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Sync 3 Eternally "Loading"...

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Old Jul 9, 2019 | 09:34 AM
  #1  
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Sync 3 Eternally "Loading"...

Hey guys, for the past year or so, my 2017 F250 with sync 3 has randomly shown "loading" on the screen after starting the truck. The radio keeps playing as it was when I shut the truck off but you can't change the station. If you press the power button 3 times, it will turn off. If you then press it 2 more times, it will turn back on and be back to normal. It's gotten to the point now where 50% of the time when I turn the truck on, it does this. Does anyone else have this issue? Once you go through the process of pressing the power button 5 times, everything works fine so I'm debating whether or not to see about having it warrantied. I'm attaching a picture of the screen I'm referring to as well as a picture of my current sync build.

 
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Old Jul 9, 2019 | 01:49 PM
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Mine did this too. I got it fixed under warranty under a defective APIM module. Funny thing is, it only started it after i flashed from 2.3 to 3.0.

Of course, this was also the fix for the fuzziness in my cameras....or so they said. I saw a bigger improvement by adding dielectric grease to the rear connector than replacing the APIM.
 
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Old Jul 9, 2019 | 01:56 PM
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Another reason I'm not excited to go to the dealer is because I have the nav-tv camera unit installed so I'll have to uninstall it first.
 
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Old Jul 10, 2019 | 02:46 PM
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[QUOTE=stangman68inftc;18745033]Hey guys, for the past year or so, my 2017 F250 with sync 3 has randomly shown "loading" on the screen after starting the truck. The radio keeps playing as it was when I shut the truck off but you can't change the station. If you press the power button 3 times, it will turn off. If you then press it 2 more times, it will turn back on and be back to normal. It's gotten to the point now where 50% of the time when I turn the truck on, it does this. Does anyone else have this issue? Once you go through the process of pressing the power button 5 times, everything works fine so I'm debating whether or not to see about having it warrantied. I'm attaching a picture of the screen I'm referring to as well as a picture of my current sync build.

[/QUOTE
I hate to tell you this but you need a new APIM.
If you’re still under the bumper to bumper mileage warranty, remove the NAV-TV before taking it in and reinstall it after the APIM has been replaced.
 
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Old Jul 11, 2019 | 12:38 PM
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My 2017 F450 has also been doing this intermittently for about a year. I assumed it was a software glitch since it seem to have appeared after a Synch update. Didnt think to much about it until reading this thread and decided to have dealer look at it before it was out of warranty. Went to Osseo Ford in Osseo WI and those guys were great. It was lunch hour but service manager and the computer tech expert guy dropped everything and got my truck hooked up to some diagnostic equipment. The computer indicated my truck needed a APIM update that was released to address this specific problem. Not a hardware replacement but software update. Made appointment for next week to have it done. Being full time RV'ers on the road we can't always get back to dealer I bought from who is also a great dealer....Fremont Ford in Fremont MI. Osseo Ford did an oil change for me a year ago while visiting Eau Claire and I was impressed with them then. This service call reinforces my appreciation for this dealership. Despite the many negative threads out there about 'stealerships' that hasn't been my experience after using dealerships across the country for various things. Anyway, anyone else with this problem may want to see if their truck APIM just needs the update.
 
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Old Jul 30, 2019 | 05:14 PM
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I finally got a chance to remove my navtv and take the truck to the dealer. They are replacing the APIM. Out of curiosity, would the APIM be out of warranty after to bumper to bumper 36k/3yr or would it go until the 60k/5yr? I'm still under 36 but wondering if it went out again down the road.
 
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Old Jul 30, 2019 | 08:28 PM
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Originally Posted by stangman68inftc
I finally got a chance to remove my navtv and take the truck to the dealer. They are replacing the APIM. Out of curiosity, would the APIM be out of warranty after to bumper to bumper 36k/3yr or would it go until the 60k/5yr? I'm still under 36 but wondering if it went out again down the road.
That type of item would fall under the 3/36. If it fails again and you’re just outside of 3/36, you may have a case to ask for some kind of assistance since it failed once but that’s about it.. unless the manufacturer offers an extension on that module but I haven’t heard of anything like that
 
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Old Jul 31, 2019 | 07:20 AM
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Originally Posted by stangman68inftc
I finally got a chance to remove my navtv and take the truck to the dealer. They are replacing the APIM. Out of curiosity, would the APIM be out of warranty after to bumper to bumper 36k/3yr or would it go until the 60k/5yr? I'm still under 36 but wondering if it went out again down the road.
3/36.

I’m not sure if you’re interested but have you considered purchasing a Ford Premium ESP?

These days, newer vehicles are so complex that purchasing a manufacturer branded ESP is money well spent.

If the APIM fails again, you’ll be looking at close to $1K to have it replaced.

Just something to think about.
 
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Old Aug 6, 2019 | 09:10 AM
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So they ended up replacing the APIM but it's continued to do the same thing since then. I'm out of town for a week but will be taking it back to the dealer and we'll see what the next step is.
 
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Old Aug 6, 2019 | 11:29 AM
  #10  
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Originally Posted by stangman68inftc
So they ended up replacing the APIM but it's continued to do the same thing since then. I'm out of town for a week but will be taking it back to the dealer and we'll see what the next step is.
My earlier post about the software update didn't work either. I guess I don't feel so bad that I didn't have my APIM replaced since that may not cure it either. It's really a minor nuisance since everything works and I only occasionally have to turn the unit on then off. Wonder what the permanent fix is?
 
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Old Aug 6, 2019 | 01:30 PM
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I had my APIM replaced last summer but it wasn't doing that. The GPS started to show the wrong location and then it went out all together. The unit was slow to respond to anything and after the APIM completely failed the unit wouldn't respond to any button presses whatsoever. It was a process that took several months from the onset of performance related issues to complete uselessness. Once you restart your unit and get past that "loading" screen do you have any performance related issues? I'm thinking your issue has to do more with the headunit software than the APIM (especially since replacing your APIM didn't fix it). If it were me I'd download the most current SW version posted and reload and see if that resolves your issue.

To answer the other questions that may be moot at this point (in this thread anyway), the APIM is not covered after the 3/36 warranty unless you have an extended warranty. But, all is not lost. APIM issues have been plaguing Ford for years and Ford has extended the APIM warranty out for some models that have known issues. I'm not sure if this is the case for the Superduty...but it should be given that having your APIM replaced within 20 months of ownership isn't unusual.
 
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Old Aug 16, 2019 | 12:38 PM
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Mine was doing the exact same thing, here are the links so you can see what it’s doing!!! FYI, my APIM is getting replaced as we type at the stealership.


The first one is just plain jacked up, the second is just plain annoying and not working/blinding in the AM

jason
 
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Old Aug 23, 2019 | 01:20 PM
  #13  
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Originally Posted by stangman68inftc
So they ended up replacing the APIM but it's continued to do the same thing since then. I'm out of town for a week but will be taking it back to the dealer and we'll see what the next step is.
Took it back to the dealer, they ended up replacing the APIM a second time. When I picked it up, I went to start the truck and it did it again so the technician came out and looked at it and made it sound like they were troubleshooting a different issue the whole time. Now they're contacting the Ford hotline to see what to do next. He thinks it needs an ACM (I think that's what he called it).
 
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