed. If it says in the speed limit portion it detected 55 so set you to 60, but it's a 70 MPH highway, then you know it's catching something else. This has been very rare for us thankfully, but there are a couple roads where fairly consistently it grabs a parallel running road's sign and starts to slow us down. But you can immediately see the speed limit it "thinks" it should be on the IC.

 

[charliec]

If it is the speed limit that's an easy one to verify without having to wait, the instrument cluster shows the currently set speed. If it says in the speed limit portion it detected 55 so set you to 60, but it's a 70 MPH highway, then you know it's catching something else. This has been very rare for us thankfully, but there are a couple roads where fairly consistently it grabs a parallel running road's sign and starts to slow us down. But you can immediately see the speed limit it "thinks" it should be on the IC.

It's not just speed limit signs. My Mach-E always slows to 25 mph after passing a "weight limit 25 tons" sign on a road near my house. My son's Model Y does the same thing after passing that sign. The colors and general shapes of the weight limit sign are similar to that of a speed limit sign.

 

[rossferguson]

I haven't been to a dealer for service yet but have a few in my area. I have a couple of problems. Blue cruse usually works fine since I don't do much highway driving, but over the last few months the b/c has mysteriously kicked off while the instrument panel stayed blue and the car started to slowly brake till I accelerated to avoid causing an accident. The next problem is my radio. I have the radio tuned to Sirius and when I back up it kicks over to an AM station. The above problems have each happened intermittently and only maybe 5-6 times. Given that, I expect the dealer will not be able to experience or replicate these problems so I feel it will be a waste of time. What would others do in this situation? I guess I could just live with it.

Are you wearing polarized sunglasses or a ball cap when you experience the BlueCruise issues? The behaviour you're describing is what the car is supposed to do when it can't see your eyes and confirm that you're paying attention to the road. The sensor bar on top of the steering column can't see through polarized sunglasses, and the facial recognition software can get confused by ball caps or other hats if they're worn too low on the head / cover too much of your forehead.

 

[Mach1E]

Are you wearing polarized sunglasses or a ball cap when you experience the BlueCruise issues? The behaviour you're describing is what the car is supposed to do when it can't see your eyes and confirm that you're paying attention to the road. The sensor bar on top of the steering column can't see through polarized sunglasses, and the facial recognition software can get confused by ball caps or other hats if they're worn too low on the head / cover too much of your forehead.

Our sensor is infrared, works perfectly fine through polarized lenses.

I know Tesla can have some issues with their facial recognition because they use regular cameras, but that’s not a Ford thing.

 

[roland farm]

Thanks Mch1E, I was about to agree with rossferguson.

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