Mach-Lee
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Lee
- Joined
- Jul 16, 2021
- Threads
- 262
- Messages
- 11,344
- Reaction score
- 24,963
- Location
- Wisconsin
- Vehicles
- 2022 Mach-E Premium AWD
- Occupation
- Sci/Eng
- Thread starter
- #1
Some 2023-2024 owners have been getting completely locked out of their Mach-E's due to a software glitch. The doors will not unlock by any means, and jumping the leads in the bumper to open the frunk will not work until the 12V battery is depleted. It's some type of communication glitch where the doors won't receive the unlock signal (not the 12V battery dying). I've previously given a technical synopsis here.
I've been trying to come up with a temporary solution to help 2023-2024 owners avoid or mitigate the total lockout situation since it will take Ford a month or two to deploy a fix. I'd recommend doing a preventative 12V reset if you can (disconnect negative battery terminal for 10 minutes), this should reboot all modules to minimize the chance of a glitch, but I have no definitive proof it will prevent the issue. Besides the 12V reset, I've come up with an alternative access method in case the frunk will not open.
Note: This is not necessary on 2021 and 2022 vehicles. We don't have the complete lockout bug.
If you are worried about security, you may call a locksmith to gain access to your vehicle instead. This method allows you to gain access yourself.
Materials:
1. Tie the rope to the passenger front door handle as shown:
2. Route the rope horizontally and down to the bottom of the door, using tape as shown.
3. Cut the rope a couple inches longer than the bottom of the door, and tape the end of the rope to the bottom of the door:
The rope cannot be seen outside of the car unless you are on hands and knees looking up at it. The only visible part would be on the armrest, I used orange rope for visibility, but you may want to choose black rope instead.
4. In the event of a lockout situation, detach the end of the rope under the door, and pull the string out from the slot between the front and rear doors (you will need to pull to rip the tape).
5. Once you have enough slack, hold the string slightly above the level of the door latch, and pull firmly. In my testing I had to pull the string twice to release the door.
6. Once you're in the vehicle, pull the driver door handle twice to open it, and pull the hood release latch twice to open it.
7. Pull up on the edges of the top frunk panel sharply to remove it and expose the negative battery terminal.
8. Loosen (but do not remove) 10 mm nut on negative battery terminal, remove terminal, and set aside so it can't touch for 5-10 minutes.
9. Put negative battery terminal back on and tighten nut. Be prepared for a spark when it touches.
10. Car should now wake up and you should be able to resume normal operation. If the battery is completely dead, you may need a jump start first.
NOTE: I was skeptical of this working because of the double lock mechanism of the front door handles, but it appears pulling the handle twice bypasses that so it will open. This will not work on the rear handles since they have no mechanical operation.
Disclaimer: Do this at your own risk since it provides a potential route for a thief to enter your car. Do not keep key fobs or valuables inside. They can steal your stuff but will not be able to start the car without a fob. With black string, I think it will be sufficiently hidden as to not arouse suspicion.
I've been trying to come up with a temporary solution to help 2023-2024 owners avoid or mitigate the total lockout situation since it will take Ford a month or two to deploy a fix. I'd recommend doing a preventative 12V reset if you can (disconnect negative battery terminal for 10 minutes), this should reboot all modules to minimize the chance of a glitch, but I have no definitive proof it will prevent the issue. Besides the 12V reset, I've come up with an alternative access method in case the frunk will not open.
Note: This is not necessary on 2021 and 2022 vehicles. We don't have the complete lockout bug.
If you are worried about security, you may call a locksmith to gain access to your vehicle instead. This method allows you to gain access yourself.
Materials:
- Thin rope
- Masking tape
- 10 mm socket wrench (keep in glove compartment)
1. Tie the rope to the passenger front door handle as shown:
2. Route the rope horizontally and down to the bottom of the door, using tape as shown.
3. Cut the rope a couple inches longer than the bottom of the door, and tape the end of the rope to the bottom of the door:
The rope cannot be seen outside of the car unless you are on hands and knees looking up at it. The only visible part would be on the armrest, I used orange rope for visibility, but you may want to choose black rope instead.
4. In the event of a lockout situation, detach the end of the rope under the door, and pull the string out from the slot between the front and rear doors (you will need to pull to rip the tape).
5. Once you have enough slack, hold the string slightly above the level of the door latch, and pull firmly. In my testing I had to pull the string twice to release the door.
6. Once you're in the vehicle, pull the driver door handle twice to open it, and pull the hood release latch twice to open it.
7. Pull up on the edges of the top frunk panel sharply to remove it and expose the negative battery terminal.
8. Loosen (but do not remove) 10 mm nut on negative battery terminal, remove terminal, and set aside so it can't touch for 5-10 minutes.
9. Put negative battery terminal back on and tighten nut. Be prepared for a spark when it touches.
10. Car should now wake up and you should be able to resume normal operation. If the battery is completely dead, you may need a jump start first.
NOTE: I was skeptical of this working because of the double lock mechanism of the front door handles, but it appears pulling the handle twice bypasses that so it will open. This will not work on the rear handles since they have no mechanical operation.
Disclaimer: Do this at your own risk since it provides a potential route for a thief to enter your car. Do not keep key fobs or valuables inside. They can steal your stuff but will not be able to start the car without a fob. With black string, I think it will be sufficiently hidden as to not arouse suspicion.
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