Defective DVD Navigation System in Ford Fusion

try disconnecting battery for 5 minuits we have found that apple ipod
pluged into the usb port locks the system up
i work in a ford dealer in ottawa
tom

My navigation system went out at about 2 years 12thousand miles and I
was told by the ford people that to repair it will cost 1000 dallars
and I had to pay. They only warenty they nav system for 1 year 12000
miles. Seeing that I have to pay 2000 for the system and then 200 a
year extra for the nav CDs I will NEVER purchace another ford EVER and
ive been a ford owner since 1990. NEVER AGAIN! Chevy will get ALL my
business from now on.

OP here. I have done some additional research on the problem with my
SYNC navigation system.

When I called Sync support, when I went to the Ford dealer, and when I
spoke with the Customer Relationship Center, I was told that Ford was
not aware of any issues like the one I described with my system.

However, Ford Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 09-7-9 dated April 2,
2009 describes EXACTLY the problem I am having with my unit and the
steps to fix it.

Further, it describes early symptoms of intermittent operation and
spontaneous muting. These problems were occurring with my system for
several months (well within the 36K mile limit.) I thought it might be
my iPod, since it would work again after a minute or two. My $1,800
stereo was the last thing I suspected.

So, Ford KNEW about this problem. Ford told me they did not know
about the problem. Ford refuses to stand behind its products when
they know they are defective.

mycarstats.com?

They keep track of common complaints that owners make about their cars
and somehow manage to find out about Service Reports that are sent to
dealerships alerting them when certain cars or components are
beginning to become problematic. It may be that this interface is
defective in other Fusions as well and Ford is aware of it?

I can see where you would need to have this fixed by them as it's not
a battery or a set of tires that you can easily have changed or
repaired yourself.

Good luck!

I know this is not an answer to your issue, but since PlanetFeedback's
mission is as a resource to consumers, I have a suggestion:

When buying a car, consider not buying the built-in GPS system or
entertainment (DVD) center. Not only can they be much more expensive
than an after-market option, but they are often easier to fix/replace.
And that can be especially nice if you want to upgrade the
technology.

For example, you can buy a fantastic GPS system for under $500. Maybe
even $200. You can buy a portable DVD player for $200; closer to $100
on sale. So, even if these things failed and you threw them out, it'd
still take buying several before you hit what you'd pay for factory
installed.

Yes, the factory installed options often fit nicely within the car (as
opposed to you needing to have a mount or other solution) and, in
theory, they give the peace of mind of working well with the car.
But, unless these things are worth paying 2-4x as much to you (and
they might be), it's at least worth taking a look at other options.

I've seen people that bought a factory installed GPS a few year back,
only to not use it because it doesn't speak street names or because it
doesn't do traffic. So, they have this $1500 thing in their dash that
never gets used. But, attatched to their window is a $250 GPS unit
that does text-to-speech and traffic and has updated maps and...

It's a matter of choice, of course.

As for your particular issue: I agree, warranties stink. But the
question is: will any car company agree to a free warranty extension?
If so, go buy a car from that company.

You go to Best Buy and buy the same thing, the company has a 1 year
warranty. MINIMUM.
Don't listen to these chowder heads who have nothing better to do in
life than sit here 24 hours a day and criticize people for
complaining. They are busy bodies, and have no purpose in life,
apparently.
You paid good money for this system, and you should not have to buy an
extended warranty that they would try to wiggle their way out of
honoring. I have zero doubts they would claim that is not covered by
their extended warranty. And, even if it were, how much was the
extended warranty?
The fact of the matter is, they need to honor it. And, if need be,
this is one of those conditions the govt. (in my opinion) needs to
force the industry to change. Personally, I don't mind having an Xyr/x
mile warranty. BUT, it should always be in favor of the consumer:
whichever comes last! In your case, the 3 years. (Of course, it seems
you would have close to 100k miles by then, and perhaps lots of
damage, but, oh well).
Also, remind Ford that they played the "Pass the Customer Around Until
The Wararnty Expires" game. What was your mileage when you FIRST
contacted them? Make them prove you were out of warranty.

