Farley: We'll fix MyFord problems
Consumer Reports says modified system 'stinks'
 | Jim Farley: We'll stay on the case. |
Reprints
Print
Respond
DETROIT -- Unfazed by Consumer Reports' latest scathing criticisms of the MyFord Touch system, Jim Farley, Ford Motor Co.'s global marketing chief, said the company will not shy away from its commitment to industry-leading technology.
"We have an obligation to listen to feedback and do everything we can," Farley said last week in an interview. Ford will devote "whatever resources are required to make the system more usable."
The latest criticism "won't change our commitment to being a leader in infotainment," he said. "We want to be the best at it even if it means we have to improve the usability forever."
Farley was responding to the Consumer Reports blog "Why the MyFord Touch control system stinks." In the blog, Eric Evarts, the magazine's senior automotive editor, wrote that the magazine "wouldn't recommend dealing with the frustrations of MyFord Touch on a daily basis even to an adversary."
The magazine has said repeatedly that the systems are full of bugs, too complicated to use, and potentially unsafe because they require drivers to take their eyes off the road.
After an earlier round of critiques from Consumer Reports and J.D. Power and Associates, Ford this year updated MyFord Touch extensively on 2013 models. In March, Ford sent update kits to about 300,000
owners who had bought vehicles equipped with the first-generation version.
MyFord Touch and MyLincoln Touch eliminate many buttons and knobs in favor of a touch screen and voice commands.
The Consumer Reports blog says the system remains problematic even after the software upgrade, that the buttons below the screen are difficult to distinguish unless a driver looks directly at them, the voice commands are cumbersome, and, on some models, the screens are too cluttered. Said Farley: "According to our consumers, 56 percent say technology was an important part of their buying a Ford, and that's significantly higher than other brands.
"There are functional benefits you get from the system that you wouldn't get if you didn't buy a car with MyFord Touch or MyLincoln Touch."
You can reach Bradford Wernle at bwernle@crain.com.
