Outside air temp stuck on 50
12-05-2017, 10:02 AM
#11
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: IL
Posts: 5
The fix for ambient air temp stuck on 50
First of all, hello to everyone, and thanks for all the great info people contribute here. This is my first post. I'm a very happy first time Mustang owner after having wanted one for many years.
I have a 2017 GT Premium with Sync 3. Ever since the car was new, every so often when I start it, the outside/ambient air temp reads 50 degrees regardless of the actual temperature. It stays stuck on 50 for usually about 10 minutes and then will eventually raise to the actual temp. This only seems to happen when the temp is above 50. Restarting the car has no effect.
Why is this more than a minor inconvenience? Because while this is happening, the HVAC system thinks the outside air is 50 and so the automatic climate control doesn't effectively cool the inside. Adjusting the temp down doesn't solve the problem because the system still mixes what it thinks is 50 degree outside air. So, I have to press the MAX AC button; that gets the car cool, but I really don't want the fan blowing full speed for 10 minutes.
One dealer shot in the dark and replaced the ambient air temperature sensor. That didn't solve the problem. I took it back to my selling dealer and they recreated the problem in my car and another on their lot. They called Ford, and engineers tested a car on the line and found the same problem.
I'm having a hard time getting Ford to take this seriously as they seem to think I should just live with it. They're saying I'm the only one in the country to complain. I know I can be a little uptight, but I don't think I'm asking too much here.
My dealer's on my side. Between our requests to Ford to come up with a solution, they've committed to send an engineer to work on my car next week. Just curious if others have experienced this issue and, if so, what you've done about it.
I have a 2017 GT Premium with Sync 3. Ever since the car was new, every so often when I start it, the outside/ambient air temp reads 50 degrees regardless of the actual temperature. It stays stuck on 50 for usually about 10 minutes and then will eventually raise to the actual temp. This only seems to happen when the temp is above 50. Restarting the car has no effect.
Why is this more than a minor inconvenience? Because while this is happening, the HVAC system thinks the outside air is 50 and so the automatic climate control doesn't effectively cool the inside. Adjusting the temp down doesn't solve the problem because the system still mixes what it thinks is 50 degree outside air. So, I have to press the MAX AC button; that gets the car cool, but I really don't want the fan blowing full speed for 10 minutes.
One dealer shot in the dark and replaced the ambient air temperature sensor. That didn't solve the problem. I took it back to my selling dealer and they recreated the problem in my car and another on their lot. They called Ford, and engineers tested a car on the line and found the same problem.
I'm having a hard time getting Ford to take this seriously as they seem to think I should just live with it. They're saying I'm the only one in the country to complain. I know I can be a little uptight, but I don't think I'm asking too much here.
My dealer's on my side. Between our requests to Ford to come up with a solution, they've committed to send an engineer to work on my car next week. Just curious if others have experienced this issue and, if so, what you've done about it.
First, have the engine running. Second, press and hold the power button ie: the off/on button for the radio simultaneously with the sync fast forward button ie: double arrow button. Third, hold for at least 5 seconds. The screen will go blank for a few seconds then come back on. Fourth, drive the car and attain a speed of at least 20 mph. This should re-calibrate the ambient air temperature sensor. I've done this approximately three weeks ago and my sensor is still working fine. Please let me know how this works after you've tried it. GTSUPER.
12-12-2017, 12:36 PM
#13
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: IL
Posts: 5
Ambient air temp stuck on 50
No the Ford engineers apparently are not aware of this; neither are the dealers. Either that or the dealers don't care. I spent a lot of time figuring this out and kind of stumbled on it. It's been working on my car now for a month. I suppose if they had thousands of people complaining then they "might" do something. Did it work on your car?
I have a transmission oil temperature gauge mounted on my dash and just have to figure out where to put the sensor where it won't invalidate my warranty. Ford put it in the transmission diagnostic port where it didn't work.
I have a transmission oil temperature gauge mounted on my dash and just have to figure out where to put the sensor where it won't invalidate my warranty. Ford put it in the transmission diagnostic port where it didn't work.
