SM 49810 - Buzz Noise From The Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC)

Do you notice your IPC buzz?


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opennetus

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It is not “normal” for a LCD screen to making an audible whining sound. No other auto LCD (or any LCD) display makes noise; it is clearly bad components or a design flaw and this is Ford saying we don’t want to pay the warranty costs, so we will claim it is working as intended. I would be okay paying for a repair to get rid of the noise, but I don’t even have that option because, if Ford researches and provides a solution, that would be them admitting there was a problem in the first place and then they would be obligated to fix under warranty.

I expected better from Ford and frankly wish I had bought a Tesla now, given the number of issues I’ve had. Tesla has poor quality control, but at least they fix the problems when customers report them. If Ford continues denying this is a problem and do nothing to help customers, this will be the last Ford I ever buy. They could at least release a software update to allow better fine-tuning of the display brightness to find the perfect frequency to minimize the noise.
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machefan

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Do all builds have this issue or mainly early ones?
Yes all, it’s a matter if you can hear it or not. Everyone’s hearing is different and I don’t hear unless in the dead of silence.

But this SSM puts it to bed from Ford’s perspective. I’m sure it’s not going to get addressed someone will or can develop a mod for it.
 
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benk016

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I don't know how many of you are PC gamers, but this reminds me of coil whine, something you hear on only some graphics cards. The loudness/pitch changes depending on what the card is rendering at the moment. This is also considered normal, even though only a minority of the products have it. And it's not covered by warranty iirc.
Yep, this is exactly what it is.
 

Stang68

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Well then come on, there’s got to be an enterprising YouTuber out there who will open that sucker up and add some insulation or something!
 


Jimrpa

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Well then come on, there’s got to be an enterprising YouTuber out there who will open that sucker up and add some insulation or something!
Maybe that dude who put sound deadening material everyplace in his Mustang Mach E when he ripped it apart to put in a new subwoofer?
 

CHeil402

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Well then come on, there’s got to be an enterprising YouTuber out there who will open that sucker up and add some insulation or something!
The problem is that display is buried in the dash and takes a lot of effort to get to. I don't think it would be difficult to fix, just difficult to remove and replace.
 
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breeves002

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The problem is that display is buried in the dash and takes a lot of effort to get to. I don't think it would be difficult to fix, just difficult to remove and replace.
This. It is an incredible PITA to remove the IPC. It requires disassembly of most of the dashboard! All upper and lower trim pieces have to be removed which means the screen has to be removed along with the drivers side access panel too. It is pretty involved.

If I can get a used one I may open it up and see if I can find the source of the whine. I have a way to boot them on a bench. Whoever suggested CCFL transformers I truly doubt that. I'm 99.9% sure it's an LED backlit display.
 

ARK

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This is certainly disappointing. I agree, maybe not too surprising. I think what it comes down to is not everyone is bothered by this, so they don’t want to do a replacement, probably a pretty expensive replacement, when many people either cannot hear it or only hear it if they really try (i.e. not normal operation).

I do hope Ford either does replace it for people who this is a big issue for or at least publish info when a revised instrument cluster is made available for people to pay for the swap.
 
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breeves002

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I do hope Ford either does replace it for people who this is a big issue for or at least publish info when a revised instrument cluster is made available for people to pay for the swap.
If Ford says there is a "fixed" version available then they are admitting there is a flaw with the first and would have to replace it under warranty so I truly doubt you'll see that. We'll just have to wait until people stop having the issue.

The problem with IPCs is Ford changes the part number every 5 minutes. It is kind of wild. You can order the same part number but you'll get a completely different one. I order a lot of clusters so I see this all the time. It really is annoying because you can't tell what the cluster is based on the part number easily.

I do think dealers will be able to warranty the issue in the future though if it truly is noticeable to the service advisor. Though that doesn't mean Ford will approve the warranty claim.
 

JoeDimwit

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The people who are complaining about headaches are almost certainly seeing a level of whine MUCH greater than my example, and Ford should consider that they may not have actually observed the problem these owners are complaining about.
It would be helpful to have empirical, repeatable data about the sound levels. Right now all I have seen is anecdotal evidence that a particular screen is “loud”. We need someone with a calibrated spl meter to start cataloging actual decibel levels. Then, when Ford can see that there is a significant difference in someone’s “normal” maybe they will do something for the ones that actually are faulty.
 

ARK

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If Ford says there is a "fixed" version available then they are admitting there is a flaw with the first and would have to replace it under warranty so I truly doubt you'll see that. We'll just have to wait until people stop having the issue.
Would they necessarily be forced into a situation of either saying everything is fine or it’s bad enough to require a warranty replacement? This isn’t rhetorical, I’m really ignorant on the topic, can’t they just frame it as an improvement over the prior version, like a revised exhaust on a new model year that slightly bumps horsepower on an ICE?

Also from what you’re saying, I will also probably swing by a dealership to check out the GTs and the model year 2022 Mach-Es when they start arriving to see if I can hear the buzzing noise and maybe use that to try and get a replacement, under warranty or otherwise.
 
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breeves002

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Would they necessarily be forced into a situation of either saying everything is fine or it’s bad enough to require a warranty replacement? This isn’t rhetorical, I’m really ignorant on the topic, can’t they just frame it as an improvement over the prior version, like a revised exhaust on a new model year that slightly bumps horsepower on an ICE?
There's not good answer to this question. They really don't have to do anything but public perception is what matters and saving costs in the long run matters too.

Lets take your exhaust example. Lets say the exhaust that came on a car for the 21 model year has this weird loud drone that is bad on some cars and not as bad on others...Same concept, no? Ford says it is a normal characteristic and can change vehicle to vehicle... Ford revises it for the 22MY and the problem is fixed on all vehicles. So is it warrantable? I say it is. The problem is with things like noises it is up to the service advisor to go to bat for you and say they hear the noise and know the fix. If they don't care or can't hear it then they may do nothing or the claim will be denied due to lack of investigation or information.
 
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breeves002

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Also, let me add I just looked up the service part number for the Mach-E IPC...It costs $2700+$300 core! $3k for the IPC! That is insane! The other Ford digital clusters are ~$1200 with core or less.

Sorry for the terrible image, Windows snip and sketch doesn't work right with HDR monitors.

Ford Mustang Mach-E SM 49810 - Buzz Noise From The Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) 1621907797774
 
 




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