Even Ford Executives Knew The Much Criticized SYNC Infotainment System Was Deeply Flawed

Ford Motor Co.’s MyFord Touch and SYNC infotainment system was so flawed when first introduced that it left Executive Chairman Bill Ford stuck by the side of the road in an unfamiliar area and appears to have caused current CEO Mark Fields to break his touchscreen in frustration.

Court documents from a 2013 class-action lawsuit filed in California show Ford engineers were worried about the “unsaleable” system from the outset of its 2010 launch, and described a subsequently flawed upgrade as a “polished turd.” A U.S. District Court judge last week certified classes of consumers from nine states in the lawsuit filed against the Dearborn automaker; a trial is expected in April 2017.

TheSteve - 10/7/2016 3:23:31 PM

-1 Boost

Factory infotainment systems are notorious for being crappy, but some examples are particularly worse. It's one of the reasons I always opt for a portable Garmin GPS (flagship model) rather than a terrible factory NAV system that costs 4 to 6 times as much.

Sadly, "usable but crappy" is considered a "great" in infotainment system circles, as this article shows us that "not usable" was not uncommon not too long ago.

Vette71 - 10/7/2016 5:25:41 PM

-1 Boost

Gotta disagree. FCA's uConnect in Jeep et.al. is fantastic and well integrated into the vehicle controls, with redundant ways o get things done. You can stay focused on driving. Perhaps you have had a few too many Euro machines with complex multi-layers of software to do anything.

MorePower - 10/7/2016 4:45:32 PM

+2 Boost

Gotta keep those beta testers on the road, or at least parked on the side of one.

qwertyfla - 10/7/2016 9:43:43 PM

-2 Boost

This shit and texting while driving isn't working. Time to bring back the 8track and go old school for all of our safety!

MDarringer - 10/7/2016 10:03:42 PM

+1 Boost

I agree that texting and infotainment distraction is causing problems. Infotainment screens in general do what knobs and buttons can do better.

MrEE - 10/8/2016 8:21:40 AM

+2 Boost

And some still believe infotainment should not factor into car ratings or reliability, you know must always be user error.