nolie83

Kind of a long story... scroll down for TLDR.

I have a 2011 XLT Ecoboost that was experiencing the 50-60 MPH shudder when going up hills in cruise. I also had a warped rotor with only 6000 miles so I figured it was time to get some warranty work done. Unfortunately, the dealership that my uncle works at is no longer Ford authorized (Lincoln pulled their plug last year) so I had to take it somewhere else for warranty work.
I told the dealer about the warped rotor and the shudder. The service manager took me for a ride to try to replicate the shudder, which of course didn't happen when he was driving it. I asked them to check for an updated PCM anyway and gave them the info I found here about looking for misfires and doing the relearn (thanks Bob_Mac)... 4 hours later I got a call letting me know that my truck was done - They turned the front rotors and there was nothing they could do about the shudder. They said my truck already had the latest version of the PCM.
They were closing and I wasn't in the mood to fight so I just took the keys and left. The brakes were fixed, but the shudder seemed worse!

A week later I was having dinner with the family and I mentioned the problem to my Uncle. He went to get his work laptop and PCM USB thingy and sure enough, there WAS a newer PCM version. We flashed the truck and did the relearn which seems to have fixed the issue with the shudder. Now - here comes the interesting part.

After fixing the truck we were poking around in the PCM to see what goodies we could find and there was a section for GPS. The GPS was also showing up as active in Park, Neutral, & Reverse but not Drive. I do NOT have the navigation package in my truck, but apparently there is still a GPS module hidden somewhere in there.

TLDR;
Uncle is a Ford mechanic who brought his PCM equipment home to help me fix my 2011 XLT EB Shudder problem. After updating with the latest PCM (which fixed the shudder problem) we were poking around and noticed a section for GPS. I do NOT have navigation in my truck, but apparently there is a GPS module somewhere in the vehicle. The PCS says that the GPS module is only active when the truck is in Park, Neutral, or Reverse... It seems to shut off when in Drive

It looked like there may also have been an option for a Remote Engine Shutoff, so maybe this is stuff that can be turned on for fleet trucks?

Has anyone else seen or heard of this?!?! Is there any way I can tap into this GPS? OR should I be worried about someone watching me?
I wish I would have snapped a pic when we had the laptop plugged in. I don't remember what section of the PCM the GPS was under.

Highwaystreets

was your uncle surprised by this? it seems interesting tho....

nolie83

He was very surprised. He told me to "go home and use your Google magic to see what you can find out about that" Needless to say, my "Google magic" was no match for this mystery.

Geritgoul

big brother is on to us

Centexguy

Yes the GPS module is in your PCM. Ford probably only uses one PCM and activates settings in each one differently. Just like the remote start, search on here and you'll read of people who have had to have theirs activated after installing it much like the trailer brake controller.

And of course big brother is watching. If anyone in America thinks they are actually "Free" then they are just fooling themselves.

And no, I do not believe in conspiracy theories or that the sky is falling or listen to Alex Jones. I'm just a person who uses common sense and sees this country for what it is.

robm15

A GPS in the PCM makes perfect sense. Consider the valuable data that the truck can gain from a GPS chip when optimizing the engines tune.

A GPS chip provides a computer with this information:

Latitude and Longitude
Elevation
Speed
Heading
And of course rate of change in a 3D space

If you combine this data with other sensors like O2, air flow, etc... The engine becomes very intelligent.

I wouldn't worry about a secret agenda. If tracking is your concern then lose the cell phone, every cell has GPS chip and a active connection when powered up. That would be what tracks you not your truck.

Vizsla

If your truck has sync, it has GPS. That is how you are able to use the turn by turn navigation from sync services.

bubbabud

The gps is part of the my sync system alowing them to locate the vehicle in the evnt of an accident, theft and to get operater assist directions oh and yes that info can be obtained by the courts for law enforcement or investigative purpose.I think you will find simular systems in most newer vehicals and soon to be mandated in all new vehicals. Yes big brother is watching. Rest easy its for your own protection and safety for sure. I feel so much better knowing that I can count on government and the UN to protect me.

Robob

The GPS module is also used for disabling certain navi screens and user input (if you have the touchscreen system) while the vehicle is in motion.
Completely normal don't worry about it.

bubbabud

bump