FordPass App Huge Bug?

[pdp0617]

I recently purchased a Ford Lightning Lariat with the extended battery. So far, I’ve been very happy with it.

However, I’ve just had the most incredibly frustrating experience with the FordPass app.

Prior to the installation of my Emporia Level 2 charging station, I was keeping it charged on the old 110 volt plug I used on my prior PHEV vehicle. As I wanted to try to use my home solar power for that charging, I set up a Preferred Charge Time window of 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM for both weekdays and weekends. It worked OK as we don’t do a lot of driving in the Lightning. We alternate it with our other PHEV vehicle.

Once I got the Level 2 charger installed, I wanted to go to longer full charges on the Lightning after letting the charge level go down to around 20%.

So, I went to change the time window in the FordPass app and made a change. It completely ignored the change and kept right on turning on and off in the old 9 to 5 window. Next, I deleted the entries entirely with the same result, no change. Finally, I removed and reinstalled the app but still got the same charge window.

Calling Ford Support, I got handed off to a nice lady in the FordPass Application Support group. The solution she gave me was to completely disconnect my ID from the app, then reconnect both myself (and my wife) and that finally removed the window. It also lost all the old info I had entered as well as the charge history. It was basically a factory reset.

I’m a retired IT professional, starting as a coder and ending as a DBA. I’m really quite stunned that Ford would release software with this kind of main function bug in it. In my working world, that kind of foul up would almost certainly result in some one (or more than one) losing their job. I can not understand the apparent total lack of basic functional testing.

I don’t know if anyone from Ford reads these posts. I’ve seen others express frustration with the app, I just did not expect to experience it myself so obviously. I now have NO confidence in doing anything with the FordPass app, other than as a charge level monitor.

I’d appreciate any comments, advice or suggestions regarding this.

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[potato]

Yeah, the traditional auto makers are all stuck in a 10-15 year old mindset where the app (and software in general) is just an afterthought, a fancy option. Whereas in the real world of 2025 it is absolutely core functionality. We are connected to our devices nowadays and a big, expensive, important device like a car should have especially reliable and robust communication and control. But no.

 

[Henry Ford]

Are you interested in a solution to your issue or just venting? It doesn't really matter but will influence what kind of responses you get. I'll tackle finding a solution.

Have you attempted to make the changes you want in the Sync screen? Your problem could be a connectivity issue, a Ford server side issue, or a truck software issue. If you can make changes in the truck you can rule out truck software.

Have you received an update recently? 10.3.0 screwed up some charging settings for some of us.

 

[Maquis]

Like Henry said, make the settings in the truck. The truck is completely functional without FordPass.

 

[TaxmanHog]

I recently purchased a Ford Lightning Lariat with the extended battery. So far, I’ve been very happy with it.

The advice folks gave is on point.

Welcome to the forum, I wholeheartedly agree with your observations.

Having dealt with technology and watching generational leaps before I retired, I understand the challenges traditional automakers and other stodgy enterprises face. The best advice I can give is to learn the solutions from our experiences over the past 2+ years.

 

[pdp0617]

The advice folks gave is on point.

Welcome to the forum, I wholeheartedly agree with your observations.

Having dealt with technology and watching generational leaps before I retired, I understand the challenges traditional automakers and other stodgy enterprises face. The best advice I can give is to learn the solutions from our experiences over the past 2+ years.

I want to thank all the people who responded. First when I look at my app I believe it says that it’s version 5.12.0. Not sure why it’s so different from the 10 version referenced above. Second, I will try and use the truck to implement the changes. Not exactly sure where but I’ll keep hunting. I would like to see an app that works because I’m used to using apps, but if I can do it in the truck that’ll be better than not at all.

 

[TaxmanHog]

First when I look at my app I believe it says that it’s version 5.12.0. Not sure why it’s so different from the 10 version referenced above

The Fordpass app versions {currently 5.11 or 5.12} are distinct from the reports withing Fordpass that tell what the most recent update has been applied to the trucks systems, there you're likely seeing 10.1.0 or 10.1.1 or 10.3.0 (which is now on hold)

Fordpass----------------------------------------Last truck OTA​

 

[Pioneer74]

I want to thank all the people who responded. First when I look at my app I believe it says that it’s version 5.12.0. Not sure why it’s so different from the 10 version referenced above. Second, I will try and use the truck to implement the changes. Not exactly sure where but I’ll keep hunting. I would like to see an app that works because I’m used to using apps, but if I can do it in the truck that’ll be better than not at all.

Ford launched Fordpass in 2016. I've had it on many vehicles. It's never been reliable, and I don't have any hope that anything changes in the near future. IMHO, learn how to do what you want in the truck. You'll be happier in the end.

 

[paulcusick3]

I have been using Fordpass since 2015 (fusion energi). It has actually gone backwards in 10 years. Less functionality. Name another app where this is true. TEN YEARS! The only consistency has been how slow it is; although my energi did speed up a little when I PAID for the 4G modem upgrade that FMC discontinued.