On the otherhand, I do have a suggestion for future letters. You
state, "I have previously recommended Ford vehicles to my family
members. However, based on my experience with this Ford Fusion and the
supervisor at your Customer "Relationship" Center, I will NEVER
purchase or recommend Ford to anyone again." Then you ask them to
honor its commitement and to stand behind its products. I would
recommend changing this to "If (insert company name here) can't help
resolve this issue, I will never purchase or recommend your company or
it's poroducts again". The difference is, you are allowing them to fix
the problem, but, letting them know the consequences of not.
Good luck, I hope they will fix the issue without further incident or
without legal recourse. But...

I would just like to say, I just got rid of my 16-year-old zero-frills
(no power windows or locks, even!) pickup and got a nice 2005 Camry.
I can't tell you how thrilled I am to have (1) cup holders, (2) CD
player, and (3) INTERMITTENT WIPERS. Oh my god, I have been missing
out!

I don't think I want more gadgets--I'd just miss 'em after they broke
down on me! ;)

I feel for you. I suppose the fact that you exceeded 36,000 miles
means you used that navigation system a lot, but... I don't see how
that could happen after just a year.

I have a question. You say the USB port is part of a sealed system,
but I don't understand how you would use a port unless it is
accessable?

The fact of the matter is Ford did honor their commitment to you.
Their commitment was 3 years/36,000 miles whichever comes first. In
your case, the 36,000 miles.

Electronic systems can go bad even if they are sealed. It sounds like
you do a lot of driving and use your system a lot. I think the
supervisor was right, if I did the amount of driving you did, I would
have purchased an extended warranty.

We currently own 5 Fords and have never had a problem getting Ford to
honor any warranty repair within the warranty period.

But you no longer have a warranty - it expired 1500 miles ago. The
car came with a 36,000 mile warranty, not 37,501. You are in the
position of asking for a favor, not something that you are due.

What if it was a window regulator, or the ignition switch broke, or
the bumper came loose? All of these would meet with the same response
- your vehicle is no longer under warranty. There are numerous
non-wear items on your car - the vast majority of them are not covered
after 36,000 miles as well. It would only be something like paint,
emissions, or powertrain equipment that have any warranty left.

OP here. You are correct. I work in sales and cover a large
territory. Therefore, I do drive a lot more than the average driver.
As you said, I spend a lot of time in my car and find a good stereo
and GPS navigation to be valuable assets.

To those who stated that the warranty expires at 36K miles and Ford
was correct, I would point out that I treat my customers much better
than that. If a good customer had a problem with one of my products so
near the expiration point and the problem was not due to their abuse,
I would bend over backward to accommodate them.

Have we forgotten in this country that a good customer is hard to
find? As a result of their attitude, neither me nor my family will
ever buy a Ford again. This will cost the company thousands over a
couple hundred in a simple repair. Further, my research on the
Internet has shown hundreds of complaints about this very issue. It
is a problem they know about.

You are absolutely correct in every possible way. I'm glad you are now
boycotting Ford as a result of this issue.
I will be contacting Ford as well, telling them I will not purchase a
Ford ever again, either. And, I wont rent one either (That wont hurt
their bottom line, initially, but, in these hard times for the Big 3
devils, if people stop renting Ford, the rentals will have to stop
buying them).
What cost the consumer $700 costs the company less than $50 in parts
(and most likely less than $10) and maybe an hour of wages. Is it
worth angering consumers over so little? On a major issue, perhaps.
But not on this one. Especially since I would bet FORD was the reason
he was over the mileage. Ie, did the oringinal poster actually contact
Ford while it was under warranty; but, by the time they quit passing
the buck, they went over? I bet there's a case for that argument. Esp.
if they are like you and travel a lot, or live in SoCal. where many
people commute 2+ hours everyday to and from work.

Where do they draw the line? 37,000 miles, 40,000 miles? Which
customers do they make exceptions for? You but not me?

All auto makes have problems with certain vehicles that they know
about. Just search any manufacturer and you'll find them. Some get
extended coverage and some don't.

There is a known problem with the 5.4L V8 engine on the F150's. We
got hit with it when our truck was 5 yrs old and had about 72,000
miles on it. We're not screaming for Ford to replace the engine,
we're having it done ourselves.