Chiming in here, if there's anyone monitoring this thread anymore. This issue is a thorn in my side. Never had it with my 2013 Explorer, but we downgraded to a 2011 Edge that has had SO many issues in the past 18 months since we bought it. Old as it was, the factory warranties had all expired, and the dealer only gave us 30 days on everything else. Naturally, this started after that.
A week ago, I had to change the battery, so it was out long enough to reset things if that would have helped. Several months ago, I performed a factory reset as directed by a service tech--that didn't help then, either. This weekend, I changed the fuse to the GPS module. Still no love. Typically it either resolves on its own as I'm driving or I pop the nav card out and back in. Sometimes not even that works.
Today I was offroading through a hospital. Then later without the GPS even being Xd out even, I was driving through backyards in a subdivision. I did the APIM diagnostic to check satellites RIGHT after it found the street again and I was able to stop, and it was bouncing around from 4 satellites to 5, 6, and even 7, like it just couldn't get a good lock on any of them. I wasn't in a tunnel, just under a FEW trees. Last week after changing the battery, it said I was driving north on the highway when I was traveling due south! Like the rest of you, I rely more on my phone's map system now than this thing because it's just worthless.
I contacted Ford service today because after reading here and a few other places, I got hopeful that maybe all I needed was an update to Sync or the Nav software, but the owner website told me my Sync was up to date. After chatting briefly with me, the tech told me to take my car to the dealer (naturally) stating they could update the Sync and that I should of course buy the new map card (like heck...there's no new roads in my area. *L*) When I asked about updating Sync via USB, she said Gen2 Sync requires updates from the dealer and can't be done by the user. Then she phrased things differently and indicated they could update IF THERE WAS AN UPDATE AVAILABLE. Not that there was, but that there MIGHT be.
After reading so many of the horror stories here, the last thing I want to deal with is sinking a ton of money into an after-warranty issue that isn't going to be fixable.
Is there ANYONE who's gotten a permanent fix for a 2011?? My 2013 was never a problem, but that was a secondhand fleet car, so it was probably well maintained and updated before we bought it.