USB pulsing on and off

[twernst]

MiddKid - Any follow-up on this?

I have the same problem, although I think it is a CarPlay issue. Occasionally (maybe 1 in 5 times?), when I plug my iPhone in, CarPlay does not launch, and the charge cycles on and off. If I go into the settings and disable CarPlay, the cycling stops and the phone charges as normal. Related: the same instances in which this occurs, I get a "no GPS" indication on my native navigation (see photo below). And just as you said, its a trip-long issue....if it works when I try the first time, I have no problem, if it doesn't, it's not going to work for the entire ride.

I'm thinking there is some miscommunication between the car and the phone. The car thinks I want to run CarPlay but one of the devices is dropping the ball. So one of them (I think the car) keeps trying to establish the connection (hence the power cycling). This jives with the fact that the problem resolves when I disable CarPlay in the center stack because the car no longer tries to make the connection. My guess would be the "no GPS" indication is because the system thinks I'm running CarPlay so it's relying on the phone's GPS...but the phone wont connect.

It's clearly not a cable/hardware issue because it charges perfectly when I disable CarPlay. My question is, I guess, is this a CarPlay software gremlin or a Sync software gremlin?

In any case, I am very interested to know if you ever got resolution with your dealer. Thanks!!!View attachment 24133

I have issues like this at times, sometimes I think I "fix" them by turning off the Bluetooth on the phone and only having it connect via the USB. But my current vehicle does no have Apple Car play but can play music from phone/movies through the USB connection. Has anyone tried truing off the Bluetooth and then seeing if the car play work. I know my suggestion may seem silly, but grasping at straws.

 

[deweysmith]

So any ideas as to why my Expi disables its own gps when it is trying to hook up to CarPlay but can't?

My best guess is the whole CarPlay system is re-initializing when the USB connection doesn't initialize properly, and the GPS module has to re-initialize too? Doesn't make much sense to me, but none of this does at all, really.

 

[gtnator]

One thing to try also is to clean the charge port inside your phone. A lot of times people put their phones in the their pockets right before getting into a car and lent from the pocket gets into the port, which will cause this issue. Then when the phone is out for a while (at home) and moving around the lent falls out which is why it seems to work fine at home.

 

[deweysmith]

True! I didn't mention this because I figured it was common knowledge. You can take it to the Apple Store and they will do it, or just jam a paper clip in the port and wiggle a bit until you hit hard plastic. Scrape to the side and pull it out. Avoid the bottom of the port, the pins are on that side.

 

[Joe Procita]

Kind of off topic, but does anyone else get one of the pins on the lightening cable turning black? Usually the fourth or fifth one? Something something science explanation. But when one copper connector turns black it doesn't connect properly/charges sporadically.

 

[deweysmith]

Yep, it's a common failure. Gold doesn't corrode unless it's moving quite a few electrons, that's why they use it. The pin that fails is the one that the phone draws the charging current from, and it happens all the time.

 

[aggiegrad05]

MiddKid - Any follow-up on this?

I have the same problem, although I think it is a CarPlay issue. Occasionally (maybe 1 in 5 times?), when I plug my iPhone in, CarPlay does not launch, and the charge cycles on and off. If I go into the settings and disable CarPlay, the cycling stops and the phone charges as normal. Related: the same instances in which this occurs, I get a "no GPS" indication on my native navigation (see photo below). And just as you said, its a trip-long issue....if it works when I try the first time, I have no problem, if it doesn't, it's not going to work for the entire ride.

I'm thinking there is some miscommunication between the car and the phone. The car thinks I want to run CarPlay but one of the devices is dropping the ball. So one of them (I think the car) keeps trying to establish the connection (hence the power cycling). This jives with the fact that the problem resolves when I disable CarPlay in the center stack because the car no longer tries to make the connection. My guess would be the "no GPS" indication is because the system thinks I'm running CarPlay so it's relying on the phone's GPS...but the phone wont connect.

It's clearly not a cable/hardware issue because it charges perfectly when I disable CarPlay. My question is, I guess, is this a CarPlay software gremlin or a Sync software gremlin?

In any case, I am very interested to know if you ever got resolution with your dealer. Thanks!!!View attachment 24133

Thought I’d close the loop on this one. Sync did it’s automatic update thing last week and the problem has not happened since. So it was apparently a sync bug that was addressed in an update. Or it’s a coincidence. But either way, my CarPlay and gps have worked every time since the update so I’m happy.

 

[zarga]

Has anyone had their USB just...die? Drove 3.5 hours on little road trip Monday. Stopped for an hour for lunch. Got back in the car, plugged the Android phone in. Nothing. The USB stick with all our downloaded audiobooks? Dead too. Turned the car off/on; turned stack off/on. Nothing.

Drove 15 mins to our next stop. Still nothing.

After 90 more minutes of driving, we stopped for another hour. As we got in the car, planning to drive to the nearest Ford dealer, everything suddenly worked again.

The truck has just over 4500 miles on it and this is the first time it has happened to me. Anyone else?

 

[Tampa Expedition]

I am having the same issue. My USBs worked for a week now no longer working. Have scheduled appointment to get corrected.