Photo: Ford
Love it or hate it, software governates modern electronics. Automobiles have dozens of them, controlling everything from the variable valve timing to the MAF sensor and creature comforts such as dual-zone automatic climate control.
Once a simple and honest-to-heaven pony, the Mustang now features so many electronics that it would take too long to list them there. There’s nothing wrong with them per se but the most recent recall for the S550 concerns software.
A little more complicated than writing a few lines of source code interpreted by the CPU as machine code, software is responsible for the “transmission not in park” warning message and associated chime of the ‘Stang. According to FoMoCo, certain 2019 and 2020 models are called back because the message and chime are active for three seconds instead of ten. A serious concern? Well, maybe…
If both the message and chime take three seconds instead of ten, the driver could exit the vehicle with the transmission in neutral. This translates to unintended movement, increasing the risk of a crash and injury. Happily, however, the Blue Oval isn’t aware of any reports of crashes or injuries related to this issue.
Both the ‘Stang and 2019 Ford Expedition are under recall, 10,460 examples in the U.S. and federalized territories plus 158 in Canada and 17 in Mexico. The 2014 to 2017 Transit Connect with the panoramic vista roof also needs to be serviced because of an improper bond that may separate the roof from the vehicle.
But wait, there’s more! A third recall has been announced in the guise of 26,100 examples of the Expedition and Lincoln Navigator. The mid-sized SUVs built on the CD6 vehicle architecture are equipped with… wait for it… “nonfunctioning Pre-Collision Assist features.” Care to guess what does that actually mean?
Once again, software is to blame for the Forward Collision Warning, Dynamic Brake Support, and Automatic Emergency Braking not working. To make matters worse, the condition may prevent notifications to the driver. Given these circumstances, a lot of reprogramming has to be performed on the body control module, antilock braking system, instrument panel cluster, and headlamp control modules.
Oh, and the tire pressure monitor system needs to be reset too.
A little more complicated than writing a few lines of source code interpreted by the CPU as machine code, software is responsible for the “transmission not in park” warning message and associated chime of the ‘Stang. According to FoMoCo, certain 2019 and 2020 models are called back because the message and chime are active for three seconds instead of ten. A serious concern? Well, maybe…
If both the message and chime take three seconds instead of ten, the driver could exit the vehicle with the transmission in neutral. This translates to unintended movement, increasing the risk of a crash and injury. Happily, however, the Blue Oval isn’t aware of any reports of crashes or injuries related to this issue.
Both the ‘Stang and 2019 Ford Expedition are under recall, 10,460 examples in the U.S. and federalized territories plus 158 in Canada and 17 in Mexico. The 2014 to 2017 Transit Connect with the panoramic vista roof also needs to be serviced because of an improper bond that may separate the roof from the vehicle.
But wait, there’s more! A third recall has been announced in the guise of 26,100 examples of the Expedition and Lincoln Navigator. The mid-sized SUVs built on the CD6 vehicle architecture are equipped with… wait for it… “nonfunctioning Pre-Collision Assist features.” Care to guess what does that actually mean?
Once again, software is to blame for the Forward Collision Warning, Dynamic Brake Support, and Automatic Emergency Braking not working. To make matters worse, the condition may prevent notifications to the driver. Given these circumstances, a lot of reprogramming has to be performed on the body control module, antilock braking system, instrument panel cluster, and headlamp control modules.
Oh, and the tire pressure monitor system needs to be reset too.
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