2014 Escape Sync audio problems

Have you figured out the problem yet? I've done all the same things to try and fix, but no use....still no sound.

You can try this. It didn’t work on mine.

This sounds promising. The dealership went through my factory warranty and the extended warranty but they’re both expired.

Did you find a solution to this? Mine is doing the same thing along with loud feedback from Speakers (before the audio went out completely)

It appears to be a mystery....same thing happened to our 2014 Escape Titanium. No sounds at all. Having no stereo is frustrating, but no sensors is dangerous. Please advise if anyone has an answer to this problem even Ford mechanical experts can’t figure out.

The dealership told me it will be $600 for a new radio module — they are ordering the part but are only “80 percent sure” that is the fix. Waiting for installation.

Same for mine. Car is only 5 years old. I will never buy Ford again

I've had the same issue for several months now. After reading several forums, it seems to be a common problem, and not only in the Escape, but other Ford models, too. :(

I am having the same problem. There was a loud crackling noise and the next day no sound, no Bluetooth capability, and can’t change stations. I couldn’t see the pictures Farmboy90 displayed. I am going on a long trip so no radio with an 8 year old would be excruciating especially since she likes to sing with me and it keeps her entertained. My husband even disconnected battery, disabled blue tooth on phone and car and reconnected/reset. Nothing!

My husband have also tried different things and nothing. I can’t believe this is an issue and the Ford mechanics don’t know. We have a dud. My husband did say not to get a Ford he was right. Not have a radio or using my phone through my car sucks. I’m very disappointed. I will definitely not buy a Ford again.

I've had this exact problem twice on my 2013 Escape SE. It appears to be an iPhone/SYNC Bluetooth connectivity problem as mentioned in a previous response to this thread. Here is how I solved it. With the iPhone in hand and car turned off, go into Settings on the iPhone and turn off Bluetooth or alternatively, put the phone in Airplane mode. Then turn on the car. There will still be no audio and SYNC will report on the Home screen that it is searching for the iPhone. Wait until the search for the iPhone times out. Turn off your car. Turn the iPhone's Bluetooth back on (or disable Airplane mode). Restart the car. The iPhone should reconnect to SYNC and normal audio should be restored. Each time I had this problem, my iPhone Music app was activated somehow (not by me), hence the confusion by SYNC about what audio feed to play. Long story short, the car needs to be turned on and off without the iPhone in proximity or trying to connect. This resets the Bluetooth connection with SYNC. Why don't dealers know this? Mine didn't. Do NOT spend $600 for a new radio module. This appears to be a software bug, not hardware. Fwiw, I've driven three Ford Escapes since 2003 and they've always been reliable despite rare oddball quirks like this.

We followed your instructions , it worked perfectly!!! Radio and phone are working in my Ford Escape again Thank you so much!!! Brilliant! Sheri

I am trying to reset this. However I have and Android and I never connected it to the Sync my ride. Sometimes I would get a loud crackling noise and later that day it may work or it may not. But next day would work. I could not see a pattern to it. Now mine has gone out completely after really loud crackling. I just paired my phone to it and I can receive calls and I tried to follow the instructions above but still no audio. I love my 2013 Escape!

This program provides additional warranty coverage for APIM software upgrades and APIM replacement. Coverage has been extended to five years of service from the warranty start date of the vehicle on Ford vehicles, and six years on Lincoln vehicles, regardless of mileage. Coverage is automatically transferred to subsequent owners. VEHICLES COVERED BY THIS PROGRAM Certain 2011-2014 model year vehicles equipped with SYNC and MyFord/MyLincoln Touch as noted below. 2011 MY 2012 MY 2013 MY 2014 MY C-MAX X X Edge X X X X Explorer X X X X Escape X X F-150 X X F-Super Duty X X Fiesta X Flex X X Focus X X X Fusion X X MKS X X MKT X X MKX X X X X MKZ X X Taurus X X Transit Connect X

I have a 2015 escape and the entertainment says unavailable. Nothing is working. Any suggestions?

I also have had same issues- when it first happened dealer said it was the APIM. Which extended warranty paid for with my $100 deductible. APIM replaced and all audio worked fine...for 1 week!!! Then the crackling, intermittent sound, no bluetooth, back up beep beep, touch pad non responsive ect). Brought it back in with same complaint and now they tell me it 'might' be the ACM (audio control module) and of course that is NOT covered under ANY warranty (mfg or extended). I refuse to spend $926.00 on replacing the ACM that 'might' be the problem. This is a malfunctioning part that FORD is not fixing. I appealed to corporate customer service and was flatly told "no - FORD will not replace part". FORD has lost great credibility with this 30 year FORD customer!!

