akirby

My annoyance was the fact that it's been happening for 25 years. You seem to be incapable of understanding the difference between minor problems and major problems. Just because some owners are having problems doesn't automatically mean Ford has to drop everything and fix it immediately. In some cases it's better (from Ford's standpoint) to just replace the part a few times rather than redesign it. It all depends on the cost and how many units are affected and whether that part is destined to be used long term or not, etc. etc. It also depends on whether a new part is even available - especially when they're outsourced to suppliers. And saying that a failure is "unacceptable" is ridiculous. Everything mechanical will fail at some point. A few minor issues are expected and not a big deal. More, bigger issues are a concern. Huge or frequent issues can be a big problem if they're not dealt with accordingly. Look at lemons. Every mfr has them at some point. If they only have 1 out of 100K that's fantastic. 1 out of 10K is still pretty good. 1 out of 1000 isn't good. 1 out of 100 is terrible. 1 out of 10 is an absolute disaster. It's all about perspective.

That's more true now, but not so much on the 07-10 models. I actually liked the 08 Edge better than the 08 MKX. The only advantages other than styling were the THX stereo and cooled seats. They're doing a much better job now.

Not possible. They just started Job 1 a few days ago. The plant must build error free vehicles for 5 days in a row before they give the OK to Buy order. If they go 4.5 days and have a problem, the 5 day clock starts over. This can take 2-3 weeks in some cases. During this time all vehicles are held and must be inspected before actually being shipped and in some cases repaired. Once they get the OKTB they can start shipping newly built units. I believe they are holding all retail (sold) orders until OKTB so they don't get stuck in a lot somewhere waiting on repairs for 2 months. They won't start shipping for at least a week and could be a few weeks depending on how many problems are found.

Did I imply that it affects a large number of owners? No. Could just be me. I said it was annoying. I did not imply that it's something that Ford has to fix. I did not imply that if Ford does not fix it that it will cause big problems. I did not imply they would lose customers. I did not imply that the world is going to end if it's not fixed. That's the difference between the negatards and the rest of us who are able to keep problems in perspective and understand the difference between an annoyance, a minor issue and a major issue.

And just because it's reported on several forums doesn't mean that the failure rate is high (as a percentage of overall sales). From Ford's perspective this part may only fail on 5% of vehicles which is enough to say it's common and for it to be widely reported but that doesn't mean it affects every vehicle or enough vehicles for Ford to make a change. If you want a better example - Ford SUVs and Crossovers continue to have problems with loose seat tracks. I had this problem on my 93 Explorer and I have it now on my 08 Edge. I don't understand why they haven't fixed this problem in 25 years. It's a little frustrating.

And you won't. Ford, unlike some others, doesn't show their cards in advance. Lack of information doesn't mean they're not working on it.

This is the smart, fiscally responsible way to reinvent the brand. Not the sexiest but the smartest. Bringing out a halo car right now with the current dealer infrastructure would be a disaster. They don't need to "target" anybody - just build some great looking vehicles with good performance and luxury features and upgrade the dealership experience.

This ^^^^

The hybrid is based on the SE model - no Sony radio available. Ford on facebook said the hybrid gets push button start but it's not in the order guide or the pictures.

You see a problem that affects some vehicles and you assume that the problem is widespread (based on a few posts in an online forum) and that it's a big problem for Ford and that Ford is losing customers because of it and the world is coming to an end. Other people read the same forums and see some problems but put them into the bigger context with a little perspective. Nobody is saying that these problems don't exist - just that they aren't the end of the world.

Exactly. I'm sure Ford considers diesels for North America at least once a year, maybe more often. Just like they consider whether they should bring other vehicles and drivetrains to the U.S. Somebody at Ford knows exactly how much it would cost for a Diesel Focus and how many they could realistically sell and at what price. Diesel fans don't buy VWs and Audis. Audi and VW fans buy diesels.

Yes, it should be covered.

And apparently his wife is the registered owner for both vehicles.

And that's why they're still pretty well off.

Hard to believe that was overlooked. I'm sure we'll see tires or water barrels. I guess Hendrick went a little too far with the engine RPM limit.

Don't forget the current MKZ was "in the can" before Ford decided to kill Mercury and revamp Lincoln. So whatever design decisions had been made are no longer applicable.

I'm very very sorry. I confused you with svtenthusiast.

Nobody here - and I mean nobody - has once suggested that your problems or anybody else's problems were not real. Nobody has ever suggested that this wasn't a major fiasco for Ford. Nobody has ever suggested that pulling a fuse is an acceptable procedure. Nobody has suggested that all of the problems have been fixed. NOBODY. So get off your high horse and stop calling everyone else apologists just because we don't all think the sky is falling. The reality is that with the new software the MAJORITY of owners are happy with MFT with only a few folks still having major issues. Are we happy that some people continue to have problems? No. Not at all. It's not a good thing. Should Ford be doing everything in their power to get all of these problems fixed? Of course. Are they? As long as they continue to put out software revisions and replace APIMs on cars with severe problems - yes. Will some customers be pissed and go elsewhere? Yes, that's why I called it a "Fiasco". Is EVERY customer having problems with MFT? Of course not, as evidenced by repeated posts here and on other boards. For every customer who won't buy a Ford because of MFT, there are others who will buy a Ford for the first time because of MFT. It's definitely a double-edged sword. We're being realistic about the problems. You're not. You think that other people with no problems somehow makes your problems less real or less important? It doesn't. Get over it.

So anyone who reports no problems or only an occasional minor problem is a liar (like my daughter)? If it was such a tremendous disaster for Ford then why aren't sales tanking? You're such a frickin' drama queen.

What's better - slightly lower marketshare and higher profits or the same marketshare with lower profits?

It depends on whether it's eligible for rebate protection - that program is available but I don't know if the dealer has to register it at the time of order or not. Your dealer will know.

I think it may be closer than you think.

Because there are other parts of the system that aren't controlled by the head unit power button and those are the ones that need to be reset. They could design it to work that way from the beginning but that obviously wasn't done. This should never be necessary, especially after the software update. I had to pull the fuse in my daughter's focus twice. It wasn't fun but it wasn't the end of the world either. Having to do it for a year would be really bad. I was worried when I heard BeSquare was still involved. This is what happens when a car company tries to write software. I would expect the same problems if Microsoft tried to build a car.

Minimal efforts? Hiring a dedicated team of over 100 folks (with experience from other luxury brands) including a totally dedicated design dept. is a minimal effort? Unique tophats, interiors and features is a minimal effort? Upgrading the dealership experience using Clefs d'oer (sp?) to emulate the best 5 star hotels is minimal effort? Putting out 7 vehicles in 4 years is minimal effort? I understand that the jury is still out on whether they can pull it off or not but I simply don't understand the folks who say this is business as usual and the same thing that Lincoln has done for decades. It's not. It's not even close. Just because they aren't dropping a billion dollars on ONE car so they can claim to be a "BMW fighter" does not mean they aren't trying. It's not the exciting and sexy way to do it, but it's the fiscally responsible way to do it. What good would it do to have a CTS-V type vehicle if the dealership experience still sucks? You might win the C&D comparisons but the customers won't be happy.

You forgot the part where you have to swing a dead chicken over your head....