Ford EV Software and Customer Service Woes

[Grease Lightning]

1. Ford Customer Service sucks under any metric you choose. Don't believe me? Call any Customer Service phone number you find and ask them any question you think of then report back the answer you get.

2. Lightning is in the market with other EV truck makers. If I have to buy a 2024 model to get power off ProPower I'm going to be pissed off and I'm going to explore the market.

3. The concept of the Ford "family" is a joke and if you don't get that the joke's on you. Despite my user name I have little respect for the actual Ford family and assume everything that comes out of their mouths is in service of continuing their suedo-Royal existence. They don't listen, they don't care.

4. I cannot think of a Ford vehicle from the '90s that was anything other than a mid-level appliance. If that's where Ford is looking to for inspiration they are doomed.

5. My family's daily drivers are Ford and Lincoln. The reason I bought my Lightning is technology; it's fun, it's quiet, I can put my bags in the frunk, and I never need to go to the gas station...or even a charging station given my usage. My wife choose her Lincoln over a Kia EV9 because of space, massaging seats, and the keypad on the door.

Which is to say, I'm a fan of Ford Motor Company. I know Ford employees and I want them to do well. It's ridiculous you can't talk to a Ford employee on the phone who knows what they are talking about and the OPs experience isn't an isolated experience. Just because they have sucked in the past doesn't mean they have to continue to suck.

Sounds like you have a lot of experiences that have jaded your current experience. To that, why keep buying Ford if you think they suck that badly?

I too have had negative experiences, even with being denied a warranty claim for a wrinkled seat. But the customer service teams I have always talked to have been great and got answers for me. No they won’t tell me the update cycle or anything, but gave me an idea of where my truck would fall in the queue to start getting updates and they were darn close.

And I have no brand loyalty. I go for the truck I wanted and got just that, a great and awesome Ford Lightning

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[Henry Ford]

Sounds like you have a lot of experiences that have jaded your current experience. To that, why keep buying Ford if you think they suck that badly?

I said Ford Customer Service sucks, do you disagree?

 

[Labs4Lightning]

How do I get Plugshare to filter for Supercharger locations that are open to non-Tesla vehicles?

It should really have this as a new connector type. It doesn't. Selecting "Tesla Connector" as a supported connector in the advanced settings comes close, but either includes V1/V2/Urban SCs or, if adjusted to filter for >150kW power, excludes a huge number of non-Tesla CCS locations I could actually charge at. Once I actually click on a compatible Supercharger location the detailed description shows "Open to Non-Tesla Vehicles" as a label but for some reason this isn't something the app seems to be able to filter on. Is there a better way to do it?

The Charge Assist/Public Charging app in the truck seems to be a real dumpster fire - I'm in the middle of a long trip and have now seen it fail to activate 3 different brands of chargers that are all supposedly "in the BlueOval network". The brand-specific apps work fine.

Works for me.
added Tesla plugs and supercharger network.

unless I misunderstood ya.

 

[tls]

If you select those two options (Supercharger network and the Tesla plugs) it will show you all Supercharger locations, whether they will actually charge your F-150 or not - or at least that seems to be the behavior of the app for me. Is it doing something different for you?

 

[Grease Lightning]

I said Ford Customer Service sucks, do you disagree?

Nope I don’t agree not at all.

As I said in my post I have had really great experiences with Ford since buying my Lightning. The marketing team @Ford Motor Company that monitors the forums, the general customer service people, the BEV team, the customer service rep that got my Ford CSP ordered for me over the phone while I was just clarifying the process.

Ford has been amazing every step of the way.

My only grip was being denied a warranty claim for a crease in my front passenger seat, but I am sure we will get that all worked out and they will replace it.

 

[PACSMAN]

Nearly everyone got the Supercharger update.

I haven't recieved this update yet. In fact the only update I've recieved is 4.2.1.2 on 2/19. Nothing since then. I'd be happy I could see when I could expect updates on my Lightning. It is hard to believe that there is no rollout schedule for each VIN. That way, at least I'd know if the truck had a problem or I'm just not in line for an update. I'd really like to have the SOC on the dash.

 

[mb0220]

How do I get Plugshare to filter for Supercharger locations that are open to non-Tesla vehicles?

It should really have this as a new connector type. It doesn't. Selecting "Tesla Connector" as a supported connector in the advanced settings comes close, but either includes V1/V2/Urban SCs or, if adjusted to filter for >150kW power, excludes a huge number of non-Tesla CCS locations I could actually charge at. Once I actually click on a compatible Supercharger location the detailed description shows "Open to Non-Tesla Vehicles" as a label but for some reason this isn't something the app seems to be able to filter on. Is there a better way to do it?

The Charge Assist/Public Charging app in the truck seems to be a real dumpster fire - I'm in the middle of a long trip and have now seen it fail to activate 3 different brands of chargers that are all supposedly "in the BlueOval network". The brand-specific apps work fine.

I found the Tesla app to be pretty helpful for this. I know, sucks to use yet another app, but I figured they have the best knowledge of their own network. In the app you can enter in your vehicle make/model along with any adapters you may have. Then the map will automatically filter for stations that are compatible with you.

