Dangerous B&O sound system issue

[Brad-C]

I have a 2021 PowerBoost with the B&O sound system and about 2500 miles on the truck. A week ago I was driving and decided to turn the audio on. As soon as I hit the screen button for CarPlay the system went crazy and started blaring a horrible sound at full volume. Scared the @#$% out of me. It wouldn't respond to any controls so I pulled over into a parking lot. I figured if I shut the truck off it would at least stop - wrong. I turned the truck off, got out, shut the door, messed with the FOB and no change. I finally got back in and drove the 4-5 miles home with my ears plugged and steering with my knee as much as possible (got some really interesting looks from a few people on the way). When I got home I pulled the battery and it finally stopped after a minute or so. I reconnected the battery and as soon as I opened the door it started again. Disconnected the battery again and this time it took maybe 5 minutes to stop, maybe because of the aux 12V battery in the cab. It was dark out so once it finally stopped I just left it in the driveway. I can't tell you how loud it was - like military crowd control loud. The videos attached show it but I think it overwhelmed the mic on my phone and it doesn't convey it well. My ears were ringing for over two hours after my short drive home.

The next morning I pulled the fuse for the amp and took it to the dealer. They had it this whole past week and were not able to reproduce the problem despite driving it and cycling the sound system on and off many times. I made it very clear that this isn't just a weird problem, it's a serious safety issue. They didn't disagree. I requested that they replace whatever in the system was most likely to be the cause which I assumed would be the amp but who knows. They denied the request and said they couldn't do anything about it, so I just have to pick up the truck today. This really sucks because I don't trust it now. I'll have to keep the fuse panel cover off with some kind of handle attached to the amp fuse in case it does it again. It's not easy to get to and I need a quick stop option if it does it again. I'm also concerned that the speakers got damaged but according to the dealer they are fine. We'll see... This whole thing is just a totally unacceptable situation.

I just wanted to post this to document it in case it's not an isolated incident. The dealer said if it does it again to just pull the amp fuse and not disconnect the battery so they might be able to diagnose it. They think the overnight battery disconnect reset everything which makes sense but it doesn't give me any confidence in the thing going forward.

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[Icecoldak]

That is crazy wow!! I would keep a set of ear muffs and when it does it again, put them on and drive it straight to a ford dealer--hopefully they are still open when this happens again if it does!!

 

[Brad-C]

Yep! Wish I had earplugs the other night for sure. I'll definitely have them if it happens again.

FMC saw this post and has actually assigned me an escalation case number already!! That's pretty impressive! The week at the dealer was a bust but hopefully something will come of it.

 

[tbinmd]

sounds like something stuck in the bit stream, DSP issue. I too would think the AMP has an issue since that should have DSP in it.

 

[Brad-C]

sounds like something stuck in the bit stream, DSP issue. I too would think the AMP has an issue since that should have DSP in it.

If so we'll need to change that acronym to Deafening Seizure Processor!!

 

[FrankThompson]

If possible record it happening on your phone so the dealer can see the issue if it happens again. At least that way you have some level of proof and evidence of what happened.

I don't know how I feel about them refusing to fix it. I went through a similar issue with a Pontiac I had in the early 00's. After 100 miles of so after being reset, the abs system would freak out. They would reset it and would send me on my way. At one point after doing this multiple times they brought in a warranty adjuster because they said they needed his approval to fix the hub sensor. He drove it and because the system had just been reset the issue didn't present itself. I went though this for almost a year before they actually fixed it.

Service guys were nice, but it took forever to fix the issue. If we had smart phones like we do know maybe recording it would have saved me a few headaches.

 

[ARegularJoe]

How about one of those dashcams situated on the console to watch the control screen. When the incident happens again it would already be rolling and if not mistaken, they keep some amount of time recorded before they overwrite the memory chip.... LIFO

 

[BillyR]

I had the exact same thing happen. I have a 2022 Limited. Truck has about 6,000 miles on it. On Thursday April 7 a friend and I went into a place for lunch in Mesa (we are down on vacation. Came out to the truck we opened the doors and an extremely loud pulsing sound came out of the speakers almost like a very loud amber alert. We both looked at our phones first then realized this ear piecing sound was coming from the truck speakers. I could start the truck but the gauges and navigation system remained black. there was no way we could get the sound off so we opened the hood jumped out of the truck and closed the doors. I was able to borrow a 10MM wrench and unhooked the battery cable. Noise stopped and I have not been able to duplicate this. I went and bought a 10MM wrench to keep in the truck. Your absolutely right this is an extremely dangerous situation. I will be in contact with Ford this coming week.

