First and foremost:
I cannot believe how crappy SYNC is.
Second: This is in regards to my 2015 Focus using plain old SYNC (not SYNC 3 or SYNC MFT, no voice-navigation either).
I've ran into just about every problem imaginable when it comes to SYNC. I've had files deemed "unreadable" or "corrupted" that work fine through my PC and PS4, I've had USB devices randomly disconnect, I've had devices unable to recharge because of the USB. I've had voice problems. I've had phone problems. But this one here is what's making me tear my hair out (this time, at least).
USB devices simply are not detected.
Case in point: I have a 64GB USB 3.0 PNY thumbdrive. It works flawlessly with everything but, you guessed it, SYNC. Originally, I had a whole mess of music on there that was working well enough for my purposes. One day, I noticed that a LOT of the id3 tags were incorrect. I removed the drive and plugged it into my computer, only to find the id3 were actually correct, but were not displayed correctly through SYNC. Confused, I transferred the USB back to my vehicle, only to find that they were still incorrect. Frustrated, I went to the magic Google machine, and learned that FAT32 is a better partition than what I was using NTFS when it comes to SYNC. Thinking that might help me avoid this problem and potential future ones, I formatted the drive to FAT32, put my music back on, and plugged it into my car's USB port. It has not been recognized since.
I have tried the following to absolutely no avail:
1. Reformatting to NTFS
2. Reformatting to ex-FAT
3. Used a different thumbdrive (a 2.0, attempted with all three partitions)
4. Allotted the car ample time to rest before plugging the drive back in
5. Allotted the car ample time to read the device (sitting for 10 minutes burning gas, hoping it was just being slow)
6. SYNC Master Reset
7. SYNC reversion to factory defaults
8. Screaming and cursing
I've tried everything I could think of to get this damn thing to work. I even tried to update, thinking there'd be some weird way it'd smell my USB drive if there were an installation file present. Nope. It just refuses to work. I've looked everywhere online, asked fellow Ford SYNC owners, and even threatened to leave my car for a new Honda. Nothing, nothing, and nothing.
If I need to take it in, I'd like to know that as soon as possible. I drive alone 99% of the time and do not want to have to use my phone or a line-in while driving, as I'm not fond of committing moving violations (or paying the resulting fines). If there is, however, some magical workaround, I'd much rather try that than go through a dealership; they don't often know what to do, and it still costs me money just for them to look.
Suggestions are appreciated. Please forgive my cross nature; it's just that my frustration with this machine is mounting. I paid a whole lot of money to make sure I had SYNC in my vehicle, due to the MASSIVE convenience it'd bring, but instead I'm here begging for help.
Thank you in advance.