We have tried everything suggested and then some to try and get my 2014 Escape to make sound!! No CD, no radio and no back up sound. Everything lights up and it looks like the CD is playing but no sound. Nothing. We have read everyone's blogs and followed suggestions, but to no avail. Has anyone found a solution yet? I hate to take it into a dealership as they charge so much.

my 2016 Escape is now experiencing audio/radio issue's similar to whats been described above by many Ford owners. Escape has only 20K miles on it. With car off the radio stops playing after only 2 minutes, read manual, says to push radio on button to extend playing time. Did that but didn't help. Given all the above issue's I expect many more radio problems are heading my way. Shame on FORD for not coming to the rescue, this will cost them in the long run as existing customers bail on them and there NO customer service.

My 2014 Escape runs nice Wifes vehicle and she enjoys its..BUT.. all of a sudden one day all the audio went away. Take to FORD (of course the warrantee is finished) will cost $600.for a new whatever it is behind the dash (like hell) I won't pay it. If the warrantee is extended for a total of 5 years then FORD knows its a problem, so why not be straight and say a 10 year extended warrantee and fix them all. As for most cars after 10 yrs they have fallen apart or as myself I am looking for something new again. I won't hold my breath for that to happen.....Can we disconnect all the syn stuff...and just have a radio???

I have had the same issues as everyone else with my 2015 Ford Escape and I have had no luck fixing the issue even with all the suggestions made here in the forum. I now use a speaker and hook it to my i phone to listen to music while on the road )-:

Yikes this will sound like a broken record. 2015 Escape SE audio was fine in the morning, made a stop, got back in, SILENCE. SYNC screen appeared to be working. SYNC was listening to commands and dialed phone, just no audio. Been at the dealer all week, they are baffled so far, and the last they said it may require a software upgrade. Hopefully it is not the ACM. Fingers Crossed.

Mine was doing the popping but audio continued. Oh my way home from work tonight, I tried to call my husband, it popped, and no audio. I turned it off numerous times, ahur the car off and back on, nothing. How is it possible so many have this issue and there is NO recall?!?!?!

mi radio control got crazy. when I click volume down does up, when i click volume up goes right arrow. any solution been looking on internet. I couldn't find an answer.

My audio went out over a year ago and I was told that my extended warranty does not cover the stereo so I have been driving for over a year with no stereo. I purchased a 2014 ford escape and 1 month after purchasing - sound gone!

Identical problem. Agency told me it's a software problem. SYNC is made by Microsoft. I doubt if Microsoft will acknowledge the problem by stating it is an internet problem or microwave signal interference problem By the time all has gone through the courts, if it ever does, the engine will probably blow up. America had better quit making junk.

Same issue. I bought it used and within 4 days, no sound. It's been at the dealer nearly 2 weeks and first part didn't work (audio control module), now a new radio being installed today. ? Who knows if that'll work...

I just got my license plate after all this pandemic, and my Android SYNC but not sound, in radio, CD player, BT, FM or AM, nothing....... so SAD, I love this car. PLEASE HELP.

Every one should file a law suit againts ford to replace and repair the problem free of charge parts and labour or refund every ones money for vechiels

I had radio problem with no sound or could not change stations the fix is go to a junk yard get another cd player its the main brain controls every thing for sound and every thing i did this and it worked perfect and did not have to bring it to ford to program put it in and it worked right away

I had this issue - two fuses replaced. I replaced F79 (15 amp fuse) and F67 (7.5 amp fuse)

Spitballing here... I had no audio. Then the problem grew to no heat an d no heated seats. The auto climate control button wouldn't light up. So I read some forums about doing a soft reset. Which I had to google to find out how to do that.. iit's a combination of holding 2 buttons... anyway that didn't work... so I disconnected the negative terminal For a couple minutes and then reconnected it and voila all the functions came back... so connecting some very far apart dots here...I have been noticing that the auto engine shut off hasn't been in shutting the car off as frequently as it used to at stop signs and red lights. This is as far as I know controlled by the battery charge level... so the battery is 4 years old now and possibly weaker ... causing the auto shut off to operate less frequently... and here's the distant dot... could possibly low voltage or a weak battery have caused the processor that controls the functions like audio and heat to fault and maybe not boot the software correctly on start up... then completely disconnecting the battery and reconnecting completely reboots the computer and reloads the software. ??? Again just spit balling... what do ya think?

