SSM 49784 - Various Phone-As-A-Key Concerns

[generaltso]

I don’t understand why the cost of a new fob doesn’t include programming it to the car the first time. I mean, seriously, ”here, buy this part. Now, that part won’t work until you pay me more money.”? That’s some organized crime bull droppings.

Because you can normally program the fob yourself. You can with the MME too, but the rub is that it requires 2 fobs. Once you have 2 fobs programmed, you can add a 3rd and 4th without having to go to the dealer.

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[Scarpia]

I don’t understand why the cost of a new fob doesn’t include programming it to the car the first time. I mean, seriously, ”here, buy this part. Now, that part won’t work until you pay me more money.”? That’s some organized crime bull droppings.

I'm pretty steamed about this as well. If Ford is going to only give one fob, the alternatives ought to work just as fast and reliably, and they don't.

I think the whole PAAK thing was a miscalculation. There are a number of scenarios where only having your phone could be a problem. Someone mentioned getting in an accident and having to have their car towed. They had to drive home, get their fob and come back. Without a fob, how do the tow truck driver and repair shop handle the car? I'm not going to program three other people's phones with PAAK. I've read through the valet mode section and haven't tried it, but it seems confusing enough that I am skeptical others will want to write down and use codes to get the car to function.

I bought a second fob and the local locksmith, who thought he could program it for $75, can't. The four dealers I called wanted from $130-$190 to do it - in addition to the inconvenience of having to take it there and then wait for over an hour. That's pretty ridiculous for something I don't think I should have had to purchase.

Give the PAAK as a bonus, not a substitute for the second fob. Maybe Ford could have included a coupon to order a second fob, if wanted, for a discount.

 

[JoeDimwit]

Because you can normally program the fob yourself. You can with the MME too, but the rub is that it requires 2 fobs. Once you have 2 fobs programmed, you can add a 3rd and 4th without having to go to the dealer.

Which still doesnt explain why they wouldn’t include 1 programming with the fob in the first place.

 

[JoeDimwit]

I'm pretty steamed about this as well. If Ford is going to only give one fob, the alternatives ought to work just as fast and reliably, and they don't.

I think the whole PAAK thing was a miscalculation. There are a number of scenarios where just having your phone could be a problem. Someone mentioned getting in an accident and having to have their car towed. They had to drive home, get their fob and come back. Without a fob, how do the tow truck driver and repair shop handle the car? I'm not going to program three other people's phones with PAAK. I've read through the valet mode section and haven't tried it, but it seems confusing enough that I am skeptical others will want to write down and use codes to get the car to function.

I bought a second fob and the local locksmith, who thought he could program it for $75, can't. The four dealers I called wanted from $130-$190 to do it - in addition to the inconvenience of having to take it there and then wait for over an hour. That's pretty ridiculous for something I don't think I should have had to purchase.

Give the PAAK as a bonus, not a substitute for the second fob. Maybe Ford could have included a coupon to order a second fob, if wanted, for a discount.

I have thought all along that for the first evolution of PaaK 2 fobs should be included. Then, when the technology is stable and widely used, maybe consider reducing the number of fobs.

 

[Peugfan]

So PAAK sucks for some people. How does it work so well for other people....do we not have the same software? My PAAK has worked well all the time. Or is it just some phones? I have never had to use the door code or start codes in 4 weeks of PAAK use. My car was built Jan 28, held up for quality checks, then delivered on March 31. I did purchase an extra FOB but it sits unused in a Faraday bag in the glove box. Phone is a 4 yr old iPhone SE without wireless charging. My phone never leaves my right pants pocket. I do not use apple car play as my music is all on a USB drive. Hopefully this gets resolved for everyone.

 

[MrRongoose]

My PAAK works pretty well but occasionally it doesn't seem to work. Sometimes a phone reboot is needed. I was going to have them look at SSM 49730 for my issue but should I also tell them about this one for my intermittent Phone-as-a-key connectivity issue?

 

[waldo1949]

For the time being, the update to improve PaaK can only be installed at the dealer.

Thanks

 

[generaltso]

My PAAK works pretty well but occasionally it doesn't seem to work. Sometimes a phone reboot is needed. I was going to have them look at SSM 49730 for my issue but should I also tell them about this one for my intermittent Phone-as-a-key connectivity issue?

No, this one basically just tells them to make sure it‘s not user error before moving on to the RFA module update.

 

[Illinibird]

I brought Illinipony in for SSM 49730 today because the phone keeps dropping the pairing with the car. I listen to music and when it drops the Bluetooth pairing I lose connection with my music as well. When I connect using Apple Car Play I never have these connection problems and I can't figure that out. Anyway, back to the topic; the Service Advisor told me that the mechanic who installed SSM 49730 told the Service Advisor to tell me to NOT carry the FOB and my phone because this can cause interference in the RFA module and connection problems. His note said in part "Check Oasis and performed SSM 49730 RFA updating RFA module to latest level. Retested module with FDRS and cleared all the continuous codes set during module reprogramming."

