Software Updates Overview
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2021
Posts: 3,140
Likes: 1,454
From: Miami, FL
OH, you are really going to like this one. Ford just called me and stated that they checked with their IT department and they stated my 2021 F-150 Lariat built about June of 2021 was never designed to get any updates. This call was NOT from my dealer. If that is true, then why in hell does the display show how to set the truck for updates? They just throw that in all trucks? Sounds like a cover up to me. For my "inconvenience" they offered me a 7 year warranty at a cost of zero dollars.
So just what in hell is Ford pulling this time?
So just what in hell is Ford pulling this time?
And now you know why so many of opted to fix our trucks ourselves. Take the warranty, fix the truck yourself and make out like a bandit.
@Ford Motor Co. Isn't this the part you come in asking for the VIN and local dealer so you can look into it because you don't want your customers experiencing things like this?
Last edited by rugedraw; Jan 19, 2023 at 04:28 PM.
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 3,770
Likes: 2,178
From: SE Michigan
Yes, this. Absolutely.
Two months and four days without my truck -- Ford gave me 12 free oil changes ("The Works" package). That's somewhere between $720 and $1K depending upon where you live.
@SnowHater where abouts do you live? Oh, and which ESP plan are they offering you for 7 years (PowertrainCARE, BaseCARE, ExtraCARE, or PremiumCARE), how many miles of coverage, and what deductible ($0, $50, $100 or $200)?
OMG! LOL! Beat me to it !!!
Two months and four days without my truck -- Ford gave me 12 free oil changes ("The Works" package). That's somewhere between $720 and $1K depending upon where you live.
@SnowHater where abouts do you live? Oh, and which ESP plan are they offering you for 7 years (PowertrainCARE, BaseCARE, ExtraCARE, or PremiumCARE), how many miles of coverage, and what deductible ($0, $50, $100 or $200)?
@Ford Motor Co. Isn't this the part you come in asking for the VIN and local dealer so you can look into it because you don't want your customers experiencing things like this?
Last edited by roadPilot; Jan 19, 2023 at 05:44 PM.
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2019
Posts: 708
Likes: 187
From: Cold, Cold Western Michigan
The APIM was replaced by dealer on their third attempt. I think that was in August '22.
The Ford gal stated it was a bumper to bumper warranty "just like what your three year is." She only stated a $100 deductible. I told her I would check my papers to see if I have one or not. Got her voice mail when I called back. Hope she calls on Friday.
.
roadPilot: I will take the warranty. What I should also think about is waiting to Spring and take a long ride to your house and have you fix my truck. I'm up in Ludington. I am old, and getting older Monday, also retired. So something like that idea would be on your schedule. If interested.
What in hell were they doing to your truck for two months!?
The Ford gal stated it was a bumper to bumper warranty "just like what your three year is." She only stated a $100 deductible. I told her I would check my papers to see if I have one or not. Got her voice mail when I called back. Hope she calls on Friday.
.
roadPilot: I will take the warranty. What I should also think about is waiting to Spring and take a long ride to your house and have you fix my truck. I'm up in Ludington. I am old, and getting older Monday, also retired. So something like that idea would be on your schedule. If interested.
What in hell were they doing to your truck for two months!?
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2021
Posts: 3,140
Likes: 1,454
From: Miami, FL
The APIM was replaced by dealer on their third attempt. I think that was in August '22.
The Ford gal stated it was a bumper to bumper warranty "just like what your three year is." She only stated a $100 deductible. I told her I would check my papers to see if I have one or not. Got her voice mail when I called back. Hope she calls on Friday.
.
roadPilot: I will take the warranty. What I should also think about is waiting to Spring and take a long ride to your house and have you fix my truck. I'm up in Ludington. I am old, and getting older Monday, also retired. So something like that idea would be on your schedule. If interested.
What in hell were they doing to your truck for two months!?
The Ford gal stated it was a bumper to bumper warranty "just like what your three year is." She only stated a $100 deductible. I told her I would check my papers to see if I have one or not. Got her voice mail when I called back. Hope she calls on Friday.
.
roadPilot: I will take the warranty. What I should also think about is waiting to Spring and take a long ride to your house and have you fix my truck. I'm up in Ludington. I am old, and getting older Monday, also retired. So something like that idea would be on your schedule. If interested.
What in hell were they doing to your truck for two months!?
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2021
Posts: 3,140
Likes: 1,454
From: Miami, FL
@SnowHater Ok, so I had a guy who is VERY knowledgeable look into your truck. Your APIM is updated past the point of complication. The only thing that may be an issue with your truck is the IPC (instrument panel cluster) module. It may have to be side-loaded using can bus. The only way to know it that will be the case is when your truck is physically connected to FDRS and a network scan is performed. It is possible that once the scan is done, the update pops up on the list of available module updates and it can be updated naturally with FDRS. In my particular truck, it had to be can bus'd and that update alone took 6 hours. Once the IPC gets updated, the rest of the updates are an easy downhill process.
