What do you call an Escape with all-electric propulsion? Built around a heavily reworked C2 platform that Ford calls GE1, the Mustang Mach-E is anything but a ‘Stang in way too many aspects.
For starters, the Dearborn-based automaker builds the compact-sized crossover in Mexico and China. By comparison, the fastbacks and convertibles marketed as the Mustang are produced in Michigan exclusively (at the Flat Rock assembly complex).
When it comes to high-performance Mustangs (the previous-gen Shelby GT500 and 2024 model year Dark Horse come to mind), these vehicles are designed to perform at their maximum potential for extended periods. The Mach-E GT is capable of delivering maximum power and torque for up to 5 seconds, resulting in rather disappointing straight-line performance. By comparison, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N offers 10-second bursts with 641 ponies on deck rather than the standard 601, thus decreasing the 0-62 time from 3.5 to 3.4 seconds.
The biggest problem of the Mustang Mach-E, however, is the abysmal reliability and quality shared by most other Ford Motor Company products. No fewer than seven recalls are listed on the NHTSA’s website for the 2021 model year at press time, plus two investigations, 177 complaints, and 198 manufacturer communications. The seventh recall (23V-687) concerns 34,762 vehicles equipped with the larger of two available batteries.
It all started to come together in August 2023 with ODI recall query RQ 23-004 into previously recalled Mustang Mach-E crossovers. The tl;dr version of said investigation? As it happens, the NHTSA wasn’t impressed by Ford’s original remedy for overheating extended range battery main contactors.
Instead of actually owning up to its mistake, the company rolled out an over-the-air software update for the secondary on-board diagnostic control module and battery energy control module. What does the update do? Rather than fix the overheating condition, said update reduces power to prevent main contactors damage.
Photo: Ford
When the NHTSA started looking into Ford’s ineffective remedy, the federal agency was aware of no fewer than 12 reports alleging main contactor failure in 2021 to 2022 model year Mustang Mach-E vehicles. All of them had the OTA update installed. Two months after the Office of Defects Investigation opened the aforementioned recall query, Ford ultimately recalled a total of 34,762 Mustang Mach-E extended range battery vehicles.
Said vehicles were produced in the period between May 27, 2020 and May 24, 2022. Owners will be informed of the Ford Motor Company’s blunder between October 30 and November 10 via first-class mail. As for the dealers, they’ll be much obliged to replace the bussed electrical center of the high-voltage battery junction box at no charge whatsoever to the customer.
As per the documents attached below, Ford gingerly introduced a new type of BEC into production on May 22 last year. Indeed, Ford has been fully aware of the original BEC’s hardware design flaws since May 2022 at the very least. The remedy BEC features a new design with flat contact surfaces. Furthermore, the groove on the movable contactor surface was removed.
What do you call an automaker that prefers to drag its feet rather than be proactive about such a big issue? Simply put, an automaker that puts the customer at the very bottom of its priorities list.
For more info on this recall, the query, and the recall from June 2022, please refer to the documents attached in portable document format below.
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. Full profile
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