I've been playing around with my 2009 FEH and using the Sync account at Ford, and learned something about the 911 Assist that I thought some of you fellow 2009 users would want to know. I'm sure I'm the last person to find this out, but I'd thought I post anyhow for any other stragglers. The 911 Assist is a pretty neat feature in that if you have the Sync system and have a paired phone, if you're in an accident where the airbag deploys or there is a fuel cutoff, sync will cause your phone to make a 911 call (which you have a opportunity to cancel, but if you don't (like if you're injured), the sync system will use your phone and place the call to 911 with a prerecorded message). I'm sure that if 911 gets a call, even if you can't speak, they'll come looking for you, because with the cell phone, on most 911 systems, they'll know where you are.

What is important though, is that on some 2009 Sync systems on the FEH they have to be upgraded to use this feature (Ford has a chart for 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 FEHs with Sync. As to the 911 Assist the chart says 2008 is not available, 2009 is "STANDARD OR UPGRADEABLE", 2010 and 2011 it's simply checked as being a standard feature.

It's not hard to upgrade, you just need to set up an account at the Ford sync site, download the upgrade to sync 2.1 on a usb memory stick hooked to your computer, and then take it out to your FEH, plug it into the usb port and upgrade the system. There are directions on the sync site to follow for the upgrade. I would suggest printing them out. Most notable is that your FEH has to be started (not in accessory mode) and I think not moving (though not positive about that one). It also takes a while (as in several minutes), and you have to wait until you get a "successful install" message, and then a reboot, and then you'll get a second "successful install" message. Again print out the directions, but I think then you can exit out to the main menu and pull the thumb drive. Then you go back to your computer and replug the thumb drive and report a successful upgrade (the sync site will pull a conformation file of the install off the memory stick and send it to the sync site).

John

 

I updated my Sync as high as I could (version 1.3 or 1.4, I don't recall) and the only option for 2.1 was "dealer install".

Depending on the dealer I checked, the cost for that update was $50, $90 or free. My wife got her's updated at her dealer for free, o/w I was quoted $90. My dealer said $50, so I waited. Later my dealer had a special so I updated for $30.

My wife's install caused Sync problems, we took it back and they reflashed and replaced the microphone. (There's a TSB on that.)