Does seem a bit odd, doesn't it? But this "folklore" procedure does work quite often. I've personnally seen both hard and soft buttons that no longer work reliably, re-downloading the ccf doesn't help, a hard reset doesn't help, but reflashing the firmware cured it.

I've heard this procedure compared to a computer that at least occasionally needs the OS to be rebooted. To my mind that isn't quite accurate, it's firmware, more like the computer's bios. I've never had to reflash my computers bios, or any other computer FIRMWARE for that matter. Good thing that all those little microchips (that have a firmware program) in your car don't occasionally require this procedure isn't it. ;-)