- Ford has notified dealers not to deliver the 2021 and 2022 Mustang Mach-E while it fixes a safety problem that could immobilize the vehicle or make it lose power during operation.
- The problem involves the main contactors of the vehicle’s battery, which could overheat and cause loss of power or failure to start, Ford told Car and Driver in a statement.
- In the U.S., 48,924 Mach-E crossovers are affected, and Ford will fix the problem with an over-the-air software update. The automaker said it “has not issued instructions to stop driving vehicles under this safety recall.”
UPDATE 8/21/2023: NHTSA has opened a new investigation of the recall described in this article after 12 Mach-E owners reported their vehicles had new battery failure problems even after the recall had been carried out. NHTSA’s investigation document, posted on its website, describes the problem as: “High-voltage battery contactors may overheat, resulting in a loss of motive power.” The investigation could lead to a recall for more than 64,000 2021 and 2022 Mach-E crossovers, a higher number than the original recall population.
UPDATE 6/15/2022: NHTSA has posted a recall report on the Mustang Mach-E problem described in this story. Additionally, at least one complaint has been posted from an owner on the NHTSA website, which states in part: “My 2021 California 1 Mach E has had a catastrophic failure. It is less than a year old with 21,000 miles. First time (April 20, 2022) I pulled out onto road after fast charging. Tonight, I started driving out of parking space after shopping. Emergency bells go off, all kinds of alerts and the car dies. You cannot get the gear cluster to turn . . . at all. Car will not turn off either.”
Ford will recall 48,924 of its Mustang Mach-E electric vehicles to fix a problem with the battery that could cause the crossover to lose power during operation or be unable to start. The issue, Ford said, is with the battery’s main contactors, which have the potential to overheat on the vehicles being recalled.
Ford issued a statement today that explained: “DC fast-charging and repeated wide-open-pedal events can cause the high-voltage battery main contactors to overheat. Overheating may lead to arcing and deformation of the electrical contact surfaces, which can result in a contactor that remains open or a contactor that welds closed. An overheated contactor that opens while driving can result in a loss of motive power, which can increase the risk of an accident.” The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recalls website currently shows only one complaint from an owner, and Ford notes that there are no investigations in progress about the issue.
The automaker told C/D that it plans to update the Mach-E’s software with an over-the-air fix, but owners of affected vehicles can also choose to go to a dealership to get the software update there. Ford said it will update the Secondary On-Board Diagnostic Control Module (SOBDMC) and Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) software. Although details of the planned recall have not yet been published to the NHTSA recalls site, information is expected to be posted there soon.
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Laura Sky Brown has been involved in automotive media for a very long time, and she sees it as her calling to guard the legacy and help ensure the continued high quality of Car and Driver. She was one of the first staffers at Automobile Magazine in the ’80s and has worked for many other car magazines and websites as a writer, editor, and copy editor ever since. It has been her privilege to edit many of the greats of automotive journalism over the years, including the ones who currently write for C/D.