I know this may sound like I am speaking another language to you. Should you decide to invest a few hundred dollars in getting the tool you need to do it yourself, the gentleman I am talking about will help you do it. And when I say help, I mean he will log in remotely into your computer and do everything. All you would have to do it is connect your truck to a battery charger while the updates are being performed. He did it to my truck and has helped more people that I can count update their trucks. He does not charge anything to do this. In my case, I chose to send him money because that is just the way I am.
I know this may sound like I am speaking another language to you. Should you decide to invest a few hundred dollars in getting the tool you need to do it yourself, the gentleman I am talking about will help you do it. And when I say help, I mean he will log in remotely into your computer and do everything. All you would have to do it is connect your truck to a battery charger while the updates are being performed. He did it to my truck and has helped more people that I can count update their trucks. He does not charge anything to do this. In my case, I chose to send him money because that is just the way I am.
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2019
Posts: 708
Likes: 187
From: Cold, Cold Western Michigan
@SnowHater Ok, so I had a guy who is VERY knowledgeable look into your truck. Your APIM is updated past the point of complication. The only thing that may be an issue with your truck is the IPC (instrument panel cluster) module. It may have to be side-loaded using can bus. The only way to know it that will be the case is when your truck is physically connected to FDRS and a network scan is performed. It is possible that once the scan is done, the update pops up on the list of available module updates and it can be updated naturally with FDRS. In my particular truck, it had to be can bus'd and that update alone took 6 hours. Once the IPC gets updated, the rest of the updates are an easy downhill process.
I know this may sound like I am speaking another language to you. Should you decide to invest a few hundred dollars in getting the tool you need to do it yourself, the gentleman I am talking about will help you do it. And when I say help, I mean he will log in remotely into your computer and do everything. All you would have to do it is connect your truck to a battery charger while the updates are being performed. He did it to my truck and has helped more people that I can count update their trucks. He does not charge anything to do this. In my case, I chose to send him money because that is just the way I am.
I know this may sound like I am speaking another language to you. Should you decide to invest a few hundred dollars in getting the tool you need to do it yourself, the gentleman I am talking about will help you do it. And when I say help, I mean he will log in remotely into your computer and do everything. All you would have to do it is connect your truck to a battery charger while the updates are being performed. He did it to my truck and has helped more people that I can count update their trucks. He does not charge anything to do this. In my case, I chose to send him money because that is just the way I am.
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2021
Posts: 3,140
Likes: 1,454
From: Miami, FL
Wow. Interesting. Is the hundred of dollars for the tool and more $$$ for the software? The part of this process that makes me think and worry is the problems that can happen when you try to root your phone. IF something went wrong and I end up with a totally dead truck, it would not be such a good idea. The whole thing gives me a little pause.
Think about it and if you want more info, PM me and we'll talk.
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2021
Posts: 708
Likes: 416
From: Dirty Jerz
So far, I don't think anyone has fully bricked their vehicle when performing updates. A few bad BCM updates have caused many issues, but I think any hardware issues were covered under warranty and were able to be recovered from. Users have let their voltages get very low (<11.0 VDC) and recovered, and prior to the mass BlueCruise roll out, soft-bricked a module or two, but that two was able to be recovered. The modules are designed to be very robust, so the likelihood of failure is generally low.
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 3,770
Likes: 2,178
From: SE Michigan
The APIM was replaced by dealer on their third attempt. I think that was in August '22.
The Ford gal stated it was a bumper to bumper warranty "just like what your three year is." She only stated a $100 deductible. I told her I would check my papers to see if I have one or not. Got her voice mail when I called back. Hope she calls on Friday.
The Ford gal stated it was a bumper to bumper warranty "just like what your three year is." She only stated a $100 deductible. I told her I would check my papers to see if I have one or not. Got her voice mail when I called back. Hope she calls on Friday.
.
oadPilot: I will take the warranty. What I should also think about is waiting to Spring and take a long ride to your house and have you fix my truck. I'm up in Ludington. I am old, and getting older Monday, also retired. So something like that idea would be on your schedule. If interested.
That said, I can vouch for @rugedraw - the guy he mentioned is legit and has helped many remotely.
Whether he helps or you do it yourself like many here have, you would need a Windows computer (laptop is best, as you need to be close to the driver's seat to plug in the Mongoose device) w/good Internet service, a Mongoose J2534 pass thru VIC (~$570 on Amazon), a battery charger that has a power supply mode (Core Automotive PL2320 20-Amp Fully-Automatic Smart Charger - $90 on Amazon), and $50 for a 2-day subscription for FDRS (same software the dealers use to update your truck).
If you don't want to BUY the Mongoose, I would be willing to ship you mine, but would need a $570 deposit first (e.g., Venmo, Zelle, etc.). When you ship it back and I verify it is not damaged, I return your deposit, less what it cost me to ship it to you. Let me know.
What in hell were they doing to your truck for two months!?
I was the first to bring my 2021 Job 1 truck in to my dealership after Ford released the first SW updates to get BlueCruise enabled OTA. Those early OTAs were problematic and often caused the trucks to stop accepting OTA updates altogether. So i brought it in to have them "unstick" the stalled OTA process, then manually update all the modules with thier latest software (what I and others do now ourselves with the aformentioned process using the Mongoose and FDRS). So they/we learned and helped develop the repair process along with Ford Engineering.
