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DEARBORN, MI – Ford knew MyFord Touch had shortcomings when the system launched last year, to the chagrin of critics. But an imminent upgrade is expected to resolve grievances and satisfy detractors.

Set to debut on the ’13 Ford Escape, Flex and Taurus, the upgrade provides simpler graphics, faster touch-screen response and easier-to-use controls.

“We’ve gotten feedback from customers and listened to them, and I think we’ve incorporated their thoughts,” says Mark Fields, Ford president-The Americas. “We think we’re taking it to the next level and really giving customers what they really want.”

Ford quality ratings have taken a beating from publications such as Consumer Reports because of complaints the MyFord Touch telematics system is too complicated and prone to crash.

Fields tells WardsAuto he is optimistic the upgrade will reverse those opinions, adding most MyFord Touch users give it thumbs up. Some 50% of Ford buyers cite the system a key factor in their purchase decisions, while 80% recommended it to friends, according to Ford survey data.

However, the auto maker admits the system had shortcomings when it was launched last year.

“We knew when it went to market we needed to improve it, so we were working on the next generation before we launched the first version,” says Graydon Reitz, director-Ford Global Electronics and Electrical Systems Engineering. “And when we started getting updates from the field, it just reinforced what we were already doing.”

Among the problems was a gap in operating instructions. So Ford introduced two initiatives patterned after customer-support programs used by consumer electronics companies.