Earlier this week, Ford’s Mach-E electric SUV got its image roughed up a bit by a stop-sale order prompted by a hardware defect. Shortly after, news of some 49,000 Mach-Es being recalled surfaced. Now, in a bid to save face a bit, the carmaker released more details on the issue, including on the symptoms in affected SUVs.
The defect we mentioned above is related to the high voltage battery main relay switch, whose “design and part-to-part variation […] is not robust to the heat generated during DC fast charging and multiple wide-open pedal events.”
Translated into a language we can all understand, that pretty much means that actions such as DC fast charging can cause the main contactors to overheat. In turn, this leads to arcing and deformation of the electrical contact surfaces, and the effect of that is the electric relay switch remaining open or welding shut.
The issue is quite serious, as such effects on the switch may cause the Mach-E to lose power, even while in motion, and that increases the risk of a crash.
As for how to tell your vehicle is malfunctioning, here's what Ford has to say. Should the switch get stuck in an open position in your SUV, “a powertrain malfunction warning light will be illuminated and the vehicle will display Stop Safely Now in the cluster.”
If it gets welded shut, a “powertrain malfunction warning light will be illuminated on the next drive cycle, along with a no-start condition.”
Despite this, the carmaker says you could still drive your vehicle, as no “instructions to stop driving vehicles under this safety recall” have been issued.
The fix to the problem is not mechanical in nature, but software-based, and will involve downloading and installing an over-the-air update or, for the less tech-savvy, a trip to the dealer.
Although it initially said the fix should be ready sometime between July 1 and September 30, Ford came back on this and now says all should be up and running in July.
As for the stop-sale order, the carmaker says people can still order Mach-Es, but they should be aware the car will be held until the fix is implemented.
Translated into a language we can all understand, that pretty much means that actions such as DC fast charging can cause the main contactors to overheat. In turn, this leads to arcing and deformation of the electrical contact surfaces, and the effect of that is the electric relay switch remaining open or welding shut.
The issue is quite serious, as such effects on the switch may cause the Mach-E to lose power, even while in motion, and that increases the risk of a crash.
As for how to tell your vehicle is malfunctioning, here's what Ford has to say. Should the switch get stuck in an open position in your SUV, “a powertrain malfunction warning light will be illuminated and the vehicle will display Stop Safely Now in the cluster.”
If it gets welded shut, a “powertrain malfunction warning light will be illuminated on the next drive cycle, along with a no-start condition.”
Despite this, the carmaker says you could still drive your vehicle, as no “instructions to stop driving vehicles under this safety recall” have been issued.
The fix to the problem is not mechanical in nature, but software-based, and will involve downloading and installing an over-the-air update or, for the less tech-savvy, a trip to the dealer.
Although it initially said the fix should be ready sometime between July 1 and September 30, Ford came back on this and now says all should be up and running in July.
As for the stop-sale order, the carmaker says people can still order Mach-Es, but they should be aware the car will be held until the fix is implemented.