I haven't had it long enough to know if this worked as I need to get the courage to use just my phone as it was designed. We'll see the next couple of days. I may carry the FOB in a aluminum wrap to stop the radio signals from going to RFA module but having the backup if needed. Stay tuned.

EDIT 5-19: The updated SSM 49730 didn't really help and this afternoon my iPhone wouldn't pair with the car no matter what I checked. I was getting the pairing issue so bad that I thought I was going to be forced to re-pair the iPhone. I left the car and took a break and when I got back the iPhone would pair again. I don't know what I'll see tomorrow!!! I'm hoping that I didn't make things worse by updating a file. I also got the message "No key detected" when I used my phone PaaK. Definitely keeping my FOB close by.

 

[jnthn98]

Because you can normally program the fob yourself. You can with the MME too, but the rub is that it requires 2 fobs. Once you have 2 fobs programmed, you can add a 3rd and 4th without having to go to the dealer.

Do you happen to know if anyone actually was able to program a 3rd fob themselves successfully after getting the 2nd fob programmed at a locksmith/dealer?

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

I brought Illinipony in for SSM 49730 today because the phone keeps dropping the pairing with the car. I listen to music and when it drops the Bluetooth pairing I lose connection with my music as well. When I connect using Apple Car Play I never have these connection problems and I can't figure that out. Anyway, back to the topic; the Service Advisor told me that the mechanic who installed SSM 49730 told the Service Advisor to tell me to NOT carry the FOB and my phone because this can cause interference in the RFA module and connection problems. His note said in part "Check Oasis and performed SSM 49730 RFA updating RFA module to latest level. Retested module with FDRS and cleared all the continuous codes set during module reprogramming."

I haven't had it long enough to know if this worked as I need to get the courage to use just my phone as it was designed. We'll see the next couple of days. I may carry the FOB in a aluminum wrap to stop the radio signals from going to RFA module but having the backup if needed. Stay tuned.

EDIT 5-19: The updated SSM 49730 didn't really help and this afternoon my iPhone wouldn't pair with the car no matter what I checked. I was getting the pairing issue so bad that I thought I was going to be forced to re-pair the iPhone. I left the car and took a break and when I got back the iPhone would pair again. I don't know what I'll see tomorrow!!! I'm hoping that I didn't make things worse by updating a file. I also got the message "No key detected" when I used my phone PaaK. Definitely keeping my FOB close by.

If you can, find a Faraday bag for the fob and Jeep it in the lined faraday pocket part. That’ll prevent the car from detecting the Fob and still give you the security of having the key in your pocket.

 

[generaltso]

Do you happen to know if anyone actually was able to program a 3rd fob themselves successfully after getting the 2nd fob programmed at a locksmith/dealer?

I’m not sure anyone has tried. But the instructions in the service manual are the same as in most other Fords.

 

[Illinibird]

If you can, find a Faraday bag for the fob and Jeep it in the lined faraday pocket part. That’ll prevent the car from detecting the Fob and still give you the security of having the key in your pocket.

I made a poor mans Faraday bag and wrapped the FOB in aluminum foil. Worked great. However, since doing that I’ve tried to use my phone exclusively and then it happened again. Phone and car got unpaired both the phone and the media player in the phone. Funny thing is that when I switch to Apple Car Play the phone is connected to it and also to the Apple Music player. After a few minutes where I was fooling around trying to connect my phone and music player I got angry at myself for letting Ford mess with my car as things were worse. I left the car for about a half hour to cool off. When I returned, the iPhone was re-connected as well as the media player of the iPhone. When I switched to Car Play that was working as well. I was happy again! Then after dinner I went inside the car with just my iPhone to test PaaK and wouldn’t you know it, “Key Not Detected” and then enter code. I entered my code and followed the directions and started the car. So I know the backup code worked but my PaaK wasn’t working after what I thought was an update to the RFA at my Ford dealer to make things better for using PaaK. Now things are worse. So I will continue to bring my FOB with me along with my iPhone and use Apple Car Play because the connection never drops when using this interface. PaaK is still unreliable as far as I am concerned and the update didn’t help the problem with pairing in my car in having PaaK start the car, etc. I still don’t trust it and am glad I bought an extra FOB for my wife. She has zero understanding about the electronics in the car and just expects the car to be reliable. When we give up the Fusion in a couple months and she is forced to drive the Mach E I hope I have any bugs worked out so she does have a reliable car.

 

[Illinibird]

I’m not sure anyone has tried. But the instructions in the service manual are the same as in most other Fords.

I would think the answer is NO because they are not programmable by the customer and have to be done at dealer or locksmith. My guess is they have an electronic device to do it. If you know how to do it and have a device that will work then I think you could do it but most people don’t have either..

 

[generaltso]

I would think the answer is NO because they are not programmable by the customer and have to be done at dealer or locksmith. My guess is they have an electronic device to do it. If you know how to do it and have a device that will work then I think you could do it but most people don’t have either..

The only reason we've had to rely on a dealer or locksmith to add a new fob is because the "self service" procedure requires you to already have 2 fobs paired to the car. That's not an option since the MME only comes with one fob. But once you have 2, you should be able to add a 3rd and 4th yourself.

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