 

[Robob]

I also get app oddities with truck/app updates that seem to mess with my charging/departure times.

My fix so far has been:
1. Log out of all FordPass devices
2. Fordpass factory reset in settings/general/reset
3. unhook 12v LV battery under frunk for ~5min
4. Re-set up charging location by plugging in. Set up charging/departure times on the truck not the app.
5. (Optional)remove/re-install FordPass on devices to clear app data but doesn't seem to be needed.
6. Log in to devices and refresh vehicle to check charging/departure times.

For me it seems to be after an ios update or FordPass update it will get a different time zone offset even if I change it in the app or truck only a full reset fixes it. I do not always unhook the 12v unless remote start and lock requests are failing to the truck. That is a sign to me the onboard telematics are hung up on something. I assume this could also happen when they change or update something on the backend that trips the trucks up but who knows with this software?

 

[stealthchaser]

I recently purchased a Ford Lightning Lariat with the extended battery. So far, I’ve been very happy with it.

However, I’ve just had the most incredibly frustrating experience with the FordPass app.

Prior to the installation of my Emporia Level 2 charging station, I was keeping it charged on the old 110 volt plug I used on my prior PHEV vehicle. As I wanted to try to use my home solar power for that charging, I set up a Preferred Charge Time window of 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM for both weekdays and weekends. It worked OK as we don’t do a lot of driving in the Lightning. We alternate it with our other PHEV vehicle.

Once I got the Level 2 charger installed, I wanted to go to longer full charges on the Lightning after letting the charge level go down to around 20%.

So, I went to change the time window in the FordPass app and made a change. It completely ignored the change and kept right on turning on and off in the old 9 to 5 window. Next, I deleted the entries entirely with the same result, no change. Finally, I removed and reinstalled the app but still got the same charge window.

Calling Ford Support, I got handed off to a nice lady in the FordPass Application Support group. The solution she gave me was to completely disconnect my ID from the app, then reconnect both myself (and my wife) and that finally removed the window. It also lost all the old info I had entered as well as the charge history. It was basically a factory reset.

I’m a retired IT professional, starting as a coder and ending as a DBA. I’m really quite stunned that Ford would release software with this kind of main function bug in it. In my working world, that kind of foul up would almost certainly result in some one (or more than one) losing their job. I can not understand the apparent total lack of basic functional testing.

I don’t know if anyone from Ford reads these posts. I’ve seen others express frustration with the app, I just did not expect to experience it myself so obviously. I now have NO confidence in doing anything with the FordPass app, other than as a charge level monitor.

I’d appreciate any comments, advice or suggestions regarding this.

I too come from software engineering background and completely mystified how Ford Software is allowed to be this out of touch with owners usability.
Product Manger sets a simple Epic/Capability and then a feature “as a ford pass user, I would like to set a time I would like to leave, so that the vehicle is preconditioned and cabin is climate ready for me. Then they define a few acceptance criteria like:
ac1) console controls allow user to configure date/time inside cabin.
Ac2) mobile app allows user to configure date time remotely inside app
Ac3) smartwatch app …..ditto
Ac4) above should be supported over Wifi
Ac5) above should be supported over LTE/5G WAN or telecommunications networks

SOX compliance even has controls for ensuring that Capital Expensed software was quality tested and mapped to features for fiscal rules.

but how does any Release manager or product manager release this Ford Pass with above Acceptance criteria failing so frequently?

for those that have been told to uninstall, reinstall, logout and reset…..this is caused DATA LOSS for the customer. This is Sev-1/Pri-1 style defect in many software organizations.

why is this allowed to continue to be common-place with Ford?!! This is far below software best-practices. Far below what a start-up company would allow, let alone a publicly traded titan.

@Ford Motor Company get the memo. Be better. Selling and marketing the benefits of Ford Pass without them actually reliably working is called…..fraud.

 

[Mach Turtle]

I just had my truck stop talking to FordPass for about 24 hours. It thought my truck was parked in the next town with 77% charge when it was in fact at home with less. Since the lack of function seemed to occur at the same time as the latest update, I was worried that the update had broken something. Then everything began working again today. Was a bug found and fixed? Were the servers down for a day? Was a gremlin roosting in the cell antenna? We'll probably never know.

I agree that there's no good reason the software shouldn't be much more reliable, but on the other hand: it's pretty amazing that we can have this sort of functionality at all. (Says the recent owner of 1990s vintage vehicles with pretty much nuthin'.)

 

[TaxmanHog]

Were the servers down for a day?

I think they had server issues a couple of times the past week.

Maybe it's related to the roll out of this new TOS, while I was trying to debug the failure a few days ago that prompt came up.

 

[tubby]

Have you tried checking this link? https://status.fordpass.com/
I hope not, it hasn't been made public yet...or maybe even thought about yet.

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