Not getting software updates, how do owners know if something is wrong?

[TaxmanHog]

I have my truck connected to wifi in my driveway, I don’t check for OTA, I don’t know what OTA I have. All I care about is, when I get in and push the start button and put it in gear it goes. Is there something wrong with me?

Not at all, many of us initial early adopters are a "special" breed seeking the earliest and best improvements to our trucks.

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[jlferg0509]

That was the complaint, more or less, in the MME forum. A better and more realistic explanation.

my take away from 3.5 years is it’s complicated, they aren’t too certain themselves and are still leaning how to be a software delivery business on top of car manufacturer.

Agreed, it can be complicated, especially given the testing but in 3 years, you'd hope there are some lessons learned. For instance, one I've seen on this forum, is better release notes. Just provide an explanation of what it is we're getting. That would be an easy win.

Another question with regards to the distribution of OTA updates. Was @Ford Motor Company not providing software updates to their vehicles prior to the Lightning?

 

[ZSLC]

For perspective, I got 4.2.2.2 in February of 2024. At that point it had been out since (I think) April of 2023 so ten months behind.

I did not get another update until December of 2024. think I was 18+ months behind the initial release. A day later I got 6.8.0. Since then it has been a steadily increasing cycle and, as of this week, I am on 10.1.1 which I think is current (or close).

There is no discernable pattern except that if you call Ford and get through to someone on the OTA team they will take 25 minutes of your life to tell you this is normal, just be patient, and wait for the man behind the curtain to decide it is your time.

In the end the only thing "Wrong" for the vast majority of is is that Ford is terrible at communicating and managing software releases.

On the upside, it seems like very few of these updates have negative consequences so they are at least doing their due diligence in software testing.

 

[chl]

Palantir databases have already linked your Forum account to your VIN for Ford. Anytime you make a negative comment about the company or it's products, thirty days are added to the 'nextupdate' variable associated with your VIN. Develop a more positive attitude if you want an update.

All that said, be careful what you wish for.

But if that were true, none of us would ever get any updates, eh?

So maybe when we say positive things, we get brownie points?

The Zen of Lightning Maintenance - Yin and yang and ping and pang.

 

[chl]

No Karaoke for the Pro & & XLT trims, y'all just get the underlying easter eggs and minor improvements in that release.

Thank goodness...the thought of my wife singing along to Tom Petty or AC DC while I drive gives me nightmares!

 

[chl]

Probably because you are spelling it wrong, and the updates don't know where to go. It's a Lightning

Maibe he has the modle made for the speling challeged? The one with the red bed underling?

 

[FloridaMan655321]

Curious if people who have issues getting updates don't connect their truck to their wifi? I know at my place the cell service isn't that great, so I could see it not being able to update reliably.

Also, each quarter I remove the power from the 12v battery to give it a nice cold reboot. Might be good to do this as well to help?

 

[jlferg0509]

Curious if people who have issues getting updates don't connect their truck to their wifi? I know at my place the cell service isn't that great, so I could see it not being able to update reliably.

Also, each quarter I remove the power from the 12v battery to give it a nice cold reboot. Might be good to do this as well to help?

I do have my truck connected to my WIFI and plug it in once or twice weekly depending on the amount of traveling I do.

I have done a reset of the Sync System, BUT I have never disconnected the power from the 12 volt battery as a reset. I'll give that a shot...

 

[ZSLC]

Curious if people who have issues getting updates don't connect their truck to their wifi? I know at my place the cell service isn't that great, so I could see it not being able to update reliably.

Also, each quarter I remove the power from the 12v battery to give it a nice cold reboot. Might be good to do this as well to help?

I cannot say with certainty but at least some of my updates happened off of WiFi. At least one came in while I was traveling away from home and I often park outside the range of my home router. Also, I have not done the 12v reboot dance in months.

My point, if there is one, is that I have doubts that any of our attempts to trick the system have any affect at all.

 

[TaxmanHog]

The majority of updates are downloaded via the trucks telematics modem.

 

[Firn]

I believe it was stated here that updates are downloaded via cellular only.

 

[WilliamRobert]

I have found that if the 12 volt state of charge is too low, down loads won’t happen. Try giving it a full charge with a 15amp of better 12 volt charger. I had warranty work done on my 12 volt system and now it’s not a problem.

 

[BSull]

Here I am complaining about not receiving any OTAs in months and lo and behold, I got one today for the gateway module ECG-24.2.5.7.

I went to the store not more than 10 minutes from the house, by the time I shopped and returned home I got a successful update notice when I turned off the truck.

 

[chl]

Here I am complaining about not receiving any OTAs in months and lo and behold, I got one today for the gateway module ECG-24.2.5.7.

I went to the store not more than 10 minutes from the house, by the time I shopped and returned home I got a successful update notice when I turned off the truck.

Maybe your house is in a weak cell signal spot and 10 minutes away was better?

At my house ATT cell service is often pretty poor, but if I drive about 5 minutes away, it's all good.

Despite the weak signal, I have been able to get OTA's from Ford in my driveway as long as I am plugged into the FCSP. If I am not plugged in, no updates.

A well-charged LV battery may help receive and amplify a weak signal, or maybe the FCSP cable acts like an antenna.

One time out driving and at a red light, the truck informed me that an update was about to be installed and that the truck would be un-driveable for up to 30 minutes!

Luckily it allowed me to delay/reschedule the update.

The wifi signal on the FCSP is much more unreliable, if that is possible, and I have never received an update for it over the house wifi.

 

[bmwhitetx]

One time out driving and at a red light, the truck informed me that an update was about to be installed and that the truck would be un-driveable for up to 30 minutes!

Luckily it allowed me to delay/reschedule the update.

These are inhibit updates. The popup likely said it would install at your scheduled update time and given the option to Install Now or Reschedule.

Were you driving at your scheduled update time (default is 1 in the morning)? Then it might have given that message.

However inhibit updates will not install unless the truck is off. So it would not have disabled you at a red light. There is also a countdown, two minutes I think.

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