Ford Patent Filed For Malfunctioning Button Identification System

Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a malfunctioning button identification system that may be used in future Ford vehicles, Ford Authority has learned.

The patent was filed on February 6^th, 2024, published on August 7^th, 2025, and assigned serial number 0249915.

The Ford Authority Take

Ford has filed quite a few patents recently outlining ways that its future vehicles may one day be much more self-aware – in more than one manner. Those filings include ideas for a tire rotation system, a system that could estimate the remaining useful life of parts, IOT interference detection technology, a parts theft detection system, and a slow leak detection system. Now, that list expands yet again, courtesy of this newly published patent outlining an idea for a malfunctioning button identification system.

In this case, Ford is proposing an idea for a system that would be able to detect when a physical button inside of a vehicle isn’t working properly, based on current usage of that button, as well as expected use. From there, the system could determine what’s causing the button to malfunction, and even present users with instructions on how to fix it. Those instructions could simply be ways to execute the same function using the touchscreen, or perhaps even cleaning the button. Given the fact that physical buttons in vehicles tend to wear out over time and get stuck or stop working, such a feature could prove useful, if it winds up coming to fruition.

“Submitting patent applications is a normal part of any strong business as the process protects new ideas and helps us build a robust portfolio of intellectual property,” Ford said in a statement. “The ideas described within a patent application should not be viewed as an indication of our business or product plans. No matter what the patent application outlines, we will always put the customer first in the decision-making behind the development and marketing of new products and services.”