The car bricked itself

"CB" (jrcb) 11/30/2018 at 15:47 • Filed to: Jolly Rancher

2

53

Went to start it up, wouldn’t even turn over, and I was greeted with “system update for Sync”. Not going to lie, I am 100% unimpressed that can happen. Had to lock and unlock the car after it finished to be able to start it again. Confidence in my car: currently low.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > CB 11/30/2018 at 15:55

5

Fuck.

That.

benjrblant > CB 11/30/2018 at 15:57

18

This is so incredibly both Ford and Microsoft at the same time.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > CB 11/30/2018 at 15:58

1

I’ve had that.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > CB 11/30/2018 at 15:58

1

What....so it was looking for an update or there was one available that it was installing somehow or...?

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > CB 11/30/2018 at 15:59

7

WAIT so it made you sit there and wait FOR A SOFTWARE UPDATE?

what kind of BS is that?

what if you were being chased by a mad man with a hatchet? Imagine that “the victim tried to flee, but unfortunately his hard candy looking a car had to do a system update. This proved to be a... Fatal flaw.”

or a more realistic scenario, its a -5 degree February morning, you hope in your car to go to work, already late because you fell on the ice on the way to your car. Then your car, your trusty stead, the one you thought was your comrade, instead says “you gonna be even later, have fun sitting in the cold why I sit here and do nothing”/

dogisbadob > CB 11/30/2018 at 16:00

1

So it’s not just the transmission that’s apiece of shit in these cars.

THAT is why Ford killed the Fiesta! Because they die anyway :(

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > CB 11/30/2018 at 16:02

1

When you have to unplug your car and plug it back in again to get it to work right...

functionoverfashion > CB 11/30/2018 at 16:04

2

There are SO MANY REASONS why that should not happen. It should notify there’s an update . Then let YOU decide when it’s convenient not to have your car function for 5 minutes or whatever. Like, how is that even a thing??

BeaterGT > CB 11/30/2018 at 16:05

0

That’s pretty sad.  Is there anyway to prevent it going forward or is that just how it is?

CB > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars 11/30/2018 at 16:08

1

I didn't even know my car was able to get updates. To answer your question,I haven't a clue.

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > CB 11/30/2018 at 16:08

2

Tally this as yet another reason I’ll never buy a new car....

CB > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 11/30/2018 at 16:08

1

It's bogus.

CB > BeaterGT 11/30/2018 at 16:08

0

No clue. Hopefully it doesn't happen frequently.

CB > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 11/30/2018 at 16:09

4

The worst part is that it’s a used car. The future is lame.

Urambo Tauro > CB 11/30/2018 at 16:11

0

Awful design that it would even do that . In cold-weather situations were every last cold cranking amp counts, the last thing I want is for a car to take the time to update itself before ensuring that the car will even start. Why not just program it to wait until it senses charging voltage first?

jimz > CB 11/30/2018 at 16:11

0

I’m guessing the whole issue was that it was in the process of flashing the firmware image, and a power interruption during that can leave SYNC unbootable. 

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > CB 11/30/2018 at 16:12

1

Sucks that happened, hopefully it was a one time thing.

I think my timeline for cars stops about 2008 ish, anything newer than that has too much crap to go wrong.

CB > jimz 11/30/2018 at 16:13

0

It ended up working again, so maybe, but I haven't a clue.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 11/30/2018 at 16:14

2

Some of the new car tech is truly annoying.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > CB 11/30/2018 at 16:15

0

Ferd.

bob and john > CB 11/30/2018 at 16:15

0

I feel like this is more a ford issue then anything else...

still, I was un-aware it could do that. 

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > CB 11/30/2018 at 16:17

1

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > CB 11/30/2018 at 16:20

5

You know what to do...

Time to buy a GTI!

CB > bob and john 11/30/2018 at 16:20

0

So was I until it did.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > CB 11/30/2018 at 16:21

2

Interesting... won’t let you start until an update is done?

Well at least you now know it’s NSync...

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > CB 11/30/2018 at 16:21

1

When in doubt pull fuse #10, wait 30 seconds, reinstall fuse #10. Be happy!

This message brought to you by SYNC;  a joint product of Microsoft and Ford Motor Company.

CB > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 11/30/2018 at 16:22

0

It wouldn’t let me start the car until the update was done and I had locked and unlocked it.

CB > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly 11/30/2018 at 16:22

0

It wouldn’t let me start the car until the update was done and I had locked and unlocked it.

CB > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t 11/30/2018 at 16:22

0

I’m not sure what that does, but considering your experiences I’ll take your word for it.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 11/30/2018 at 16:23

0

I see a Cuban mechanic in your future...

CB > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 11/30/2018 at 16:24

1

Terd.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 11/30/2018 at 16:32

0

What did they ever do to you?

PartyPooper2012 > CB 11/30/2018 at 16:33

1

What in the hell is your car connecting to to know there is an update?