07-20-2018, 05:08 PM
#14
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: tx
Posts: 1
Same problem
Same problem here..... Here is my very long story:
On Friday, June 8th, 2018 I dropped my car off for a routine oil change and for a problem with the ambient temperature registering. When starting the car, the ambient temperature reads 50 degrees, whether it is 20 degrees or 120 degrees outside. Due to this, the air conditioner will not kick in until the ambient temperature registers. This takes from 8 to 15 minutes. After the ambient temperature registers, the air conditioner will come on and cool the car. This primarily happens with remote starting the car and also occurs occasionally with starting the car normally. It is not a frequent occurrence with normal start, but with remote start this will happen the majority of the time.
The dealership called me late June 8thstating that the car had a bad seal and was leaking Freon and that they would need to keep the car until a part arrived to fix. During this time, they gave me a Ford Focus as a loaner. They called me Monday June 11th, 2018 stating that the car was fixed and ready to pick up. While at the dealership, they put 16 miles on the car. When I arrived, they informed me that the Freon leak was causing the ambient temperature not to register. I did not agree with this. They brought the car up for me and when I used the remote start, the ambient temperature registered 50 degrees. I had not driven the car at this time and asked the service guy to look at it. We both agreed that the car was not cooling appropriately. He took the car for a drive and when he returned I heard a loud “tinking” noise coming from under the hood. Again, I had not driven the car yet. He could hear this noise as well. At this point, he said he would keep the car to have them further investigate the ambient temperature and to investigate the new noise the car was making. They gave me a Ford Escape as a loaner.
A couple of days later, the dealership called me stating that they would need to replace a computer module which would fix the problem with the ambient temperature and at that time still had not figured out what was causing the noise. A couple of days after that, the dealership called me stating that there was scoring on the cam bearings internal in the head on the driver side and that it would need to be replaced. They stated that the head was on national back order with no date listed.
A couple of weeks later, the dealership called me stating that they would be replacing the long block on the car and after this occurred, they would be able to replace the computer module.
The dealership called me on July 18thstating that they motor had been installed and the computer module replaced and that the car would be ready for pick up on July 19th.
On July 19th, I called the dealership for an update and was told the car was ready, but that the problem with the ambient temperature did still occur one time. They stated that Ford said this was a “normal characteristic” of the car. When I arrived, the car had 35,306 miles on it and when I left it the car had 35,260 miles on it, 46 miles difference.
I picked up the car on July 19th, stopped for gas and when regular starting the car at 2:03 pm, the ambient temperature registered 50 degrees. The actual ambient temperature of 109 degrees did not occur until 2:14 pm. During this time, the air conditioner, on auto, was not on and the air was not blowing cold. When the actual temperature registered, the air kicked on and starting cooling the car down. So, I still have the original problem and now have a new motor. After purchasing more than 15 Fords in my lifetime, I am very disappointed.
I have called Ford and filed a complaint, both with the dealership and with Ford. They have asked me to take the car to yet another dealership for a second opinion.
On Friday, June 8th, 2018 I dropped my car off for a routine oil change and for a problem with the ambient temperature registering. When starting the car, the ambient temperature reads 50 degrees, whether it is 20 degrees or 120 degrees outside. Due to this, the air conditioner will not kick in until the ambient temperature registers. This takes from 8 to 15 minutes. After the ambient temperature registers, the air conditioner will come on and cool the car. This primarily happens with remote starting the car and also occurs occasionally with starting the car normally. It is not a frequent occurrence with normal start, but with remote start this will happen the majority of the time.
The dealership called me late June 8thstating that the car had a bad seal and was leaking Freon and that they would need to keep the car until a part arrived to fix. During this time, they gave me a Ford Focus as a loaner. They called me Monday June 11th, 2018 stating that the car was fixed and ready to pick up. While at the dealership, they put 16 miles on the car. When I arrived, they informed me that the Freon leak was causing the ambient temperature not to register. I did not agree with this. They brought the car up for me and when I used the remote start, the ambient temperature registered 50 degrees. I had not driven the car at this time and asked the service guy to look at it. We both agreed that the car was not cooling appropriately. He took the car for a drive and when he returned I heard a loud “tinking” noise coming from under the hood. Again, I had not driven the car yet. He could hear this noise as well. At this point, he said he would keep the car to have them further investigate the ambient temperature and to investigate the new noise the car was making. They gave me a Ford Escape as a loaner.
