Ford updates MyFord Touch - Customers speak, automaker listens

Consumer Reports News: November 07, 2011 01:53 PM

Ford's high-tech touch-screen dashboard interface, MyFord Touch, has proven to be a lighting rod for criticism. To address this, Ford today announced interface and performance upgrades for the system. These changes launch with the redesigned 2013 Ford Escape and updated 2013 Flex and Taurus. They will also be available as a free upgrade for current owners of MyFord (and MyLincoln) Touch-equipped vehicles.

Ford states that these changes are a response to customer feedback. It's very likely that they also address complaints that we had in our review, as well as reliability issues highlighted by Consumer Reports and J.D. Power surveys. Ford's press release notes that MyFord Touch was a key factor in buyers purchase decisions. However, while the system looks impressive in a showroom, the need for these upgrades show that customers have found the technology to be frustrating on the road.

We had a long list of complaints with MyFord Touch. Many on-screen fonts and "buttons" are small, and the screens are cluttered. There are also performance issues, including slow-to-update screens. Some owners, including us, have had the system completely crash and reboot.

While there have been earlier patches to fix some of the most immediate performance issues, these updates go deeper. The interface is now less cluttered with fewer buttons, larger fonts, and bigger touch points. Ford also states that the system will be much more responsive and reliable.

One paradigm shift is that owners with previous MyFord Touch-equipped vehicles will be able to update their system by downloading software from a flash drive at home. This saves a trip to the dealer, although customers can also have it done at the dealership if they prefer.

When the update becomes available, we'll try it out on one of our test vehicles and see how the process and new interface work.