Ford: Please re-map the duplicative Max Defrost screen button to another function

[FlatcoatFarm]

Let me start by saying that I absolutely love my truck. It’s the fourth EV that we’ve owned (prior EVs: Chevy Bolt, Tesla Y, VW id4), and in my opinion, Ford did the best job of integrating the technology and creating an intuitive, easy to drive experience – a nice combination of physical buttons/dials/knobs and screen navigation interfaces. I’m at ~44k miles, and should hit 50k by year end. Love it.

However, there’s one user interface head scratcher for me, and I would love to see Ford make a change. For some odd reason, we have TWO Max Defrost buttons 4 inches apart from each other – a dedicated physical button, and a touch screen button. I just can’t imagine how that would get through specifications, design, development and testing. Didn’t anyone on the human interface team ever sit in the truck and say, “Wait, we have two Max Defrost buttons!”

But, one of the advantages of a touch screen interface is that it can be re-programmed. I would love to see Ford change the Max Defrost touch screen button to the Recirculation mode. As currently implemented, it takes two button presses to activate the Recirculation, and then a third press to return to the main screen (or, you can wait 10+ seconds or so, and it will return on its own). But once you’ve returned to the main screen, you have no visibility to the activation status of Recirculation. Is it on or off? I seem to find myself in situations where I want to quickly turn Recirculation on, and then know that it is still on (or off) minutes later. The multiple presses on the touchscreen as currently implemented is not a positive human interface experience, and also creates more distraction, forcing you to divert your eyes and interact more with your screen while driving.

However, it’s likely that other Lightning owners may have a different function other than Recirculation that they would like direct access to, vs. navigating two or three levels deep into the screen interface each time. Perhaps Max A/C, Climate Control On/Off, Sport Mode, etc. Each of these functions takes multiple presses on the touch screen. Ford could make this button user-programmable – the user simply holds and presses the button, and can then select one of the several functions that Ford makes available for that custom button.

Anyone else have a similar frustration? What function would you want to replace the Max Defrost button on the screen?

So, Ford, please put this on the feature update list. You can do it! It’s not that difficult. You can implement the change and then send it out via an OTA update. You’ll make a lot of happy Lightning owners a little bit happier (and a little bit safer).

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[TaxmanHog]

This has been a suggestion since day one for many folks, your proposed usage for that space as well, it'll be interesting to see if MY26 has that change, I mean after 4 years, ya would think they might have done something with it by now.

 

[Zprime29]

Yes please, recirculate would awesome. I also often have to toggle the driver focus off which is annoying. It clearly knows that the rear seatbelts are plugged in, so why doesn't it turn off driver focus?

 

[Henry Ford]

Yes please, recirculate would awesome. I also often have to toggle the driver focus off which is annoying. It clearly knows that the rear seatbelts are plugged in, so why doesn't it turn off driver focus?

I was under the impression that the backseat was always conditioned or, said another way, "driver focused" just turns off the front seat passenger HVAC. My reasoning for this belief is there is no third climate zone that can be adjusted, which means the back seat must be adjusted by either the driver's seat or passenger seat HVAC controls.

I assume Ford engineers would account for the situation where children are riding in the back seat with no front seat passenger but maybe that's my bias since I often drive with kids in the backseat with no passenger. Also, my kids rarely complain about the temperature.

I haven't tested my hypothesis.

 

[zakress]

What I would want is to pinch the height of the screen 5/8-3/4” and give me a row of user defined actions that I could even assign macros to. Think a 1 or 2 passenger toggle switch that would adjust the surround centering, turn on massaging seats, adjust the temp to colder vs warmer (partner is habitually cold vs my running hot), and put the truck in Sport, for example.

Hell, just provide an option for external set of programable switches, a la Steam deck, and I’d be a happy boy.

 

[Streak]

Let me start by saying that I absolutely love my truck. It’s the fourth EV that we’ve owned (prior EVs: Chevy Bolt, Tesla Y, VW id4), and in my opinion, Ford did the best job of integrating the technology and creating an intuitive, easy to drive experience – a nice combination of physical buttons/dials/knobs and screen navigation interfaces. I’m at ~44k miles, and should hit 50k by year end. Love it.

However, there’s one user interface head scratcher for me, and I would love to see Ford make a change. For some odd reason, we have TWO Max Defrost buttons 4 inches apart from each other – a dedicated physical button, and a touch screen button. I just can’t imagine how that would get through specifications, design, development and testing. Didn’t anyone on the human interface team ever sit in the truck and say, “Wait, we have two Max Defrost buttons!”

But, one of the advantages of a touch screen interface is that it can be re-programmed. I would love to see Ford change the Max Defrost touch screen button to the Recirculation mode. As currently implemented, it takes two button presses to activate the Recirculation, and then a third press to return to the main screen (or, you can wait 10+ seconds or so, and it will return on its own). But once you’ve returned to the main screen, you have no visibility to the activation status of Recirculation. Is it on or off? I seem to find myself in situations where I want to quickly turn Recirculation on, and then know that it is still on (or off) minutes later. The multiple presses on the touchscreen as currently implemented is not a positive human interface experience, and also creates more distraction, forcing you to divert your eyes and interact more with your screen while driving.

