Consumer Reports says it's not just picking on Ford with its latest blog, entitled "Why the MyFord Touch control system stinks." The magazine says Ford is one of the worst offenders, but it says any car touch screen that takes the driver's eyes off the road is a bad idea.
MyFord Touch controls the radio, heat or air conditioning, navigation, trip computer, and, well, just about everything except the gas, brakes and steering wheel.
Eric Evarts with Consumer Reports says these kinds of touch screens are way too complex, requiring people to keep hitting that screen to get the function they want.
"There's no way to avoid looking down at them to make sure you've got the right one," he said, "you don't have to do that with a knob."
He says he often had to touch a screen, two, three, even four times to find what he wanted - and that's unsafe in heavy traffic, at high speed.
"Frequently I found myself, not just with Ford Touch but with some other systems as well, driving all the way home without being able to find the radio station that I want to listen to," he said.
Ford says the system is safe, and most customers like it. The company is meeting with Consumer Reports next week to discuss the group's concerns.
