Ford MFT Components

[mcali6301]

My old SEL MFT worked fine but I traded in for the sport and I've noticed some minor quirks with it.

 

Sometimes when I turn the car on it takes a little longer than usual for the MFT and gauges to appear. Another time, when I turned the car off and opened the door, the ford splash symbol appeared as normal but with the radio interface still showing (which I thought was weird) but again a minor quirk.

 

I'm a computer tech so lately I've been wondering exactly how the MFT components are setup. I'm curious how these things stay cool and ventilated. Do they have an intake or an exhaust? What is the lifespan of these computers and how does Ford support them? Regular extended warranty?

 

 

I'm wondering what would happen if something went wrong with computer when my car is well beyond 125K.

 

I've seen and read some horror stories about Sync, LUCKILY I have no real complaints about it myself.

 

 

[FordIVTteam]

Hi mcali6301,

 

You mentioned that these issues are only minor, but I still wanted to provide some basic troubleshooting tips that may be helpful: http://owner.ford.com/how-tos/sync-technology/myford-touch/get-started-with-sync/troubleshooting-tips-for-sync-with-myford-touch.html Let me know if you have any questions after reviewing the link.

 

I'm trained to provide only basic information about MyFord Touch; however, I encourage you to reach out to the dealer for technical questions about how the components are set up: http://owner.ford.com/dealer-locator.html#/ They should be able to provide a little more insight.

 

From what you've described, your MyFord Touch APIM (Accessory Protocol Interface Module) should be covered under the extended warranty for a total of 5 years. Coverage starts on the warranty start date, regardless of mileage. If replacement of the APIM is required, and your vehicle is within the indicated time limitations, your dealership has been authorized to replace it free of charge (parts and labor).

 

Kim

Edited July 9, 2015 by FordIVTteam

[mcali6301]

Thanks for that information. Is the APIM also covered under any extended warranties? I drive a 2011...

[FordIVTteam]

Depending on the vehicle warranty start date, the MyFord Touch APIM (Accessory Protocol Interface Module) will be covered under the limited extended warranty. If you're unsure of your vehicle warranty start date, shoot me your VIN in a PM and I'll look it up for you.

Rebecca

[Waldo]

 

I'm wondering what would happen if something went wrong with computer when my car is well beyond 125K.

 

 

 

Cars have had computers in them for over 30 years. Today's cars have more of them, in fact the MFT "computer" is really only 1 of about 20-30 computers in a Ford Edge. All of those computers have undergone very detailed testing that consider all the heating/venting requirements (the MFT computer is far from the hottest of the computers in the car and many of the others are placed in far worse environments).

 

If failing computers at 125K was really a phenomenon, you wouldn't see any older cars on the road today. The fact is that in the electronics industry, component failure rates follow a very steep curve, the vast majority of failures are within the first few months/1000 miles of new, once they make it that far, they will usually last forever. Electrical failures at high mileage are far more often a result of bad connectors or corrosion in the wiring. When you hear about people "replacing the computer" to fix a problem, what they've really done is jiggled/reset the electrical connectors, chances are they could have put the same module back in and the problem would have been fixed. When I worked in the auto electronics industry, we'd get back the warranty returns and find that about 60-70% of them would test just fine and didn't have any problem at all.