Hi folks -

I purchased a 2007 FEH with the Audiophile Navigation System and have had problems with it since day 1. It turns itself off intermittently and reboots - but the radio never shuts down. We have had the system replaced in its entirety twice, replaced two receivers, the antenna and the CD set. Nothing seems to work - and we're squarely in CA Lemon Law territory now (5 different work orders, 12 trips to the dealership, almost 30 days without the car since the end of August). The car itself is great, but the system cutting out intermittently is frustrating and distracting, to say the least, and I can't rely on it when driving - which is the reason I bought it in the first place!

Has anyone else ever had the problem? If so, how was it fixed? Ford Corporate is trying to repair the problem but has said that they won't replace the vehicle because the Nav System is considered a "Luxury Item." Please let me know what your experience has been - thanks!

 

There are already two other threads in this forum that discuss NAV problems like you are talking about. They talk about a TSB (techical service bulletin) where you upgrade the firmware and the resets go away. It SOUNDS like your issue, BUT you'd think Ford Corporate would know about their own darn TSB.

Look in the other threads and find that TSB print it out and take it to the dealer... I think you get new CD's as well and there's some technique of loading disc 1 to load the new firmware or something.

 

Maybe you can get Ford to settle this by putting a Message Center in the gauge cluster for free. You then could put in an aftermarket nav system that will work much better, show DVDs, have double the screen size, rear view camera, etc.

 

Thanks for your replies. We've already tried upgrading the firmware with no luck, so that's not the problem. I've also given them the option of putting in an aftermarket system (Pioneer AVIC-Z1) which would cost them a heck of a lot less money than $3900, or giving me my $3900 back and I would replace it myself...both ideas were shot down due to lack of precedence. The Ford "Customer Care" person has that suggestion in her thread of my calls, so I know it was recorded...but still no dice.

Oh, and isn't it interesting that the 2008 FEH has a brand new, totally different Nav system. Hm - I wonder why! And, of course, the DIMM size is different, so without replacing the entire dash, they can't fit the new system in my old car. At this point we just want to replace the car with the 2008 model.

The dealership, by the way, has been fantastic - they're as frustrated as we are and would like nothing more than to make our problems go away. Unfortunately, replacing the car isn't their decision - it's one made by Ford Regional. Hopefully we won't need to hire a lawyer, but we will if necessary.

 

we have also had problems--the system works erratically, losing the signal after about 1-2 hours on the highway. replaced the gps antenna but that didn't do any good.

I too would like to know what the problem is, as the ford dealer here states its simply a problem with the cds, although we are on the second set.

 

Yetibuddha, what general geographic area are you in? We've thought it might be some issue with the Silicon Valley radio waves, but if you're in another area, that will make it all the more curious...

I just picked my car up from the dealership and gave printouts of all of these posts to our wonderful service guy. He was intrigued by the issues - Ford's corporate service dept told him to order two more sets of CDs to see if the problem happens with them too. We'll see!

 

I live in the northern Rockies. but, the navigation problem is one that shows the signal as red--no signal--after anywhere from 1 to 5 hours into the day. often, it will start up after we get gas or have lunch, then quit again after the next stop. so it is not an issue with location--gps works nearly everywhere we would want to be--and it is not an issue with the antenna, as that was replaced. I think there is something in the unit that is sensitive to heat buildup from the radio and that causes the problem. the challenge is that when we take the unit in for service, it is just a few miles away, so the system is working. and of course, the service people say there is nothing wrong, except for dirty discs, which of course are not dirty because they are brand new.

 

I think we're talking about two separate issues - mine starts when the car has only been on for a few minutes. I have experienced the shutoff when the signal is red, yellow, white...no consistency.

My issue is when the nav system shuts off completely - I see the "Hybrid" logo and it starts itself up again. Sometimes the screen goes black, sometimes white, sometimes gibberish on the screen in all sorts of colors, and occasionally there are green, blue, white & black lines. That's my favorite.

 

Yes, two different problems, but the result is the same: both units are defective, as they do not operate as advertised.

 

Well, to be fair, all they did for 2008, was to switch from the older Nav system design used mostly by Ford in Europe, to the newer Nav system design already in use in most of Ford's other USA models. It must be easier for Ford to support only one Nav system, and with that, keep only one DVD map disk updated for all.

Though, I will add, that I find it interesting that the other Ford models with this Nav system support the new Microsoft Sync, but the Escape/Mariner doesn't.