2018 Galaxy - Ford Sync 3 Problems

[Si6776]

Good evening,

I have a 2018 Galaxy with Ford Sync 3.  In recent weeks it has started playing up quite considerably, first 'forgetting' my phone and wifi on several occasions, and now every time I shut the system down, when I restart it I get the diagnostics consent pop up, which I 'Confirm' each time, it's forgotten which radio station I was tuned to and comes on de-tuned, it's forgotten my wifi, and other settings such as POI displays in the Navigation.  Once I've set all this up again, the system works fine until I stop and restart the car, then I have to do it all over again, which is becoming rather tiresome. 

I spoke to my Ford dealer and they advised to perform a Master Reset, which I was initially reluctant to do as I didn't want to lose all my saved navigation destinations, but being exasperated having to reset everything every time I start the car, this evening I resorted to giving a Master Reset a try.  However, even this won't work!  I go to General Settings > Master Reset, then when I get to the point of clicking Continue, the Continue button lights up blue, but nothing else happens and the system appears to be frozen.  I sat waiting for 15 minutes for it do something, and in the end hit the On / Off + >> buttons to do a reboot, following which the system restarted in exactly the same state as before.

So, what can I do next if it won't Master Reset?  Has anyone heard of this issue?  I am concerned, not least as this is a Motability vehicle which is due for renewal at the end of the year, and I don't want all of my saved data being passed on to a new owner, but really I just want to get this thing working properly again.  The problems seemed to start after an overnight system update.  I have checked for further updates and it says the system is fully updated.

Thanks for any help!

Simon.

[unofix]

Hello Simon, there are two possible problems that come to mind looking at this fault. The first is the Sync3 system has more than one positive supply. It has has switched live via the ignition and it has a constant live. It is possible that the constant live has been lost, worth checking the fuses that supply the Sync3,

The other possible problem is that the internal memory capacitor in the sync3 is faulty. For a breif moment while the engine is being started the supply to the system is interrupted to save power.

If the vehicle is a Motability car then it will still be covered by warranty.

[Si6776]

Hi, thanks for your reply.

One other odd symptom I forgot to mention is that the unit no longer powers down when either of the front doors are opened.  In fact, the only way to get it to turn off seems to be to lock the vehicle with the key button.

If I can find it, I will check the fuse, but this seems to be a more complex issue than that, and what you've said about the memory capacitor seems perhaps the more likely fault.

I have just checked what happens if I power on Sync 3 without starting the car, and the same issues occur, so would this make a fuse issue less or more likely?  If there is no 'constant' live, would the unit power on without the ignition?

Further, any idea why the Master Reset won't work?  Could this also be to do with a memory fault?

I have a feeling this is going to be a job for Ford, but I'm reluctant to send it in as I can't do without the vehicle for longer than a day, so I'm wondering whether to just try and live with this until the vehicle is replaced at the end of the year.