 

[Brad-C]

I had the exact same thing happen. I have a 2022 Limited. Truck has about 6,000 miles on it. On Thursday April 7 a friend and I went into a place for lunch in Mesa (we are down on vacation. Came out to the truck we opened the doors and an extremely loud pulsing sound came out of the speakers almost like a very loud amber alert. We both looked at our phones first then realized this ear piecing sound was coming from the truck speakers. I could start the truck but the gauges and navigation system remained black. there was no way we could get the sound off so we opened the hood jumped out of the truck and closed the doors. I was able to borrow a 10MM wrench and unhooked the battery cable. Noise stopped and I have not been able to duplicate this. I went and bought a 10MM wrench to keep in the truck. Your absolutely right this is an extremely dangerous situation. I will be in contact with Ford this coming week.

Sorry to hear that, but I'm glad someone else can confirm how dangerous it could be. Lucky yours was parked when it happened.

For what it's worth, Ford told me not to disconnect the battery if it happened again because it resets everything and they couldn't do any meaningful diagnostics on it. They said to pull the fuse for the amplifier, presuming that the problem is with something driving the amp and not the amp itself. That way it would be drivable but technically still exhibiting the issue. I have a puller tool attached to the fuse in mine now so it's easy to access. I found a short one at AutoZone that still allows the fuse cover to fit in place. It's not easy to get to quickly otherwise. The panel is on the passenger side footbox and it's fuse #28 on mine. I think it should be the same for a 2022. Mine hasn't done it again since that initial time but I half cringe every time I power it on. Time will tell I guess.

Ford ended up extending the factory warranty on my truck as a courtesy since the dealer wasn't able to do anything about it. That was nice of them but it doesn't do anything to prevent it from happening again obviously. Let us know if you make any more progress than I was able to. This is going to cause a wreck for someone if the problem persists.

 

[BillyR]

Thanks for the response Brad. I have not been able to replicate it either. I should note my truck is not a powerboost, it is a regular ecoboost. I did have a 2021 powerboost Limited but ordered a regular ecoboost Limited last Sept and took ownership of it at the beginning of Feb and traded the powerboost. I was not happy with the mileage of my powerboost. I had a 2019 limited with the HO and it was about 2 MPG better than the powerboost but that is another story I guess. Without having the hybrid battery, disconnecting the negative cable seemed to work so I am now carrying a 10 mm wrench in my console. I plan to take it to a dealer in Mesa at some point this week so everything is documented. All I can say is until you have heard the sound you can't believe how loud it is. If that happened while I was driving it could very easily cause a wreck.

 

[RedTXV]

Add me to the list. FMC reached out to me as well. Was given a case number and was told I’d hear from someone within a few days, that was over 3 weeks ago. Haven’t heard from anyone.

https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/threads/extremely-loud-electrical-pop-followed-by-loud-static.9591/

 

[Brad-C]

Add me to the list. FMC reached out to me as well. Was given a case number and was told I’d hear from someone within a few days, that was over 3 weeks ago. Haven’t heard from anyone.

https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/threads/extremely-loud-electrical-pop-followed-by-loud-static.9591/

Wow - sounds similar. It took Ford a few weeks on it with me too. I sent several emails. The initial person who responded hit a wall with it maybe (understandable given how weird the problem is) and then a while later I got a notice from someone different who offered up the warranty extension. No idea what happened in between on their end. I'd keep pushing on it with them.

 

[Blake55]

I have a 2021 PowerBoost with the B&O sound system and about 2500 miles on the truck. A week ago I was driving and decided to turn the audio on. As soon as I hit the screen button for CarPlay the system went crazy and started blaring a horrible sound at full volume. Scared the @#$% out of me. It wouldn't respond to any controls so I pulled over into a parking lot. I figured if I shut the truck off it would at least stop - wrong. I turned the truck off, got out, shut the door, messed with the FOB and no change. I finally got back in and drove the 4-5 miles home with my ears plugged and steering with my knee as much as possible (got some really interesting looks from a few people on the way). When I got home I pulled the battery and it finally stopped after a minute or so. I reconnected the battery and as soon as I opened the door it started again. Disconnected the battery again and this time it took maybe 5 minutes to stop, maybe because of the aux 12V battery in the cab. It was dark out so once it finally stopped I just left it in the driveway. I can't tell you how loud it was - like military crowd control loud. The videos attached show it but I think it overwhelmed the mic on my phone and it doesn't convey it well. My ears were ringing for over two hours after my short drive home.

