Connectivity Dead - 2024 F-150 Lightning Lariat

[roddiaz1]

I hear you, and I feel your pain. My problems are a bit different than yours, but the experience is similar. I feel like a bought a $86k iPhone (or Android phone) that can make calls and send texts but none of the other apps work. That’s what the Lightning has been reduce to. I think the EV experience requires connectivity, and reliable connectivity at that.

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[tearitupsports]

My modem fails all the time and gets locked up. Some trips or works fine and others it’s locked up with no internet connectivity. I usually have to reset it by pulling the plug and re-connecting it. Like you the sync reset does nothing.
dealer wants me to leave it for 3-4 days just before they can check it out.

 

[TaxmanHog]

I usually have to reset it by pulling the plug and re-connecting it.

 

[Scorpio3d]

Ok, the battery reset seems to have restored service. The frustrating thing is why did is lock up and I'm not going to be very keen on doing that maneuver if it locks up again.

It’s basically a giant computer and occasionally that’s just what you have to do to computers and other electronics!

 

[PrimeRisk]

My modem fails all the time and gets locked up. Some trips or works fine and others it’s locked up with no internet connectivity. I usually have to reset it by pulling the plug and re-connecting it. Like you the sync reset does nothing.
dealer wants me to leave it for 3-4 days just before they can check it out.

Yeah, that's not something I'm interested in dealing with like I did with the Nissan Leaf. If it becomes a persistent problem, I will leverage Colorado's new and improved Lemon Law Act. As of August of this year, the dealership or manufacturer gets 3 tries to fix any individual issue and after that I can compel them to buy it back.

I like the truck a lot, but the number issues I've had to deal with over the first 60 days of ownership is concerning, especially considering the difficulty I've experienced getting support from Ford.

 

[Pioneer74]

A quirky side-effect of this issue, now that the vehicle is connected again, it appears to be that Ford is now going to terminate my BlueCruise trial a couple days early. I bought the truck on the 3rd of the month, so it follows that all of the trials will end on the 3rd of the month. BlueCruise trial now ends on 11/1.

Meh.

Bluecruise is a 90 day trial, not 3 months. August and October have 31 days.

 

[tearitupsports]

correct. I pull back the trim piece behind the rear passenger seat and pull the plug directly. It is significantly faster than pulling fuse 32 (which doesn’t really work by the way) or pulling off the 12v in the frunk. It also requires no tool (now that I leave the holding clip off). I am really surprised others don’t report this as much. Most Ford pass issues, and HIS issues all point to the truck modem yet everyone blames the app or other equipment. I have proved all those by checking the truck connectivity anytime something else doesn’t seem to be working right.

 

[Adventureboy]

Ok, the battery reset seems to have restored service. The frustrating thing is why did is lock up and I'm not going to be very keen on doing that maneuver if it locks up again.

If connectivity drops for more than a day, you can pull fuse 32 for 30 seconds. This resets the onboard modem without needing to disconnect the 12v.

 

[PrimeRisk]

Bluecruise is a 90 day trial, not 3 months. August and October have 31 days.

That is true, but prior to this most recent issue, the Connected Services page listed the end of the trial as 11/3. I'm not making an issue out of this, it's just a noted change. I could care less about BlueCruise

 

[PrimeRisk]

correct. I pull back the trim piece behind the rear passenger seat and pull the plug directly. It is significantly faster than pulling fuse 32 (which doesn’t really work by the way) or pulling off the 12v in the frunk. It also requires no tool (now that I leave the holding clip off). I am really surprised others don’t report this as much. Most Ford pass issues, and HIS issues all point to the truck modem yet everyone blames the app or other equipment. I have proved all those by checking the truck connectivity anytime something else doesn’t seem to be working right.

Thanks for that tip, I was considering adding a battery disconnect switch to the 12v battery that would make this very easy also, but if the plug to the actual modem is that easily accessible, I'll probably go that route.

It's frustrating how non-fault tolerant the systems are in the vehicle.

 

[tearitupsports]

To be honest, the truck has been working better since the more recent updates (just prior to 6.14). So much so that I let the truck go past 36000 miles without bringing it in for that specific issue. I actually thought they finally fixed it.
Recently I have been having more issues again.

The issue is that one trip it works, and the next trip it will fail. It is completely random.

The easiest way to figure out if the truck is working is to look at the icons. If you have wifi enabled and the symbol does not appear when the truck is stopped, then the modem has locked up. For reference the truck shows cellular bars when moving and the wifi symbol at a standstill when working normally.

Also if the up down arrow icon does not appear, then the truck modem is also surely down. This is not 100% because if the modem fails after these appear, they do not go away.

The other clear way to tell is ask Alexa if she is connected to the internet (assuming you have this service). If she says I am having trouble connecting, or doesnt even respond, then the modem is locked up again. When working she will say and show on the screen that she is connected to the internet.

Of course when the truck is not working, things like Ford Pass app will not update correctly.

 

[Adventureboy]

Thanks for that tip, I was considering adding a battery disconnect switch to the 12v battery that would make this very easy also, but if the plug to the actual modem is that easily accessible, I'll probably go that route.

It's frustrating how non-fault tolerant the systems are in the vehicle.

I wouldn't recommend the battery disconnect. Doing a 12V reset drops power from all of the active modules and runs the risk of bricking a module if an update is in progress. It is generally safe to do it by exception if things have been hung for a day but should not be used regularly.

If your modem has been hung for more than a few hours, you can pull fuse 32 and replace it 30 seconds later and this will restart only the modem and associated components. If you need to do this regularly you should have your dealer either upgrade the modem software or replace the modem as it is defective. Track the number of times it hangs so you have evidence for the dealer and Ford.

 

[TaxmanHog]

The CANBUS network can be "HUNG UP" by failing or failed modules pulling fuse 32 or 8 could rectify issues on that network, all depends on which part is ham-strung and fixable with a restart.

There are 2 or 3 sub nets in the Ford implementation as I've been told is a few YT videos, one part of the network can be fouled up while other parts continue to work.

 

[PrimeRisk]

I wouldn't recommend the battery disconnect. Doing a 12V reset drops power from all of the active modules and runs the risk of bricking a module if an update is in progress. It is generally safe to do it by exception if things have been hung for a day but should not be used regularly.

If your modem has been hung for more than a few hours, you can pull fuse 32 and replace it 30 seconds later and this will restart only the modem and associated components. If you need to do this regularly you should have your dealer either upgrade the modem software or replace the modem as it is defective. Track the number of times it hangs so you have evidence for the dealer and Ford.

I will be tracking the issue, but if it happens again I'll be tracking it by taking in into the dealership so there is official record to push them to resolve with a permanent fix.

I did the battery disconnect this time as the info on the fuse number wasn't posted yet. Better yet, there should be a way to gracefully reboot the entire truck through menus or special button sequence (such as the Volume Down + Skip Forward for 10 seconds, open the driver's door, Press Lock button, close door).

My Teslas, for example, have an actual Shutdown option in the menus that force all systems in the car to shutdown. In addition, if for some reason the infotainment system is not responding, you can hold the brake and press in both steering wheel buttons to reboot it. I've never needed to use the Shutdown option, but some on forums have recommended its use after receiving software updates or other anomalies. This seems like a much smarter way to resolve issues like this.

 

[Adventureboy]

there should be a way to gracefully reboot the entire truck through menus or special button sequence

I definitely agree with this @Ford Motor Company

I have an early build 2023 and initially, the modem was challenged. Pulled that fuse a few times in the first few months. They got it right after an OTA update and it hasn't hung in over a year. There's hope yet.

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