I had a free loaner for the 2+ months and I have other vehicles, so I wasn't stranded or anything.
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2021
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
@LennyFL Unfortunately I am not sure that it is quite that easy. I have a '21 and have been thick in the "Software Updates" thread since late 2021.
There is no way to tell from the onboard screens what OTA version you are at. There is also no way that I have seen in the various posts for people using FDRS or the other Ford system to report what OTA you are at. I believe they can only report on module updates and maybe OTAs delivered VIA THE OTA PROCESS (not updates applied manually by the dealership) within the last 60 days. This is regardless of year model. The reason the other thread is more focused on '21 model year is that many of us Job 1 truck owners (trucks produced in the first half of '21) were sold trucks that didn't have some of the window sticker features (Blue Cruise specifically for me) operational. Many of the early updates were targeted at these specific trucks in Ford's attempt to get these features enabled and the fiascos that ensued when the Ford update processes failed. There seemed to be MANY failed modules that also came into the mix (I had 2).
All I can definitively say is that I am at Sync V22192 Rev 498, and the last OTA I received was on October 8, 2022 taking me up to 3.5.2. Since that time, the knowledgeable guys on the other thread have stated that Ford abruptly stopped or at least severely curtailed sending out OTA updates. My truck has not received an OTA attempt at all since Oct 8th 2022.
This link can give you some background of what each OTA is supposed to do, but there is no way I have seen to cross reference this to your truck. The only way I know I have the 3.5.2 OTA is because I received a message on my FordPass app on October 8 telling me I got 3.5.2.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford...ersion_History
Right now I have BC enabled (I think from the 2.7.x + 2.8.2 OTA which were/are an absolute PITA to accomplish successfully) updates which later built trucks had from the factory, 2.8.x OTAs brought additional things like cameras in motion (again, later-built trucks already had this feature enabled, mine was enabled at the dealership when I was in update hell and I got no notification since they were manually applied and not received via the OTA process) and now the 3.5.x OTA updates bringing full-screen CarPlay/Android Auto which even the newer trucks I don't think had. I believe the truck needs to be at 3.5.3 to get the full-screen stuff (I am at 3.5.2 and don't have full-screen CarPlay) and 3.5.4 enables 2 phone blue tooth support. One of these days I hope they start up a wider OTA update process to get the new features.
I know this is not the definitive answer you were looking for, but Ford's process is a mess. I have never seen anything like it before where a user can't determine versions. The best thing to do is cross-reference the feature list for the F150s in the Wikipedia link to try to determine where you are most likely in the OTA process.
Good Luck!
There is no way to tell from the onboard screens what OTA version you are at. There is also no way that I have seen in the various posts for people using FDRS or the other Ford system to report what OTA you are at. I believe they can only report on module updates and maybe OTAs delivered VIA THE OTA PROCESS (not updates applied manually by the dealership) within the last 60 days. This is regardless of year model. The reason the other thread is more focused on '21 model year is that many of us Job 1 truck owners (trucks produced in the first half of '21) were sold trucks that didn't have some of the window sticker features (Blue Cruise specifically for me) operational. Many of the early updates were targeted at these specific trucks in Ford's attempt to get these features enabled and the fiascos that ensued when the Ford update processes failed. There seemed to be MANY failed modules that also came into the mix (I had 2).
All I can definitively say is that I am at Sync V22192 Rev 498, and the last OTA I received was on October 8, 2022 taking me up to 3.5.2. Since that time, the knowledgeable guys on the other thread have stated that Ford abruptly stopped or at least severely curtailed sending out OTA updates. My truck has not received an OTA attempt at all since Oct 8th 2022.
This link can give you some background of what each OTA is supposed to do, but there is no way I have seen to cross reference this to your truck. The only way I know I have the 3.5.2 OTA is because I received a message on my FordPass app on October 8 telling me I got 3.5.2.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford...ersion_History
Right now I have BC enabled (I think from the 2.7.x + 2.8.2 OTA which were/are an absolute PITA to accomplish successfully) updates which later built trucks had from the factory, 2.8.x OTAs brought additional things like cameras in motion (again, later-built trucks already had this feature enabled, mine was enabled at the dealership when I was in update hell and I got no notification since they were manually applied and not received via the OTA process) and now the 3.5.x OTA updates bringing full-screen CarPlay/Android Auto which even the newer trucks I don't think had. I believe the truck needs to be at 3.5.3 to get the full-screen stuff (I am at 3.5.2 and don't have full-screen CarPlay) and 3.5.4 enables 2 phone blue tooth support. One of these days I hope they start up a wider OTA update process to get the new features.
I know this is not the definitive answer you were looking for, but Ford's process is a mess. I have never seen anything like it before where a user can't determine versions. The best thing to do is cross-reference the feature list for the F150s in the Wikipedia link to try to determine where you are most likely in the OTA process.
Good Luck!
1FTEW1EP1MFB19887
Thanks in advance.
/Ray