Kuga MK3 PHEV - No sound (radio/carplay) & no HUD settings

Ford SYNC 3 Support Ford Update Support
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1

Hi everyone,

I have the following two issues and I’ll start with the easy one (hopefully).

#1 HUD settings no longer available & HUD working properly.
In January I’ve disconnected the 12v battery as a fix for issue #2 and when I put it back in I’ve noticed that my HUD info positioning was set to bottom. Last year in the summer when I bought the car I had a menu with different HUD settings which I’ve used to set the HUD info to be vertically centered. After the battery was reconnected I’ve noticed that the HUD settings menu was no longer available in the car dashboard menu.
I don’t know if the battery disconnect-connect cycle was the issue, but that was the moment I noticed it. Around november last year I’ve also updated Sync3 to latest version via USB (downloaded the updated from ford website) and also used Forscan to enable the auto-lock features.
Do you know how can I bring back the HUD settings menu?

#2 No sound (radio/carplay)
When the sound is off:

  • I cannot change the volume from wheel or dashboard dedicated buttons; no volum popup displays on screen
  • the Sound settings menu is disabled, touching it does nothing
  • touching the Audio tab does nothing most of the times. Recently it started showing up the Audio screen and if I touch FM/AM or Switch between FM/AM to iPhone multiple times the sound gets back for a few minutes.
  • all the other sounds, like Speed Limit alerts, Park sensors, rear camera sounds work
  • no other issues with Sync display, navigation or CarPlay connectivity
  • a “Phone Volume” popup displays randomly with the volum always set to 18, but still no sound

I’ve tried:

  • tried multiple iPhones, same issue
  • turned off all bluetooth devices and removed all USB devices, the issue is still reproducing with the radio sound
  • Sync3 Master Reset
  • reinstalled latest Sync3 update
  • disconnected 12v battery for 25 minutes

This sound issue manifested first time last year in December and it was present almost the whole month with few moments of sound coming back. In the second part of January this year the issue fixed itself and had a beautiful time playing radio and music via CarPlay until last weekend, May 24th, when the issue started again. The only thing in common I can notice for the times when the issue appeared is the bad weather, full days of rain.

Today I visited a Ford service to run a diagnosis and they told me that the errors they were seeing are related to the APIM unit and that if the issue appears again I should change it. Of course, after I left the service the issue started again, so nothing was fixed. It worked for a few minutes and that was all.

Now, I’ve opened the Bezel Diagnostics/APIM/Part numbers to get my Assembly Part Number to search for a used part so that I can get it replaced. I understand that I can get it also from other ford models, like Puma for eg, the only thing that matters is that the part number to be written on this unit, right?

Before ordering that part and going back to the Ford service to get it replaced and programmed, do you have any other ideas on what I can do, what more can I check to debug this issue? Maybe I don’t really have to replace the APIM…
Should I check the fuses? If yes, which ones?

Note: at the end of December last year I’ve found a mouse in my boot, it was feeding off of some dog food so I’d say he was mostly staying in that area of the car, but who knows. Could this be the cause of the sound issues I’m experiencing now? Maybe there are some damaged wires? What should I check?

Thank you in advance!

SYNC Region: EU

Navigation Variant: Nav

Manufacturer Year: MY20

Install Type: OEM

Old SYNC Version: 3.4.23188

New SYNC Version: 3.4.23188

Do you have a error message, if so what is it?
I have these error messages saved from December/January:

Code: U0253 - Lost Communication With Accessory Protocol Interface Module
Status (-28):
Previously Set DTC - Not Present at Time of Request
Malfunction Indicator Lamp is Off for this DTC
Module: Image Processing Module A
Freeze Frame #1:
-EVENT_TIME: 115960838 s (Thu Jan 02 23:38:23 2025) - Event time
-TOTAL_DISTANCE: 94354 km - Total Distance
-MODULE_VOLTAGE: 15.0 V - Control Module Voltage
-OUTDOOR_TEMPERATURE: 5 °C - Outside temperature
-ECU_POWER_SUPPLY: 14.7 V - ECU Power Supply Voltage
-ECU_INTERNAL_TEMPERATURE: 34 °C - ECU Internal Temperature

Code: U0184 - Lost Communication With Radio
Status (-08):
Previously Set DTC - Not Present at Time of Request
Malfunction Indicator Lamp is Off for this DTC
Module: Accessory Protocol Interface Module

Code: U0184 - Lost Communication With Radio
Status (-08):
Previously Set DTC - Not Present at Time of Request
Malfunction Indicator Lamp is Off for this DTC
Module: Telematic Control Unit Module

Code: U0184 - Lost Communication With Radio
Status (-08):
Previously Set DTC - Not Present at Time of Request
Malfunction Indicator Lamp is Off for this DTC
Module: Wireless Accessory Charging Module

Code: U0193 - Lost Communication With Digital Audio Control Module A
Status (-08):
Previously Set DTC - Not Present at Time of Request
Malfunction Indicator Lamp is Off for this DTC
Module: Instrument Panel Control Module

Update Method: Official Ford

EDIT: Here’s a short video on the no audio issue: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/GEZ8NwxfuiA

3

I’d say the Fievel nibbled on more than a few wires during his residency in your car.
My guess is that he came in through the front and worked his way back.

4

Should I open up my whole car to search for damaged wires? :frowning:

5

I connected FORScan and looked at DTC logs for each module. I had some errors previously set for APIM, ACM and ICP. I reseted the DTC logs.

Sound was working today most of the time and was working while using FORScan.
I stayed in my parked car and listened to the radio for 5-10 minutes after clearing DTC logs and the problem started manifesting again.

Read the DTC again and found the following logs:

Code: U0193 - Lost Communication With Digital Audio Control Module A
Status (-0A):

  • DTC Present at Time of Request
  • Malfunction Indicator Lamp is Off for this DTC
    Module: Instrument Panel Control Module

Code: U0184 - Lost Communication With Radio
Status (-0A):

  • DTC Present at Time of Request
  • Malfunction Indicator Lamp is Off for this DTC
    Module: Accessory Protocol Interface Module

I’ve asked Perplexity AI about these codes and I understand that there might be intermittent connectivity issues with ACM, but not actually a problem with it and maybe not even with APIM and the recommendation was to look for damaged cables, weak contacts or oxidized wires.

So I’ll start looking for these for a while and postpone the APIM replacement for now.

I’d be greateful for any other advices/recommendations.

6

I’ve opened up the fusebox from passenger compartment and removed the fuse no 15 which refers to Sync, Receiver transceiver module, and Integrated control panel - the fuse wire looks good but there’s a small burning mark on both sides just like in the attached image.

Does this mean the fuse is damaged?

PS: While opening the passenger comportment I noticed some mouse leftovers, so it reached this part of the car. No damaged wires here.

IMG_6485
IMG_64851720×2383 686 KB

7

The fuse looks fine, that’s not burnt its oxidized.
Since the Kuga is pretty much identical to the Escape you’ll need to pull the console to get inside the dash to reach the ACM & APIM.

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8

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