My 2014 Escape Titanium stopped all audio in the middle of a trip of store stops. I came out of a store and had no audio. Even my back up alarm had no audio. After checking fuses, I followed a solution above and it worked. I went to my Escape, turned off the Bluetooth on my iPhone, then started my car. The car searched for my phone. When it stopped looking, I turned off the engine. I then restarted my iPhone Bluetooth setting. When I re-cranked my car, the radio audio and back-up alarms came on.

Anyone else try the suggestion to replace the CD player?

Thank you for the advice. My 2013 Ford Escape, the audio quit working. I tried resetting my Bluetooth like mentioned in these comments, and it worked perfect. I tried it two times before it worked. The second time, I thought it wasn’t going to work, so I went in the house. After about twenty minutes, I went back out, turned on the car, and found out it had worked. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Saved me a lot of headaches.

Just to keep this thread current, posting that i too have these same issues... of course, out of warranty on my 2014 escape, tried every possible solution i could find on the net short of buying replacement parts and nothing has worked. I'm a first time Ford owner, bought it out some sense of patriotism when the economy was failing and cant even begin to list my regrets. So, will be the first AND last time I buy a Ford, which is sad, i liked the vehicle very much until i started having these types of problems. TBH, if properly addressed by the manufacturer would have been ok to deal with... but telling me I'm spending +$1,000 dollars to (maybe) fix a radio is unacceptable. Thanks for nothing Ford!

I took my car to Ford dealership. The cost to fix it is $354 parts + $560 labor = $914 YIKES!!! The problem is the ACM (Audio Control Module) which is mounted behind the radio button panel. It is basically the radio but is now a programmable module that needs a scan tool with th eproper software to program the ACM to the vehicle. It is not powering up which is why the display does not change and the voice commands do not work. All the speakers are controlled by the ACM.

Same here - SOMETIMES if I pull over, turn off the car, open the door, get out, shut the door, then get back in and restart the car with everything queud on the iphone and car bluetooth settings - IF I push play quick enough, it will work again. What a BUMMER!!!!!!! Truly cannot buy another Ford.

The rest did not work. Three years ago we replaced the ACM when this happened. It just happened again. grrrrrr I'm sure it will be the ACM again, but how can that happen twice. While I have no sound for backup, radio and hands free, people on the other end can hear me talking when a phone call is connected.

i have contacted a lawyer and i am going to start a class action lawsuit ford has a nice scam going and its going to stop

My company had several of these Ford escapes and several of the radios quit working. We've gotten rid of most of the Escapes since most of our Escapes wouldn't make it past 100K without the transmissions failing. I now have one of the few Escapes left that has lasted past 100K but still needed a new transmission it had one of the 2.0 L engines in it, one of Fords better engines. The rest we got rid of they were the smaller block engines. When I got the car the radio was already dead. I did some research and discovered. The ACM module was why the radio was stuck on AM. I ordered a used one on eBay and installed it. I got the exact part number so the calibration all worked on this car. It worked for 3 months and then quit again. I found a YouTube link that showed if you put the PC board in the radio in an oven the radio will start working again so beware this could be the case if you buy one used and some one could have done this and the board may last for a little while. That worked for a few months but the radio became is sensitive to cold and will quit if it gets below 30 degrees. Putting this radio board in the oven at 375 for 10 mins indicates that this problem is either bad solder traces, or components like capacitors or ic chips that have failed and are temperature sensitive. I'm leaning towards a bad component at this point. I pulled 3 of the caps close to the output transistors and found two out of three bad. The board is full of Capacitors so it could be most are bad and can exhibit this type of behavior when put in heat it re-gels the caps like honey but it's not permanent. I'm old enough I remember that before we went to these smart radio systems a car radio would last the life of the car now this ford sync may last the life of the car but maybe not. I to was a Ford customer for about 35 years and just had too may issue to stay with the Ford brand. I also had a ford CMax with sync and navigation that was the last straw great car, electronics really bad. I have recently went to Subaru and Nissan which have there own issues but the radios work and the cars are reliable. I also went through hoops on the CMax sync and Ford gave me a number to call they said Ford wasn't responsible for the radio problem in there cars and basically said I was on my own with a car that had 10k on it this wasn't a part failure it was a poor design. Sorry for the long reply but this is how I came to never buy Ford again. That radio has cost Ford thousands of customers, Oh by the way the radio board I have was made by Sanyo one of cheapest and unreliable manufactures of circuit boards at the time. Also if you get an exact replacement it takes about 20 minutes to change out these radio modules don't let some one take advantage and charge too much in labor.

Y a-t-il recours collectif ou non ? merci à tous

Just had this suddenly happen with our 2014 Ford Escape Titanium yesterday. We tried everything, then I found this blog last night. We just went and tried the fix posted above by GuruN9QH1 and it worked on the second try! Thank you so much!!!