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This Ford Driver's Pain Is a Lesson for Everyone, Automakers Should Stick to Buttons

Must everything be a touchscreen in cars nowadays? It looks like it. Unfortunately, it’s not such a great measure and many customers dislike it. It’s not only car journalists who are complaining about the many displays that are available in vehicles today. Here’s what happened to a Ford driver that discovered the main disadvantage of having important settings available on the infotainment screen.
2019 Ford Edge Interior 7 photos
Photo: Ford
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A test done over two years ago identified the trend to replace physical controls with touchscreens as one of the worst. Many disagreed at the time, but the tide could be shifting.

A Ford owner published a short video on Reddit asking people for help. They show that the center screen is working by confirming the tapping, but other than that, nothing happens. The climate settings remain on the lowest temperature possible, and the fan speed or position can’t be changed. Surprisingly, the owner can change menus, but can’t do anything else.

People that saw the post didn’t bother to offer any solutions, but one Redditor might’ve given the driver the best solution possible – unplug the battery and wait a couple of minutes. This would normally reset the whole infotainment system and initiate a restart procedure that could bring everything back to normal.

Fortunately, this Ford model also has physical buttons that can access the same settings. Some might think that doubling the number of controls is redundant, but, in this case, it might prove to be useful. If the Sync 3 software isn’t having any serious problems, then the buttons should be able to replace the screens. Unfortunately, there’s no follow-up on this situation. The driver of this Ford didn’t share how he eventually fixed the issue and if unplugging the battery worked. They also didn’t explain why they were so keen on using the touchscreen when all the useful physical buttons were available.

Lastly, a more recent test proved that drivers are getting along better with physical controls than with touchscreens. And you might think Tesla’s the only one that goes on this route, but you’d be wrong – other giant carmakers like BMW or Mercedes-Benz are doing the same!

Now, how would you feel if you were in the same situation as this Ford driver when the touchscreen or the software it runs on decided to just not work?

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About the author: Florin Amariei
Florin Amariei profile photo

Car shows on TV and his father's Fiat Tempra may have been Florin's early influences, but nowadays he favors different things, like the power of an F-150 Raptor. He'll never be able to ignore the shape of a Ferrari though, especially a yellow one.
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