However, it’s likely that other Lightning owners may have a different function other than Recirculation that they would like direct access to, vs. navigating two or three levels deep into the screen interface each time. Perhaps Max A/C, Climate Control On/Off, Sport Mode, etc. Each of these functions takes multiple presses on the touch screen. Ford could make this button user-programmable – the user simply holds and presses the button, and can then select one of the several functions that Ford makes available for that custom button.

Anyone else have a similar frustration? What function would you want to replace the Max Defrost button on the screen?

So, Ford, please put this on the feature update list. You can do it! It’s not that difficult. You can implement the change and then send it out via an OTA update. You’ll make a lot of happy Lightning owners a little bit happier (and a little bit safer).

Absolutely agree!
Would love to see that "2nd" MAX DEF button repurposed.
As I do a lot of driving on dusty cottage roads and use the recirculation function a lot and agree several push strokes to activate, then several push strokes to check if it's off or turn it off..., very distracting to say the least.
To be honest, I'd prefer all the lower screen functions to be push buttons, but owning a platinum gets the big screen...

But just to say, I do love my '23 Lightning. I've owned lots of vehicles/trucks over the years and by far this is my favourite one and I tell everyone who asks about it.
It's a shame all this range anxiety and electrified vehicle bashing by some has led people to believe this is not a fantastic truck.
By far the smoothest, quietest most fun to drive truck I've been in.
In my opinion Ford hit a homerun with this first kick at the cat. I was so looking forward to seeing what the 2nd Gen would be but seems potentially with the lack of adoption impart created by the "haters", it seems as if Ford is going in a different different direction, but yet to be seen.
Keep up the good work Ford, but keep those OTAs coming! Just got my "walk away door locking function" - love it!

 

[RLXXI]

If the max ac light is on, so is recirc. Adjust air flow and temp as needed. It would be nice to have a dedicated recirc button, have one in my work van I like to use when passing a landfill and when stuck in traffic.

 

[Zprime29]

I was under the impression that the backseat was always conditioned or, said another way, "driver focused" just turns off the front seat passenger HVAC. My reasoning for this belief is there is no third climate zone that can be adjusted, which means the back seat must be adjusted by either the driver's seat or passenger seat HVAC controls.

I assume Ford engineers would account for the situation where children are riding in the back seat with no front seat passenger but maybe that's my bias since I often drive with kids in the backseat with no passenger. Also, my kids rarely complain about the temperature.

I haven't tested my hypothesis.

I've been operating based on the assumption that driver focused limits air flow everywhere except driver. Makes me wonder how you test what (if anything) it does when toggling it off.

Does it turn off automatically for passenger occupants? I can't recall, I'm just used to turning it off to make sure good airflow all around.

 

[Timeless Epoch]

A manual battery conditioning button.

 

[Perry]

I’d like to see it remapped to Max AC.

 

[jefrank]

Let me start by saying that I absolutely love my truck. It’s the fourth EV that we’ve owned (prior EVs: Chevy Bolt, Tesla Y, VW id4), and in my opinion, Ford did the best job of integrating the technology and creating an intuitive, easy to drive experience – a nice combination of physical buttons/dials/knobs and screen navigation interfaces. I’m at ~44k miles, and should hit 50k by year end. Love it.

However, there’s one user interface head scratcher for me, and I would love to see Ford make a change. For some odd reason, we have TWO Max Defrost buttons 4 inches apart from each other – a dedicated physical button, and a touch screen button. I just can’t imagine how that would get through specifications, design, development and testing. Didn’t anyone on the human interface team ever sit in the truck and say, “Wait, we have two Max Defrost buttons!”

But, one of the advantages of a touch screen interface is that it can be re-programmed. I would love to see Ford change the Max Defrost touch screen button to the Recirculation mode. As currently implemented, it takes two button presses to activate the Recirculation, and then a third press to return to the main screen (or, you can wait 10+ seconds or so, and it will return on its own). But once you’ve returned to the main screen, you have no visibility to the activation status of Recirculation. Is it on or off? I seem to find myself in situations where I want to quickly turn Recirculation on, and then know that it is still on (or off) minutes later. The multiple presses on the touchscreen as currently implemented is not a positive human interface experience, and also creates more distraction, forcing you to divert your eyes and interact more with your screen while driving.

However, it’s likely that other Lightning owners may have a different function other than Recirculation that they would like direct access to, vs. navigating two or three levels deep into the screen interface each time. Perhaps Max A/C, Climate Control On/Off, Sport Mode, etc. Each of these functions takes multiple presses on the touch screen. Ford could make this button user-programmable – the user simply holds and presses the button, and can then select one of the several functions that Ford makes available for that custom button.

Anyone else have a similar frustration? What function would you want to replace the Max Defrost button on the screen?

So, Ford, please put this on the feature update list. You can do it! It’s not that difficult. You can implement the change and then send it out via an OTA update. You’ll make a lot of happy Lightning owners a little bit happier (and a little bit safer).

I've had to :slap" my wife's hand multiple times when she goes to press that on-screen button thinking it's Max A/C. lol

 

[Runaway Tractor]

It took Ford 3 years to put the battery percentage on the screen. Don't hold your breath on this happening

 

[xwing]

I vote for this change.

 

[TechnoSwiss]

Yup, should be an easy quick software change, it's needed, but I'm not holding my breath.

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