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Early 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E Models Discharge 12V Battery Over Software Issue

The forums are full of the Mustang Mach-E problem that bricks the electric crossover into a glorified piece of street art. More to the point, vehicles built until February 3rd may discharge the 12-volt battery while plugged in because of the powertrain control module's software.
2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E 76 photos
Photo: Ford
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Ford has recently released a technical service bulletin to address this problem, confirming the forum posts and owner complaints. The issue especially affects owners in cold-weather areas, which is why the Ford Motor Company recommends leaving the Mach-E plugged in to warm up before driving.

As per the bulletin attached at the end of this article, the service procedure starts by connecting a charger to the 12-volt battery. Next up, the service technician reprograms the powertrain control module with better-written software. A dedicated scan tool is required for this operation, and the service technician also has to check for updates for a whopping five more modules.

In the order of listing, these are the secondary on-board diagnostic control module (SOBDM), battery energy control module (BECM), secondary on-board diagnostic control module B (SOBDMB), secondary on-board diagnostic control module C (SOBDMC), and the anti-lock brake system (ABS). This piece of intel shouldn’t worry owners, but it does confirm that Ford hurried the Mustang Mach-E to market without properly polishing the software.

Priced from $42,895 in the United States of America before destination charge, the electric crossover goes as low as $35,395 after the federal tax credit. This, in turn, makes the Mustang Mach-E a pretty interesting alternative to a Tesla Model 3 ($37,990) and the Model Y ($49,990).

The Dearborn-based brand offers four trim levels in total: the Select, Premium, California Route 1, and high-performing GT. Highlight features of the base model are the SYNC 4A infotainment system, using the phone as a key, the 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster and 15.5-inch touchscreen infotainment system, as well as Co-Pilot360 Assist 2.0 safety systems. As for the estimated driving range, the least you can expect from the standard 68 kWh battery and rear-wheel-drive setup is 230 miles (370 kilometers).
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 Download: 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E technical service bulletin (PDF)

About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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