Onboard Modem Unresponsive

[Fred Kaluza]

I bought a stripped-down version of 2020 F-150 in Nov 2020. No fancy radio, no custom wheels, just 4WD and an 8 foot cargo bed. No key fob etc. it has hand crank windows and manual door locks. I would have got a manual transmission too but sadly no longer offered. The window sticker made no mention of ”telematics” etc. Curious me however loaded the Ford Pass app on my smart phone, entered my VIN, pressed a few buttons and was more than surprised to see the vehicle “activated”! On the app it showed my tire pressure, miles to empty and my location! I didn’t use the app for months but got curious again recently and found the mileage was way behind and all other data was quite “stale”. I couldn’t get it to update so I removed the vehicle, removed the app and started over. Now nothing works! I called Ford Pass support and they told me my “EWID” has apparently ceased working. The tech said my “electrically-wired-in-device” was no longer communicating and told me to visit a dealership. I did and yesterday the dealership told me my truck does not even have a TCU installed! How can this possibly be?

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[Webster]

No idea... My onboard modem just seemed to come back to life on its own.

I've been having the same problem. I will reboot if you remove the fuse and put it back. Its fuse #8/9 in the panel at the passengers feet. (2021 f150). Unfortunately it only words for about 2 days and then I have to repeat. Waiting on getting into the dealer.

 

[airwolf1999]

Taking mine to a dealer Wednesday for this same exact issue along with the saggy recall. Will report back if anything is done to fix.

 

[JEB]

I've been having the same problem. I will reboot if you remove the fuse and put it back. Its fuse #8/9 in the panel at the passengers feet. (2021 f150). Unfortunately it only words for about 2 days and then I have to repeat. Waiting on getting into the dealer.

I had the same problem. It is out of date software/firmware. OTA 2.3.0 contains new software for the modem (aka TCU) which fixes the problem. The catch 22 is that you need a working modem to get it. Your dealer should be able to flash the new firmware, but they seem to be pretty clueless about the process and don’t be surprised if they tell you that they can’t get the firmware to load and the modem needs to be replaced. Not a very helpful suggestion because the TCUs are backordered. Also not necessary. It’s software, not bad hardware.

Ultimately, after being told that I needed a new modem but they had no idea when they could get their hands on one, I just fixed it myself—bought a programmer on Amazon for $115, a 2-day license for FDRS for $50 and reflashed the modem. It’s been five weeks since the reflash and not a single drop.

If you want to go that route, there is an extensive thread discussing the procedure. You can find it here: https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/threads/ecu-module-programming-guide-using-fdrs.8249/

 

[Fred Kaluza]

Oh what fun! I’m learning their are two (at least) separate and distinct wireless telemetry and control systems in Ford products lately. While trying to get Ford Pass to work, I found out that an absolute requirement is to have a wireless modem (which they call the TCU) installed. You either paid extra in your sticker price to get it or can order a kit to be installed via a splitter onto your ODB2 port. Well, I was told by the Telematics folks (not the Ford Pass folks) that my vehicle has something called an EWID module installed instead of a TCU modem. Apparently the EWID does much the same as a TCU but will only work with the Ford Pro Drive app and website but it’s a subscription-based service. As an intro however, there is a free version (neutered) of Ford Pro called Ford Telematics Essentials and they tell me the EWID will be able to interface with this version at the end of March.

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