Ford App and PAAK completely non-functional

[BriyGuyUSA]

Hi all,

I had to sign into the Ford app this morning - I think because I changed my email address. After signing in, the phone as a key had been removed. No worries, used my backup passcode and was able to run my errands and get back home.

Trying to set it back up now, I have been through deleting and setup process in the app at least 5 or 6 times and it appears to work, but my truck can not see it the phone as a key. I go though the reset of PAAK on the truck and it is now refusing to complete the reset. I try to start the truck with a configured phone and I get a prompt telling me that the backup password is not set. I got through the process to setup up the backup passcode and it tells me it cant see the PAAK device.

Now I cant seem to use the phone app to lock or unlock the truck or operate the frunk/trunk. Range on the app is different to range displayed on the truck so I think the app is now disconnected from the truck.

Any ideas on how to get this working again? It was all working just fine until I was kicked out of my account in the app.

Side note, had to use the key fob a couple of times today and I thought it was just the truck being slow in the past when trying to use PAAK. It is working instantly with the key fob - no more frustrating "key not found" or stood waiting for the truck to recognize that I was trying to open a locked door with the phone in my other hand and the app open. I may just give up with PAAK and start using the fob.

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[GDN]

Pull the 12v battery cable for a few minutes. Let it all reset and start from scratch on the delete/setup.

 

[chl]

I think that was one side-effect of the latest infection from Ford, I mean OTA from Ford...

 

[25StarWhiteLightning]

Is your phone paired to another nearby car through Carplay or Android Auto? Maybe it quick pairs to that before you get your truck? Your bluetooth and wifi are on?

 

[BriyGuyUSA]

So I was finally able to do a PAAK reset from the console after re-adding it and it still being in the failed state.

After the PAAK reset, I uninstalled FordPass, restarted my phone and re-installed FordPass again. Deleted the phone from CarPlay too and then ran through the PAAK setup again. Appeared to work but didn't ask me to setup a backup passcode so did that manually. Then, after starting it with the phone, it popped up saying that I had not set a backup password. Went through the process of setting that up (again) and it said a backup password has already been set for this phone. Shutdown and restarted the vehicle and said the same message again. Turned Bluetooth and wifi off on my phone and started it fine with the backup passcode fine. Started it with the phone again and no popup. So, I think I'm in a good spot now. That said, my trust in the whole setup had been eroded so I bought this and plan to hide the key inside somewhere https://www.amazon.com/Protector-Blocking-Double-Layers-Shielding-Anti-Theft/dp/B0B4DCLY87

Certainly feels like a software bug, either with the truck or with iOS.

 

[richguy82]

I had similar issue recently where my battery percentage and status were not updating in the app. I couldn’t remote start or check anything else. Only thing that worked was lock and unlock. After doing a bunch of shut downs, restarts and deletes. I disconnected the 12V and that fixed those problems. Unfortunately, it’s been 4 days now and I still can’t set departure times, and view my target charge locations in order to set my max charge. I have a persistent message in the second tab about Vehicle Connectivity being turned off. It’s definitely not off and I have tried toggling it on and off multiple times. 14 months of flawless use and now it’s really pissing me off.

 

[25StarWhiteLightning]

That sounds like a weak 12V battery? Do you leave it plugged in when parked? Or leave it for a long time between driving? Or only drive very short distances?

 

[richguy82]

My 12v is brand new. Warranty replaced it a few weeks ago. Voltage good. Ford suggested the issue may lie with some trucks getting updated while they were charging. I don’t think they are supposed to do that. It was certainly a first for me. Especially since I turned off automatic updates that evening.

 

[ktom]

PAAK is my absolute biggest gripe, annoyance, disappointment of this vehicle. I have had to reset, set PAAK, more than 30 times over 3 years. Always hoping that Ford has figured out how to make this reliable.

I have called the ford people soooo many times I have this cheat sheet. Note, this cheat sheet doesn't guarantee results. This is the flow the ford people will have you do. Feel free to throw salt over your shoulder or turn your head and cough. Success, for me, is random regardless of the LVB status. I have had the PAAK stop working after just a few days.

I have accepted that PAAK is not dependable and always have my key with me. I have learned that the backup code does work when the PAAK fails.

 

[BriyGuyUSA]

PAAK is my absolute biggest gripe, annoyance, disappointment of this vehicle. I have had to reset, set PAAK, more than 30 times over 3 years. Always hoping that Ford has figured out how to make this reliable.

I have called the ford people soooo many times I have this cheat sheet. Note, this cheat sheet doesn't guarantee results. This is the flow the ford people will have you do. Feel free to throw salt over your shoulder or turn your head and cough. Success, for me, is random regardless of the LVB status. I have had the PAAK stop working after just a few days.

I have accepted that PAAK is not dependable and always have my key with me. I have learned that the backup code does work when the PAAK fails.

That's a great flowchart and useful for troubleshooting. Will hang onto it!

 

[reddog21]

PAAK is my absolute biggest gripe, annoyance, disappointment of this vehicle. I have had to reset, set PAAK, more than 30 times over 3 years. Always hoping that Ford has figured out how to make this reliable.

I have called the ford people soooo many times I have this cheat sheet. Note, this cheat sheet doesn't guarantee results. This is the flow the ford people will have you do. Feel free to throw salt over your shoulder or turn your head and cough. Success, for me, is random regardless of the LVB status. I have had the PAAK stop working after just a few days.

I have accepted that PAAK is not dependable and always have my key with me. I have learned that the backup code does work when the PAAK fails.

I wonder what the difference is since I have been using it for just about 2 years and it has never failed not even once. It's been slow to respond but never actually failed.

 

[BriyGuyUSA]

I wonder what the difference is since I have been using it for just about 2 years and it has never failed not even once. It's been slow to respond but never actually failed.

I’ve been using it without issue (other than it being slow) since I got my truck in June last year. Even went through the PAAK replacement over Christmas with my new phone without a hiccup.

I work in software so I know these weird software issues happen and it’s very hard to diagnose them. I wish there was a way to get to the log files so I could see what was going on.

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