Challenges and Benefits to Adopting a Worldwide Diagnostic Protocol Specification

Ford Motor Company (FMC) plans to adopt ISO 14229 - Unified Diagnostic Services (UDS) as the sole diagnostic vehicle protocol. All Ford brands, including Ford, Lincoln-Mercury, Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo, and Mazda, will eventually use this protocol. Migrating from the many diagnostic protocols currently in use today to a single common protocol presents many challenges. However, the long-term benefits of using a single industry-standard protocol throughout the company far outweigh the short-term difficulties. This paper will present the issues facing Ford as it makes the transition to one common protocol as well as outline the potential benefits.