A couple of days later, the dealership called me stating that they would need to replace a computer module which would fix the problem with the ambient temperature and at that time still had not figured out what was causing the noise. A couple of days after that, the dealership called me stating that there was scoring on the cam bearings internal in the head on the driver side and that it would need to be replaced. They stated that the head was on national back order with no date listed.
A couple of weeks later, the dealership called me stating that they would be replacing the long block on the car and after this occurred, they would be able to replace the computer module.
The dealership called me on July 18thstating that they motor had been installed and the computer module replaced and that the car would be ready for pick up on July 19th.
On July 19th, I called the dealership for an update and was told the car was ready, but that the problem with the ambient temperature did still occur one time. They stated that Ford said this was a “normal characteristic” of the car. When I arrived, the car had 35,306 miles on it and when I left it the car had 35,260 miles on it, 46 miles difference.
I picked up the car on July 19th, stopped for gas and when regular starting the car at 2:03 pm, the ambient temperature registered 50 degrees. The actual ambient temperature of 109 degrees did not occur until 2:14 pm. During this time, the air conditioner, on auto, was not on and the air was not blowing cold. When the actual temperature registered, the air kicked on and starting cooling the car down. So, I still have the original problem and now have a new motor. After purchasing more than 15 Fords in my lifetime, I am very disappointed.
I have called Ford and filed a complaint, both with the dealership and with Ford. They have asked me to take the car to yet another dealership for a second opinion.
07-04-2019, 09:24 PM
#16
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: IL
Posts: 5
Sounds familiar. Ford either does not know how to fix the ambient air temperature sensor or doesn't care or both! I also had a problem with my transmission shifting between second and third gears on my automatic. Three different Ford dealers couldn't fix this. One dealer was mad at me for giving them a poor rating because after having my car a total of 83 days in my first 18 months of ownership they still didn't fix it. I believe we are at the tipping point now where these dealers cannot fix anything; the cars are getting too complicated.
05-31-2021, 04:05 PM
#17
Join Date: May 2021
Location: IL
Posts: 1
[QUOTE=gtsuper;8609103]Being a 2017 Mustang GT owner, I have also run across this problem. Since the HVAC system is contingent on the ambient air temperature sensor working properly the air conditioner will not work if it thinks it is 50 degrees when the outside air temperature is actually 90. There is a temporary fix and a permanent one. The temporary one has to be reset every time the car is started. Because of that I will go right to the permanent fix. Note: the dealers don't know about this and this is assuming there is not a hardware issue; you need to re-calibrate the sensor. This will do exactly that.
Thank you GTSUPER .. this fix worked for me: 2016 5.0 California Special ... used the display on/off and Skip forward buttons together/simultaneously a couple of tries then went for a drive ... great to see the outside air temperature rise after a short time..maybe a mile or so...... stopped all my Frustrations ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
First, have the engine running. Second, press and hold the power button ie: the off/on button for the radio simultaneously with the sync fast forward button ie: double arrow button. Third, hold for at least 5 seconds. The screen will go blank for a few seconds then come back on. Fourth, drive the car and attain a speed of at least 20 mph. This should re-calibrate the ambient air temperature sensor. I've done this approximately three weeks ago and my sensor is still working fine. Please let me know how this works after you've tried it. GTSUPER.[/QUOTE]
06-04-2021, 06:52 PM
#18
Join Date: Jun 2021
Location: IL
Posts: 1
First, have the engine running. Second, press and hold the power button ie: the off/on button for the radio simultaneously with the sync fast forward button ie: double arrow button. Third, hold for at least 5 seconds. The screen will go blank for a few seconds then come back on. Fourth, drive the car and attain a speed of at least 20 mph. This should re-calibrate the ambient air temperature sensor. I've done this approximately three weeks ago and my sensor is still working fine. Please let me know how this works after you've tried it. GTSUPER.
02-18-2022, 11:02 AM
#20
Join Date: Feb 2022
Location: Texas
Posts: 1
I have a 2010 and it is always set on 50, regardless of the speed I am driving or whatever. I do not have Sync in my car but have replaced original system with Apple CarPlay. Is there any tips on how to recalibrate this so I don't have to pay to have the entire thing replaced?