Just updated to Sync 3.4 on my Ranger 2019

[MathGod]

I updated to Sync 3.4 yesterday.

I love it!

It does start up slower a little, but it looks great!

I do not understand why it is an act of Congress to do an update. I tried the WiFi method with no success. Finally after trying a couple of times I got the USB method to work.

Sponsored

 

[DavidR]

If it takes a week to update that is just pathetic. In this day and age, overnight would be bad enough (some sort of overnight batch process), but if it actually takes a week to update whatever database they have that would be really, really, sad. It has been at least a couple of days since I uploaded the xml file.

I'm liking Sync, but man, the supporting stuff is really, really bad.....

It's surprising how many little things there have been in this update process that just aren't smooth - infinite reboot loops during sync updates (fixed now I think); the map updater flashing messages telling you to restart your vehicle between reboots, which you shouldn't do; the disappearing climate problem that even the dealers have trouble fixing; and now this.

I think Ford's fundamental engineering is pretty top-notch because the systems, once they're on the truck and the installation wrinkles are worked out, work relatively well overall, but the auto industry is relatively new to user-installed system updates, and they're definitely going through growing pains with it. To be fair though, even companies with decades of experience with it, like Microsoft, sometimes still screw up big time.

 

[RedlandRanger]

Give it a try. It should tell you you’re on the latest version in the truck and when you login to the Ford site it should tell you you’re up to date. Should is the keyword.

You got me curious so I made sure the truck was connected to wifi and did the "check for updates" on the truck. It tells me there are no updates (which would be expected). Now I go here

https://help.ford.com/update-sync/

to see if it knows I've updated -And this is the funny part. It told me before that there was an upgrade available and it was 3.4.20136 (which would be correct). NOW it tells me that there is an "update" available and it is 3.3.19052!!! I guess it did notice I did an upgrade since I got a different message!

How on earth can it think an earlier version is an "upgrade"?

That is just sad......

 

[ch47dmechanic]

So I tried three times, unsuccessfully, to update to 3.4 via USB this weekend. It kept throwing an error code and telling me to redownload the files and start over. I gave up, came inside and had a beer. This morning, when I started up the truck and headed to work, I noticed it said "Updating System Software" in the top lefthand corner of the screen. After about 10 minutes, that went away and I got a popup stating the software update completed...which is weird since I don't have my truck connected to WiFi. It said the changes would take effect on my next truck restart so I forced an APIM reset and boom...it did indeed update.

Just weird how it finally worked...

 

[Murphie]

The v3.4 update *should* be available OTA now. I believe they may also have switched on map updates OTA as well. Not sure what the limitations on it are though.

I tried an OTA update just a few minutes ago. Came back with essentially 'no updates available' - I'm still at "20136".

 

[Big Blue]

Just went on line and checked to see if it knew I updated. I had uploaded the XML file two weeks ago. It says I'm upto date with version 3.3.19052. What gives???

 

[UofMEngineer]

I tried an OTA update just a few minutes ago. Came back with essentially 'no updates available' - I'm still at "20136".

That makes sense. Nothing newer is available.

Just went on line and checked to see if it knew I updated. I had uploaded the XML file two weeks ago. It says I'm upto date with version 3.3.19052. What gives???

Probably pulled it for MY19 Rangers to avoid more instances of the climate domain loss until a new build is available.

 

[Murphie]

That makes sense. Nothing newer is available.

I hoped/assumed that when you said OTA update was available, that it was the fix for 20136. ?

 

[UofMEngineer]

I hoped/assumed that when you said OTA update was available, that it was the fix for 20136. ?

Ahh, nope. I’ll update when I know that’s available.

 

[WsDesmond]

Hello all, thanks for all the information you guys shared here.

I have not really pay attention to Sync updates since I got my truck last year untill about a week ago. For some unknown reasons I logged into my Ford Owner account and clicked on that evil button for checking updates. "Lucky” enough, that magical 3.4 20136 showed up. You all probably know what happened after that....

I tried to dig as much as I could in the past week to see if there is a way to either get my climate control back, or roll back to 3.3. From what I have read, I guess there is no way to roll back to 3.3 (not sure if my dealer is able to do it?). Plus I am a guy who "never heared of Forscan" until I found this forum.

After reading through all the posts (1000+) here, I really got panic. I went through all the options in Sync just to see if anything is going to crash, and I am constantly checking my backup camera just to find any evidence that shows I have the resolution problem (even I dont remeber how it looked like)....

Here is my question, I wonder if anyone here has experienced bluetooth problem after the update? During my update to 3.4, I have encountered several "bluetooth lost connection, trying to re-connect". I thought it was only because the updating process, but I guess it is not. I noticed a couple of times on my way to work/home, my bluetooth lost its connection suddenly with a totally random pattern. A message was shown saying something like "lost bluetooth connection, trying to re-connect", and it went back to the connection after a couple of seconds with whatever was playing on my phone paused. At this point, I dont see a pattern or cause for this lost connection problem (never happened before the update). The only change on my truck was the update on the system and map.

Sorry for the language as English is my second language, and I really appreciate your help.

Love my Ranger, my first and only truck. I wish I have never did the update....

2019 Ranger lariat SuperCrew with 501A, black package, and FX4.

 

[DavidR]

Hello all, thanks for all the information you guys shared here.

I have not really pay attention to Sync updates since I got my truck last year untill about a week ago. For some unknown reasons I logged into my Ford Owner account and clicked on that evil button for checking updates. "Lucky” enough, that magical 3.4 20136 showed up. You all probably know what happened after that....

...

