MyFord Touch

The technology was factory installed with Ford product offerings and was based on the Microsoft Auto 4.0 software platform.

[2][3][4][5] Several updates have since been released which allowed for more natural speech recognition, simpler Bluetooth pairing, and refinement of the on-screen interface and menus.

Operation of these devices, utilizing advanced Ford Sync functionality, was performed using voice commands, touch-screen inputs, the vehicle's steering wheel, radio controls, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity.

Purchasers of this option get the MyFord Touch system with two driver-configurable 4.2" color LCD displays in the gauge cluster, one 8" color LCD touch screen in the center stack, a media hub with 2 USB ports, SD card reader, RCA video input jacks and 5-way controls located on steering wheel; Sync voice activated communications and entertainment system (Free three-year pre-paid subscription for 911 Assist, Vehicle Health Reports, traffic reports, GPS-based turn by turn driving directions and information services).

Power & Associates as the primary factor contributing to a decline in Ford's standing in the 2011 "Initial Quality Survey" of new car purchasers.

[5] Initial reception of the March 2012 software upgrade, which overhauled the user interface and addressed many performance issues, has been largely positive.

There has since been several incremental software upgrades, addressing some issues that have plagued the system since its introduction, such as touchscreen menu lag and voice recognition commands.

Though Ford has yet to confirm when it will officially stop producing software updates for SYNC2, it is evident that it has entered its end-of-life stage.

This has not been readily available in Europe, where Ford does not have a customer self-service portal and dealers are not always willing to tamper due to the very slow download times for the update and the low success rates causing total failure of the unit.

In a confidential document circulated around dealerships in the US in Q1 2015 and Europe in Q2 2015 dealers were encouraged to push the SYNC2 system to reduce stocks notifying them of advance warning of the discontinuation in Q4 and only offer SYNC3 if the customer specifically asked for it.

This was to safeguard the batch building and storing of vehicles being equipped with the older option and making it to market during the cross over period.