KGBKitchen

I have a 2020 LWB Cargo Transit Connect with some serious electrical / PMU / Computer issues and I'm curious if anyone else has seen something similar. For reference/comparison I have the 2L I4 engine and the newer 8 speed transmission. The most common gremlin is a sort of radical “coolant over temperature” warning that most often and very erratically happens when I first start the TC. For a while I did not even know what it was because the temp gauge would redline and the inst. cluster screen would flash the red warning text so quickly that I could not read it before it turned into some other message like Door Open... etc. I finally figured it out by filming it with my phone. So this was happening starting at <15K. I have not been able to figure out if there is a pattern. It seems to happen when it’s been dry for weeks, when it snows, when it rains and sometimes it takes months between instances. It’s happened on the first start of the day or on a second start and while driving. Also when it’s been 5°F out or 90°F out. Gremlin #2: An issue where a sequence of warnings are displayed during one drive—first “Coolant Over Temperature” , then shortly after “pre-collision not available,” then minutes later "Auto Start Stop Disabled" and “Hill start assist not available.” There was never any indication of a problem in terms of driving - this was one an interstate so I kept to the right lane in case the TC shut itself down or decided to fire the airbags or something else clever. On another occasion there was some sort of legit engine issue where it started running very roughly, lost power, and the tachometer began jumping all over the place. It felt like a cylinder was missing or something, or there was a fuel/air mixture issue. Basically low power and feeling as though the engine was about to stall out. During this incident I got (of all things) a “pre-collision braking not available” and I think an ABS Warning or something to do with Stability control - not sure - there were several messages in succession. The service wrench light came on and I was told to “Visit Ford Dealer For Assistance”(or something like that). I limped the TC to a gas station and switched it off. Restarted and everything was fine. On two other occasions I have found the TC to be dead, as if it had a zero volt battery. It does not respond to the keyfob unlock button. Once you open the door with the key manually and put it in the ignition there is nothing - not even the overhead light works. But if you turn it on, turn it off and close the door once or twice then it’s back to complete normalcy except that all of the user settings are gone - e.g. sync is completely defaulted as though a master reset was performed. These issues have been going on from about 15k? to now ~61K. I have asked two different dealers to investigate and if there is a software update or something that this TC needs and have not had any luck. Apparently all of these errors do not write to a log anywhere or at least the dealers all told me there were no fault codes. In response to the engine roughness the dealer only suggested performing a fuel injection system cleaning. Is anyone else experiencing these issues or similar gremlins? It seems like the vehicle is fine, but I’m wondering when the software is going to really detonate something or leave me stranded for real. I like this vehicle - it’s insanely useful, but I don’t know if I want to keep it if this is going to continue. I’m also kind of afraid of transmission issues that may be coming my way. (No signs yet). Anyway I would be grateful for any feedback or suggestions and I hope sharing all of this may be useful to someone else.

Does auto start stop actually accomplish anything? On mine it kicks back on in less than 5 seconds most of the time (and that's without me letting off the brake a little or moving the steering wheel.) Auto S/Stop does not use the actual starter motor does it? I know there is an accumulator but wondering how it actually works (and or if it's the enhanced mechanical failure equivalent of ethanol). I have the 2L/8 speed. Generally like the vehicle but worried about longevity.

Ok so here is a good 1st world problem that's twisting my knickers - I have the "fancy" radio in a 2020 TC from work love this vehicle, want to steal it etc. I always use a bluetooth headset, specifically the trucker / telephone operator kind - the kind that goes over one ear, over your head, and has a boom mike when driving because honestly I find them to provide the clearest calls. Having the single ear coverage also helps overcome the lovely sound of our less than polished highways out hear. Never had a real problem with this arrangement until sync 3 came into my life. This particular radio sadistically wants to handle my calls. It is relentless. It is trying to get me killed. I would just un-pair the iPhone from the sync monster *but* I also use the iPhone to send streaming radio and podcasts there. So I need a way to tell sync monster 3 to back off and only use the iPhone as a media player and not as a phone. I've already tinkered with the accessibility / audio routing settings on the iPhone but that hasn't solved the problem. Does anyone know a trick for this? Also who in their right mind - what AUTO designer - thought touch screens were anything other than a homicidal act? Seriously. Drivers need to feel, not ever ever look. thanks for the bandwidth - keeping the fingers crossed for an easy fix.