Hi folks,

I picked up a really nice 2014 F-150 Lariat. But one big problem: the touch screen doesn't respond to my fingers. I've done considerable Googling but haven't found much (mostly people's problems have to do with phone sync issues and black screens). My screen is lighting up just fine, but since I can't use any of the buttons I can't pair a phone, use the heated seats, etc.

Any suggestions for what to do? I disconnected the battery this morning for about three hours, but after reconnecting it, problem remains.

Seems like *maybe* the dealer would replace things under an "APIM" recall, but maybe not?

 

Have you tried calibrating it?

 

Thank you for that. I just now tried it, but can't calibrate because the touch is completely non-functional.

I see there are replacement "pre-keyed to your VIN" APIMs available on the Internet. Wonder if I need to replace the whole thing.

 

There is the APIM extended warranty that I believe this would qualify for.
https://ford.oemdtc.com/1745/12m02-w...4-ford-lincoln

 

It's seeming like this is the digitizer module on the screen itself, not the APIM (a bad APIM would cause the screen to not light up). I looked through that recall too but it seems to only soft-upgrade or possibly replace the APIM, which I don't believe will help.

I'll probably replace the screen. Looks like it's not difficult, but costs a couple hundred bucks.

 

If you are going to be doing the screen replacement anyway, you might look into upgrading to sync 3. You can do that anywhere from $300-$700 in parts depending on where you can source them. You would need the APIM for sync 3, the screen, and the USB port.

 

Interesting ... I did look at that upgrade from 4dtech.com but they wanted $2100 for everything for the Nav-equipped Sync 3. If I can do it for $700-$800 that would be worthwhile. Thanks for the tip.

 

Doesn't the APIM have to be keyed to your VIN, though? I was assuming a second-hand APIM wouldn't work because of that.

 

check out the forscan information over on f150forums.com (They are a sister site to ford-trucks forums). You can do all of the programming (and more) for the sync systems.

 

Well, raspberries.

I snagged a replacement screen on eBay for $80 and installed it last night, but the replacement does the same thing -- screen displays just fine but touch doesn't work.

So, I guess I have to replace the APIM?

 

I sent an email to the folks at 4dtech.com asking whether this seemed like a problem with the screen or with the APIM, and they said they've never seen this kind of failure with an APIM; it's really likely I got a second bad screen. Going to try to swap it for a different one from the same eBay seller.

 

 

The issue ultimately was the APIM and not the touch screen. I found this out after replacing the screen twice with the same result. Then I bought a used, working APIM and screen on eBay and that swap corrected the issue. The information I got from 4dtech was incorrect.

This is a potentially expensive fix, but occasionally you can find fairly inexpensive used APIM-and-screen combos in eBay. Or you can take the opportunity to upgrade to SYNC 3.