Sync not recognizing voice

[nathan_nathaniel]

I have a new F150 with SYNC. Voice recognition has worked only rarely. For example I say "Call Reliable Painters" and it replies " Call IDA Drugs?". WHAT??? But if I say "call Christine," it always works.... Until today. Today SYNC is deaf to my voice, just as some others here have reported.

 

How come my iPhone can understand my voice 100% of the time, but SYNC is so clueless? And when it refuses to recognize your voice at all, how do you fix it?

[kgr132]

+1 more.

2012 Fiesta. 1 month and 3 days old. 1600 miles.

Sync voice recognition worked this morning. This evening it's a no go.

Called Sync support and was walked through the "hard reset" and fuse pulling stuff.

Still down. They told me to waste a day of my life and take it to the dealer.

[xr793]

I'm having the same issue with my 2012 Ford Fusion. It worked fine yesterday morning and has worked fine everytime before that, last night Sync stopped hearing my commands in Phone and USB modes. I also notice that when using the steering wheel next button in SAT mode it advances 1 or 2 stations past the next station / 1 or 2 stations previous to where I wanted to go. The dealer says I need to hold the button down, not press it. If I hold it down it will cycle through all of my stations.

[mrtdg]

I have a 2010 Focus. Droid's been working for 13 months now it can't understand a word I say. Callers understand me using bluetooth handsfree but the voice dialer is braindead. Pulled battery on phone to no avail. Hasn't worked for a week now and I am not happy. Out of warranty and they want money to even look at it.

 

Why is there no FAQ or official support for this issue. Obviously it affects lots of people.

[rockchie]

has everyone tried to see if they are on the latest update for sync?

and the dealership doesnt know have the time what to do because they are given

the same stuff you are, basica modules and information.

 

mocrosoft is the root of the problem not the dealerships but either way its just a matter of time and updates

to truely fix the problem.

[John Rahn]

Hello Sync Users,

First, I would like to say that I was astonished that there were no answers to the voice problems from all the reported problems. All the trips to the dealer, replaced microphones, etc. resulted in no fixes and Ford refuses to even admit there is a problem other than to say "bring it in and we will put it on the computer for $110 then tell you what you need"!

I bought a 2011 Ford Fusion SEL for my daughter. All was well for several weeks then, guess what, the Sync would not recognize her voice inputs. Here is what I was able to surmise. May not be right for you but it DID work for her.

1) Electronics are a bit fussy over a constant and proper power supply. Her battery was probably original when we got her the car and so it was pushing 4 model years old. Some say, Oh, a battery is good for x number of years and you don't need a new one. Well, I went to Batteries Plus and had a load test run on the battery and it was showing 415 CCA (cold cranking amps) and should have been at 500. So, I replaced it with a new one.

2) Before battery replacement, we were fooling around with the Sync pairing phones, downloading phone books, streaming music, etc. and ended up running the battery down. I had to charge it with a battery charger to get the car to start. Now, this may or may not have affected the Sync but I am suspicious that it did as it stopped recognizing her voice commands shortly thereafter.

3) The fuse that controls the Sync module is under the drivers side near the emergency brake. The fuse number is 13. Pulling this for awhile (I used about 30 minutes) seems to work better for resetting the Sync than doing a Master Reset or Factory Reset. I have heard that the Sync microphone has a tendency to build up a capacitance effectively disabling it. This may or may not be true but it does'nt hurt to bleed off the possibility for insurance. Pulling the fuse or disconnecting the battery (but you lose your radio presets) will eliminate this possibility.

4) With the new battery and pulling the number 13 fuse (and replacing it of course), we have not experienced anymore microphone/non-voice recognition issues.

Now, don't jump all over me calling me an idiot etc. if this does'nt work for you. I'm just taking the time to relate what "MIGHT" help to solve this issue. Best of luck because you sure won't get Ford to solve this problem for you!

[ltlrags]

Some things may have changed in the 3 years since this thread was started, but one thing remains the same: sometimes SYNC goes deaf (stops hearing voice commands). If that's the case, here's the fix:

1. Remove the key from the ignition
2. Check your owners manual for the fuse configuration (look up "fuse" in the index in the back)
3. When you find the right page for INTERIOR FUSES (not engine compartment fuses), look for the fuse for "Voice Control." If your car doesn't have that, look for something similar or something related to SYNC. It's fuse 32 in the 2014 Fusion. Also read the instructions for finding the fuse panel since Ford cleverly hides it from the likes of us.
4. Remove the fuse
5. With the fuse OUT, insert the key and turn until you can use the radio. If the radio/SYNC won't come on, then you have the right fuse.
6. TURN THE KEY OFF.
7. Clean the fuse connections (a pencil eraser works great)
8. Replace the fuse
9. Turn the key on and the radio/SYNC. WAIT about 30 seconds, then try the voice command button. If you were successful, it should work. If not, make that painful appointment with your dealer.

Contrary to what people say here, you DON'T have to wait 30 minutes after you take out the fuse. The loss of electricity to the device is immediate - there is no battery backup inside the radio. Just clean the fuse to keep this from reoccurring, which is a common complaint here.

Edited August 13, 2015 by ltlrags