Love my Ranger, my first and only truck. I wish I have never did the update....

2019 Ranger lariat SuperCrew with 501A, black package, and FX4.

Forscan: I can understand that Forscan might seem intimidating at first. You didn't say whether you tried it or not, but if you haven't, I wouldn't hesitate to try it. Make sure you have an OBD reader that is known to work with Forscan. Then, if you're careful, change only the required settings, and double check your selections before committing the changes, you should be fine. So far I don't think I've heard that anyone has done any damage by doing this change. If you're really uncomfortable, maybe you can find a friend to help who is more comfortable with it. Worst case, I assume by now most dealers are aware of the missing climate problem and can fix it for you.

Bluetooth problem: You mention that you didn't have the problem with sync 3.3. There are a few things you might try. First, you could try un-pairing and deleting the phone from Sync3 and then re-pairing it in case there is some bad data cached somewhere. If that doesn't work, I would try it with a different phone. If a different phone works fine, there could be a marginal incompatibility with your phone that shows up in 3.4 but for some reason didn't affect 3.3. If a different phone still has the problem, then maybe something went wrong with the update. In that case, you could try re-doing the update, but I'm not sure if the system will let you run an update to the same version or not. If none of that works, you may need to have a dealer reload it.

 

[treimche]

For those of you who are having issues updating or being shown that you don't have an update available, don't stress. After using SYNC 3.4 for a little while now, I don't really notice any difference from 3.3 other than looks. Maybe this is because I don't do much with SYNC other than listen to radio, stream via bluetooth from my iPhone, and use Apple Car Play, but I really don't see any functional differences at all. Save your time and stress and wait until there is a PROPER update from Ford.

 

[Murphie]

For those of you who are having issues updating or being shown that you don't have an update available, don't stress. After using SYNC 3.4 for a little while now, I don't really notice any difference from 3.3 other than looks. Maybe this is because I don't do much with SYNC other than listen to radio, stream via bluetooth from my iPhone, and use Apple Car Play, but I really don't see any functional differences at all. Save your time and stress and wait until there is a PROPER update from Ford.

Agreed, but sadly a lot of us (me included) thought this was the proper update.

 

[Rp930]

Hello all, thanks for all the information you guys shared here.

I have not really pay attention to Sync updates since I got my truck last year untill about a week ago. For some unknown reasons I logged into my Ford Owner account and clicked on that evil button for checking updates. "Lucky” enough, that magical 3.4 20136 showed up. You all probably know what happened after that....

I tried to dig as much as I could in the past week to see if there is a way to either get my climate control back, or roll back to 3.3. From what I have read, I guess there is no way to roll back to 3.3 (not sure if my dealer is able to do it?). Plus I am a guy who "never heared of Forscan" until I found this forum.

After reading through all the posts (1000+) here, I really got panic. I went through all the options in Sync just to see if anything is going to crash, and I am constantly checking my backup camera just to find any evidence that shows I have the resolution problem (even I dont remeber how it looked like)....

Here is my question, I wonder if anyone here has experienced bluetooth problem after the update? During my update to 3.4, I have encountered several "bluetooth lost connection, trying to re-connect". I thought it was only because the updating process, but I guess it is not. I noticed a couple of times on my way to work/home, my bluetooth lost its connection suddenly with a totally random pattern. A message was shown saying something like "lost bluetooth connection, trying to re-connect", and it went back to the connection after a couple of seconds with whatever was playing on my phone paused. At this point, I dont see a pattern or cause for this lost connection problem (never happened before the update). The only change on my truck was the update on the system and map.

Sorry for the language as English is my second language, and I really appreciate your help.

Love my Ranger, my first and only truck. I wish I have never did the update....

2019 Ranger lariat SuperCrew with 501A, black package, and FX4.

Is this happening on Pandora Or other music. Maybe the signal isn’t strong enough to stream music on Bluetooth. You can always plug it into a USB.

 

[WsDesmond]

Forscan: I can understand that Forscan might seem intimidating at first. You didn't say whether you tried it or not, but if you haven't, I wouldn't hesitate to try it. Make sure you have an OBD reader that is known to work with Forscan. Then, if you're careful, change only the required settings, and double check your selections before committing the changes, you should be fine. So far I don't think I've heard that anyone has done any damage by doing this change. If you're really uncomfortable, maybe you can find a friend to help who is more comfortable with it. Worst case, I assume by now most dealers are aware of the missing climate problem and can fix it for you.

Bluetooth problem: You mention that you didn't have the problem with sync 3.3. There are a few things you might try. First, you could try un-pairing and deleting the phone from Sync3 and then re-pairing it in case there is some bad data cached somewhere. If that doesn't work, I would try it with a different phone. If a different phone works fine, there could be a marginal incompatibility with your phone that shows up in 3.4 but for some reason didn't affect 3.3. If a different phone still has the problem, then maybe something went wrong with the update. In that case, you could try re-doing the update, but I'm not sure if the system will let you run an update to the same version or not. If none of that works, you may need to have a dealer reload it.

Thanks for the reply. Really appreciate your help.

Ordered my OBD reader, I’m going to try Forscan, probably will take some time to read/learn some basics.

I am more worried about the Bluetooth problem. Tried unpair my phone to the truck, still need to see if that works or not as the symptom is totally random. However, I noticed on my way to work this morning that the song was playing skipped about 1 sec (never happened before, and I’m sure the song is undamaged in my phone), so I think the problem maybe still there. I’m thinking I may probably just go to the dealer see if they can restore the system if the problem still exists. I will keep updating this problem.

Sponsored