Side note, don’t use Ford for a get away vehicle if you planning on robbing a bank or something. If your car can get updates on a side of the road, imagine what the feds know about your driving history and your location at any given time. 

jimz > CB 11/30/2018 at 16:34

0

Is it sync 2 or 3? I can try to ask someone about it

CB > PartyPooper2012 11/30/2018 at 16:34

0

I don’t know. This whole experience has been confusing.

CB > jimz 11/30/2018 at 16:38

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Sync 2, I think. Any idea if they update or run checks on themselves or what have you?

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 11/30/2018 at 16:41

0

For me most of it is annoying. 1/2 the time power windows are more “tech” than I want though..

Danimalk - Drives a Slow Car Fast > dogisbadob 11/30/2018 at 16:47

1

Party Poopers.

ateamfan42 > functionoverfashion 11/30/2018 at 16:51

0

It should notify there’s an update. Then let YOU decide when it’s convenient not to have your car function for 5 minutes or whatever.

This is the complete antithesis of the design philosophy of any computer running a Microsoft product.

It is bad enough Microsoft is shutting down our computers to do updates in the middle of use, but now cars?  Dreadful. 

bhtooefr > CB 11/30/2018 at 16:52

0

Is your phone paired with it over bluetooth? If so, that's probably how it fetched the update.

CB > bhtooefr 11/30/2018 at 16:56

0

It is, but that sounds... strange.

bhtooefr > CB 11/30/2018 at 17:06

0

AFAIK that's the only way Sync can even get to the outside world, through a bluetooth phone.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness 11/30/2018 at 17:20

0

Subaru “eye sight” is the worst. Those levels of drivers aids drive me bonkers. I don’t mind blind spot monitoring but I also check my mirrors when changing lanes.

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > bhtooefr 11/30/2018 at 17:46

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Um... that’s not how it works. It uses the A2DP or AXP or whatever it’s called this month profile which only provides audio and metadata. It does not provide IP access like a WiFi hotspot, which you also would have to turn on in the phone.

Infotainment systems that get OTA updates generally do so through the satellite system that provides crash assistance or other services , i.e. OnStar.

Sync actually only receives updates by way of a specially formatted USB drive using specific file names.

bhtooefr > Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks 11/30/2018 at 18:00

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Sync can also make phone calls for bidirectional data transfer AFAIK, and clearly there was an update without one of those drives being put in...

gettingoldercarguy > CB 11/30/2018 at 18:04

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Isn’t sync c o- developed with Microsoft?  How does this surprise you? 

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > bhtooefr 11/30/2018 at 18:12

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No, the system THOUGHT it had an update. That does not mean it actually GOT an update.

And phone calls are NOT data profile. Phone calls are CTP (Cordless Telephony Profile,) HFP (Hands-Free Profile,) or HSP (Headset Profile) typically. Not. Data.

Accessing data would require use of the DUN (Dial-up Networking Profile,) the OPP or OBEX (Object Push and OBject EXchange Profile, requires direct manual interaction on all phones,) or SIM. Just going and accessing data on phones would not only violate the Principle of Least Surprise, but would get them sued by everyone who went over their data limit downloading a 200MB Sync update.

bhtooefr > Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks 11/30/2018 at 18:16

0

No, I mean, my understanding is that the Sync system has a protocol that implements a low-bandwidth modem over HFP to give telematics functionality.

Granted, I wouldn’t usually expect a firmware update to be delivered over that channel, and it thinking it had an update and failing because it didn’t makes sense too, but.

NKato > CB 11/30/2018 at 18:58

0

I present to you, Exhibit A of “Why I Don’t Trust Modern Cars”.

pip bip - choose Corrour > CB 12/01/2018 at 06:03

0

all the more reasons why i don’t want a car with technology

functionoverfashion > ateamfan42 12/02/2018 at 12:18

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I’ve always at least seen a notification first, and then you can usually defer to later at worst.

What gets me is when you “update and shut down” but then when you next start up, it might take an extra... ?? minutes to start up. 

Long_Voyager, Now With More Caravanny Goodness > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 12/03/2018 at 07:06

1

I was trained to drive in high-powered vehicles without any “driver aids”, so for me any of them are annoying.

Honestly, I feel people who need these assists probably shouldn’t be driving to begin with. I also feel people become reliant on tech like this, ultimately making them even worse drivers.

ateamfan42 > functionoverfashion 12/03/2018 at 08:19

0

What gets me is when you “update and shut down” but then when you next start up, it might take an extra... ?? minutes to start up.

Do to the silly registry-based configuration used by Windows, the majority of updates need a system restart to take effect and finish installing. So your “update and shut down” is only part of the update process. When you next start the computer, the installation/update process completes.

In the older days of systems like Windows 95/98, it could take something like 30 or 40 reboots to install a new system, because just about every driver required a restart to update the registry.

Contrast this to a Unix system, where just about the only update activity that actually requires a reboot is to run a new version of the kernel.