The next morning I pulled the fuse for the amp and took it to the dealer. They had it this whole past week and were not able to reproduce the problem despite driving it and cycling the sound system on and off many times. I made it very clear that this isn't just a weird problem, it's a serious safety issue. They didn't disagree. I requested that they replace whatever in the system was most likely to be the cause which I assumed would be the amp but who knows. They denied the request and said they couldn't do anything about it, so I just have to pick up the truck today. This really sucks because I don't trust it now. I'll have to keep the fuse panel cover off with some kind of handle attached to the amp fuse in case it does it again. It's not easy to get to and I need a quick stop option if it does it again. I'm also concerned that the speakers got damaged but according to the dealer they are fine. We'll see... This whole thing is just a totally unacceptable situation.

I just wanted to post this to document it in case it's not an isolated incident. The dealer said if it does it again to just pull the amp fuse and not disconnect the battery so they might be able to diagnose it. They think the overnight battery disconnect reset everything which makes sense but it doesn't give me any confidence in the thing going forward.

This happened to me a few days ago on the way to work. Terrified me and was extremely loud. Had to disconnect the battery to get it to stop. Hate this for everyone, but glad to know it's not just me. It hasn't happened again, but dang was it loud and hard to drive with it happening. @Ford Motor Company , any ideas? 2022 F150 Platinum.

 

[sbi]

I have a 2021 PowerBoost with the B&O sound system and about 2500 miles on the truck. A week ago I was driving and decided to turn the audio on. As soon as I hit the screen button for CarPlay the system went crazy and started blaring a horrible sound at full volume. Scared the @#$% out of me. It wouldn't respond to any controls so I pulled over into a parking lot. I figured if I shut the truck off it would at least stop - wrong. I turned the truck off, got out, shut the door, messed with the FOB and no change. I finally got back in and drove the 4-5 miles home with my ears plugged and steering with my knee as much as possible (got some really interesting looks from a few people on the way). When I got home I pulled the battery and it finally stopped after a minute or so. I reconnected the battery and as soon as I opened the door it started again. Disconnected the battery again and this time it took maybe 5 minutes to stop, maybe because of the aux 12V battery in the cab. It was dark out so once it finally stopped I just left it in the driveway. I can't tell you how loud it was - like military crowd control loud. The videos attached show it but I think it overwhelmed the mic on my phone and it doesn't convey it well. My ears were ringing for over two hours after my short drive home.

The next morning I pulled the fuse for the amp and took it to the dealer. They had it this whole past week and were not able to reproduce the problem despite driving it and cycling the sound system on and off many times. I made it very clear that this isn't just a weird problem, it's a serious safety issue. They didn't disagree. I requested that they replace whatever in the system was most likely to be the cause which I assumed would be the amp but who knows. They denied the request and said they couldn't do anything about it, so I just have to pick up the truck today. This really sucks because I don't trust it now. I'll have to keep the fuse panel cover off with some kind of handle attached to the amp fuse in case it does it again. It's not easy to get to and I need a quick stop option if it does it again. I'm also concerned that the speakers got damaged but according to the dealer they are fine. We'll see... This whole thing is just a totally unacceptable situation.

I just wanted to post this to document it in case it's not an isolated incident. The dealer said if it does it again to just pull the amp fuse and not disconnect the battery so they might be able to diagnose it. They think the overnight battery disconnect reset everything which makes sense but it doesn't give me any confidence in the thing going forward.

This is crazy!

Do you mind to share which fuse is it that needs to be pulled out, just so we'll "be ready" just in case?

 

[travisN000]

Do you mind to share which fuse is it that needs to be pulled out, just so we'll "be ready" just in case?

For what it's worth, Ford told me not to disconnect the battery if it happened again because it resets everything and they couldn't do any meaningful diagnostics on it. They said to pull the fuse for the amplifier, presuming that the problem is with something driving the amp and not the amp itself. That way it would be drivable but technically still exhibiting the issue. I have a puller tool attached to the fuse in mine now so it's easy to access. I found a short one at AutoZone that still allows the fuse cover to fit in place. It's not easy to get to quickly otherwise. The panel is on the passenger side footbox and it's fuse #28 on mine. I think it should be the same for a 2022. Mine hasn't done it again since that initial time but I half cringe every time I power it on. Time will tell I guess.

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