As privileged citizens living in the greatest country on earth in 2016, we Americans feel a certain level of entitlement to the simple things in life, like bad ass features on our high-end cars. While some naysayers question whether or not we can afford all of these luxuries that life as a Millennial compels us to buy, we answer with the same compulsion that mindlessly steers our car to Starbucks each and everyday…OF COURSE WE CAN!
When Technology Fails Us, Things Tend to Get Ugly
As much as we expect things to be graciously handed over to us without question, us Millennials also assume that those things will work as they should. When they don’t perform correctly, you better watch out. Nothing is worse than encountering a twenty- or thirty-something year old with faulty technology, and a mission in mind. Most people in America know this to be true, but apparently, Ford Motor Company was not privy to this common sense information.
In-vehicle technology is simultaneously the best, and worst thing to happen to the automotive world since the invention of the assembly line. As we gain the ability to remain connected more easily and freely on the go, so does our dependence on that technology increase. For that reason, it should have come as no surprise that when drivers found their high-priced Ford MyTouch infotainment system did not work as it should, they started a revolution as only Millennials know how – on social media.
After years of complaints, lawsuits, and a twitter war that made the Battle at Gettysburg look like a playground scuffle, Ford is finally facing the music. In a class-action lawsuit filed against Ford Motor Company, allegations that the automaker released vehicles with infotainment systems known to have issues, are just the beginning of the blue oval brand’s woes.
More recently, documents were released that paint a much grimmer picture than the social media complaints were able to commission. With reports of the manufacturer’s CEO, Mark Fields, cracking the touchscreen on his Ford Edge because he was “aggravated” with it, and other top level execs with similar anger-induced episodes of frustration – it’s safe to say that the brand itself is a little on edge these days.
When the Executive Chairman of an automotive company, who shares his namesake with the brand in question, has to pull off the road in an unfamiliar area because his navigation system failed to work properly, you know there’s a problem. Reports such as these, give this Millennial hope, that those once-perceived exaggerated mumblings of social media users, may have in fact, been justified.
As there is always a cherry on top of any sundae, so is there a beacon of light on the top of this long-winded and ever-so petty grievance. Unlike the sweet taste of fresh fruit, our proverbial cherry comes in quite a different form. Ford engineers who worked on the actual software used in the MyFord Touch infotainment system, referred to it as a “polished turd.” Ahh…there it is, the cherry. The polished turd. It’s what frustrated Ford drivers have been waiting to hear for the past five years. Justification that those online rants may have amounted to more than a tantrum thrown by a toddler in the middle of her terrible-twos. It’s enough to make us all sleep easy – until, of course, we hear the result of the on-going lawsuit against the automotive giant that is sure to end in a much less polished pile of similar excrement.
While bowtie brand owners are flawlessly navigating the city streets of downtown Chicago with the Chevy MyLink System, top level execs at Ford are forced to pull over for long periods of time because their turd of an infotainment system can’t figure out left from right.