 

[Minh]

Got my first update 4.2.1.1 in about 10 days after purchasing. Hope update keep coming.

 

[FirstF150InCasco]

Respectfully, Ford choose to enter the field of software driven products so whilst they may not be as proficient as Apple at software released they are certainly in a hardware and software interdependent product space, they are not simply an old school car manufacturer with no software dependency.

Granted there will be bugs, this is what public beta testing is for, don't release it if its not ready, and if the roll out is to be phased, do it in a reasonable (several weeks) predetermined timeframe that customers are aware of. When key functional features are dependent on software updates, their software is equally as important as their hardware (the physical truck).

Imagine if you and your neighbor bought a similar model smart phone, your neighbor gets updates for the exact same hardware as you weeks, or months ahead of you that enables new features and or enhancements. I'm pretty sure we can all agree thats crazy and wouldn't be accepted, personally I see no disparity with Ford, they need to address and significantly improve their OTA rollout policies and be open and honest with the end customer.

Not having a go at you I just don't think Ford deserve any leeway on this, its farcical how they hand OTA updates.

I repeat comments from two other folks. 1. Relax and enjoy the truck. 2. Othwise, this truck is not for you.

 

[FirstF150InCasco]

Apple have a several day phased release! Not months! I don’t expect Ford to be anywhere near this even though they only have a fraction of end user volume units. But their current from what I can see random release is frustrating.

Can you point me to Fords explanation of their software policy release? I am not aware of it and maybe it will reset my expectations.

I purchased my truck on Jan 9th, it’s now March 26th. I don’t believe I’m seeking instant gratification

As a Semiconductor Design Engineer who interacts with software and firmware design engineers regularly I fully understand product cycles and end customer needs.

There is no justification for similar hardware builds not receiving firmware and software updates in a timely manner. To me, to not have received updates several months after their initial release is farcical.

Clearly, this truck is not for you. Sell it.

 

[Daragh]

I repeat comments from two other folks. 1. Relax and enjoy the truck. 2. Othwise, this truck is not for you.

What an utterly arrogant and ignorant comment to make. No further response warranted.

 

[invertedspear]

How do I get Plugshare to filter for Supercharger locations that are open to non-Tesla vehicles?

It should really have this as a new connector type. It doesn't. Selecting "Tesla Connector" as a supported connector in the advanced settings comes close, but either includes V1/V2/Urban SCs or, if adjusted to filter for >150kW power, excludes a huge number of non-Tesla CCS locations I could actually charge at. Once I actually click on a compatible Supercharger location the detailed description shows "Open to Non-Tesla Vehicles" as a label but for some reason this isn't something the app seems to be able to filter on. Is there a better way to do it?

The Charge Assist/Public Charging app in the truck seems to be a real dumpster fire - I'm in the middle of a long trip and have now seen it fail to activate 3 different brands of chargers that are all supposedly "in the BlueOval network". The brand-specific apps work fine.

Plugshare is a bit clunky here still, but it's my understanding that plugshare doesn't have many people behind it, as in maybe they can occupy every seat in one of our trucks. This means they can be a little slow to respond to market changes. I'm sure this is a change they would want to make, maybe bring it to their attention though: https://help.plugshare.com/hc/en-us/requests/new

 

[potato]

Clearly, this truck is not for you. Sell it.

That's a bit extreme. I guess it's all been said already but the point is, you can both love the truck and hate the software situation.

If they would just communicate a little bit and explain why it is the way it is, even that gesture would go a long way towards reassuring owners. But no, they assume we all need warnings not to drink the brake fluid and cannot be trusted with any information whatsoever.

I think it's quite fair to expect a company with Ford's resources to do a little better on the software and communication side.

 

[Maineiac12]

That's a bit extreme. I guess it's all been said already but the point is, you can both love the truck and hate the software situation.

If they would just communicate a little bit and explain why it is the way it is, even that gesture would go a long way towards reassuring owners. But no, they assume we all need warnings not to drink the brake fluid and cannot be trusted with any information whatsoever.

I think it's quite fair to expect a company with Ford's resources to do a little better on the software and communication side.

That’s a sad consequence of this polarized, black and white world we live in today. You can either be for something or against it - no shades of grey in between.

Personally, I love my truck. Wanted one since they were announced and finally jumped in when the prices came down to earth. There’s only 2 things I don’t like: the range, and the slow (or non-existent) OTA updates.

A staggered release for a NEW update makes sense in case there are bugs but there’s no reason to have trucks out there that are several versions out of date. We should all be on 6.8 by now. It’s been out for what? 5-6 months?

 

[Nolander]

Clearly, this truck is not for you. Sell it.

I don't think that is clear at all. I think all his points are extremely valid. If I had to guess, the OPs frustration stems from the juxtaposition of what is a really good EV truck coupled with a very poorly managed software deployment process and total lack of customer expectation management. The Apple example is quite sound actually. If Ford would just inform their customers of what the actual @#$ their process is, everyone would be a lot happier. As it stands right now, they do not appear to have a process other than randomness.

I had customer service actually suggest I turn the headlights off and put the parking brake on at night to purportedly increase my chances of receiving an update! I also open and shut each door then conduct a ritual dance on the bed....so far no success

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