Ford "Vehicle Health Report"

March 19, 2019, 04:29 PM

V-Tail

This happens at random times: I will be driving along, minding my own business, and suddenly, out of the blue, a loud voice asks if I want to run a vehicle health report.

Totally unexpected and since I am alone in the car, very startling. I have no idea what a vehicle health report is. Can anybody enlighten me?

This is a 2010 Ford Edge. I have checked the owner's manual; if the vehicle health report is explained in the manual, I could not find it.

What is this thing?

March 19, 2019, 04:31 PM

olfuzzy

I sometimes hear voices myself

March 19, 2019, 04:34 PM

P250UA5

Our Flex does it on occasion. I think it just reports diagnostic information to the mothership.
Probably things like mileage, oil life, etc.

Not sure if there's a way to disable it.

Edit: More at the Ford website
https://owner.ford.com/tools/a...vehicle-healthy.html

quote:
With SYNC® Vehicle Health Alerts & Vehicle Health Reports
Vehicle Health Alerts & Vehicle Health Reports are the key Owner resources in providing diagnostic, maintenance and recall information as well as recommended actions so that you can worry less about your vehicle’s well-being and better enjoy your time on the road.*

Let Vehicle Health Alerts and Vehicle Health Reports keep you updated on everything from general wear and tear to serious issues including but not limited to:

Your Oil Life and when you need to schedule an oil change
When it’s time to check or change important fluids and filters
Engine or Suspension evaluation requiring the expertise of a Ford technician
Log in to your Owner account to review your options or your vehicle’s status.

March 19, 2019, 04:34 PM

YooperSigs

My Silverado e-mails me a similar report every month.
I would guess the Ford system does it through the on board diagnostic system. But doing it through the cars speakers seems odd. Your dealer may be able to shut it down.

March 19, 2019, 04:41 PM

V-Tail

quote:
Originally posted by YooperSigs:

doing it through the cars speakers seems odd.

I don't remember the exact wording of the message, but the voice says something about pressing "OK."

I'll listen carefully next time it happens and if it doesn't startle me into ramming a tree, I'll note the exact message and report back here.

March 19, 2019, 04:42 PM

Rightwire

Mine is set to do it manually only. When I trigger the process it doesn't thing, then places a call through my phone to an 800 #. A few minutes later I get the Gmail with the full report.

March 19, 2019, 04:53 PM

trapper189

In my case I downloaded an app, Ford Pass, which lets me view the Vehicle Health Report on my phone. I only did this so I could see the remaining oil life. For whatever reason, there's no way to see this on the giant touchscreen the car comes with.

My limited understanding is the car uses your cell phone to send information to Ford. Ford compares the information to a service information database for your car and recommends maintenance for your car, so you don't have to check the service intervals manually in the manual. In order to see this, you need the app or an account with Ford you can log into from a computer.

Information about it may not be in the manual for your car, but rather a separate manual for Sync.

March 19, 2019, 04:55 PM

chellim1

Big Brother is watching...

"Some things are apparent. Where government moves in, community retreats, civil society disintegrates and our ability to control our own destiny atrophies. The result is: families under siege; war in the streets; unapologetic expropriation of property; the precipitous decline of the rule of law; the rapid rise of corruption; the loss of civility and the triumph of deceit. The result is a debased, debauched culture which finds moral depravity entertaining and virtue contemptible."
-- Justice Janice Rogers Brown

"The United States government is the largest criminal enterprise on earth."
-rduckwor

March 19, 2019, 04:58 PM

V-Tail

quote:
Originally posted by Rightwire:
Mine is set to do it manually only. When I trigger the process it doesn't thing, then places a call through my phone to an 800 #. A few minutes later I get the Gmail with the full report.

Where is the setting to do this manually? I could not find anything about it in the handbook.

Would you mind sending me a copy of a report that was mailed to you? I would like to see what sort of information is on the report. My email address is in my profile.

