Ford’s Mustang Mach-E can lose power while driving, forcing dealers to stop delivery

Ford Motor Co. has issued a dealer hold on the 2022 Mustang Mach-E while the automaker manages a new safety recall, a company spokesman confirmed to the Free Press Tuesday.

That means that any vehicles purchased and not yet delivered to customers cannot be delivered, said Ford spokesman Said Deep.

The recall affects 48,924 of the 2021-22 Mustang Mach-E electric vehicles, which could lose power while driving or do not start.

A majority of these vehicles, however, are already in customer driveways.

The company is hoping to fix the problem in July but definitely sometime during third quarter.

Ford said it had alerted the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the federal regulatory body, last week but the recall didn’t appear to be posted on the website as ofTuesday evening. A delay between filing and posting is not uncommon.

The problem is related to the overheating of a battery part, Deep confirmed.

“Ford has not issued instructions to stop driving vehicles under this safety recall,” he said. “Ford will send an over-the-air update to affected vehicles or customers can visit their dealer for the software update” next month.

A two-year supply

Ford, in a notice Monday to its dealers, said potentially affected vehicles were built from May 27, 2020, through May 24, 2022, at the automaker’s Cuautitlan plant in Mexico, CNBC reported Tuesday.

Deep explained the cause and effect of the problem this way:

“On affected vehicles, Direct Current (“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.”

There are no open investigations with federal regulators, he said.

Prior to this latest news, the 2021 Mustang Mach-E had five recalls and 101 manufacturer communications involving various issues including suspension, visibility, electrical systems, brakes, steering, seats and tires. The 2022 Mustang Mach-E had one recall and 20 manufacturer communications.

The most recent Mach-E recall, posted May 13, involved 464 of the 2021 all-wheel-drive Mach-E vehicles with faulty software that results in unintended acceleration, deceleration or loss of drive power.