I do have a bit of concern about what information goes to the 800 number, and who has access to it. Tinfoil hat here, but there might be things that I feel are nobody's business except mine and maybe the service shop that I use (not a Ford dealer).

If you mail me a copy of the report, feel free to edit it. I am not interested in the actual values of your data, I just want to see what the data items are (does that make sense, the way I wrote it?)

March 19, 2019, 05:04 PM

V-Tail

quote:
Originally posted by trapper189:
In my case I downloaded an app, Ford Pass, which lets me view the Vehicle Health Report on my phone. I only did this so I could see the remaining oil life. For whatever reason, there's no way to see this on the giant touchscreen the car comes with.

My limited understanding is the car uses your cell phone to send information to Ford. Ford compares the information to a service information database for your car and recommends maintenance for your car, so you don't have to check the service intervals manually in the manual. In order to see this, you need the app or an account with Ford you can log into from a computer.

Information about it may not be in the manual for your car, but rather a separate manual for Sync.

Ah, I believe that I do have a separate manual for Sync. I'll check and see if this topic is covered in that book.

No touchscreen in my car, I don't have a nav system, nor a rear-view camera, just a basic radio that I never turn on since I'm hearing impaired and it's just not worth the effort for me to try to listen to anything.

I'm not really crazy about the idea of my car sending data to Ford. Not unless I know what type of data are being sent, and who has access to it. I guess that privacy is a thing of the past.

March 19, 2019, 05:09 PM

Loaded Round

Hi V-Tail

The 2010 Edge we had did the same thing. Then it suddenly stopped. I never really figured it out.

I found this article. Might be of help?

https://owner.ford.com/tools/a...scontinued-faqs.html

Good Luck

ETA:

I dug into it a bit further. Click What actions do I need to take? It has instructions on how to turn it off.

March 19, 2019, 05:19 PM

egregore

If that were my car, I'd be finding a way to shut that POS off pronto.

March 19, 2019, 05:19 PM

trapper189

Sending the information is optional as is getting the report.

I did decline to send speed and location information to Ford.

March 19, 2019, 05:20 PM

V-Tail

quote:
Originally posted by Loaded Round:
Hi V-Tail

The 2010 Edge we had did the same thing. Then it suddenly stopped. I never really figured it out.

I found this article. Might be of help?

https://owner.ford.com/tools/a...scontinued-faqs.html

Good Luck

ETA:

I dug into it a bit further. Click What actions do I need to take? It has instructions on how to turn it off.

Thanks for that information. I'll see if i can turn it off using those instructions. Conflicting information, though: the link says that this service was discontinued August first of last year. Evidently my car does not know this, I got the nagging voice message today.

Edit: Reading is FUNdamental. Upon carefully reading the FAQ's that you linked, it seems that the "service" has been discontinued, but the nagging reminders will continue. Looks like the procedure does not stop the service, since that has been discontinued, it just stops the reminders.

March 19, 2019, 05:21 PM

V-Tail

quote:
Originally posted by trapper189:
Sending the information is optional as is getting the report.

I did decline to send speed and location information to Ford.

How do you choose what information is sent?

March 19, 2019, 05:50 PM

trapper189

You know I had to go out to my car in the rain to figure this out?

On my giant touchscreen, hit settings, mobile apps. There's two choices, All Apps and Ford Pass. Hitting either one brings up the following screen:

March 19, 2019, 06:23 PM

V-Tail

quote:
Originally posted by trapper189:

You know I had to go out to my car in the rain to figure this out?

On my giant touchscreen, hit settings, mobile apps.

Is it raining there? Not here, in the Orlando area.

Mine does not have a great big giant touchscreen. It doesn't even have an itsy bitsy tiny touchscreen. No display screen of any kind.

All I have is old fashioned numbers and stuff.

I guess it's academic, anyway. Per the FAQ link that Loaded Round published, the service was discontinued half a year ago, but the nagging reminders will continue until they are turned off. I'll see if the procedure to turn them off, works for me.