Power Train Fault, Hill Assist Fault, Shift System Fault Messages

[Mandretti]

Wow - 2K miles on my Premium AWD ER. Started it up after a hair cut (probably not germane but who knows....) and before I put it into gear the panel above the steering wheel started displaying several error messages, one after another.

1. Power Train System Fault - Service Required
2. Shift System Fault - Service Required
3. Hill Assist System Fault - Service Required

I happened to be about .5 miles from the Ford dealer so I brought it in and they will take a look at it tomorrow morning (Sept 1). I'm supposed to drive 500 miles the day after - probably not going to happen. The car seems to be driveable, and when I started it up again in the dealer's lot there were no messages. So I could probably go - but not willing to risk it. Fortunately we have another vehicle.

I've searched through this and other forums and have not seen anyone with all three of these error messages, and nothing much for any of them individually either. But reading the ones that were there I believe the shift knob system needs to be replaced and that probably should do it. The Power Train Fault one seems to be more common and the fix for the few I saw involved replacing that. We will see...

Add that to the 15 or so other glitches, mostly software, all fairly minor but very annoying, and it's clear that for some of us being on the bleeding edge has a price. Of course we all knew this could happen, but I'm pretty disappointed in this and the unreliability of many of the tech features of this vehicle. Hoping that Ford will get their stuff together soon and resolve these and move from fixing problems (mostly software or firmware) to improving functionality. If anyone out there has any ideas or experience with these issues please post. The service rep at the dealer had that 'deer in the headlights' look so not too confident they will make headway on this. None of these folks, especially outside major metro areas, have seen very many of these.

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[jojomontag]

Wow - 2K miles on my Premium AWD ER. Started it up after a hair cut (probably not germane but who knows....) and before I put it into gear the panel above the steering wheel started displaying several error messages, one after another.

1. Power Train System Fault - Service Required
2. Shift System Fault - Service Required
3. Hill Assist System Fault - Service Required

I happened to be about .5 miles from the Ford dealer so I brought it in and they will take a look at it tomorrow morning (Sept 1). I'm supposed to drive 500 miles the day after - probably not going to happen. The car seems to be driveable, and when I started it up again in the dealer's lot there were no messages. So I could probably go - but not willing to risk it. Fortunately we have another vehicle.

I've searched through this and other forums and have not seen anyone with all three of these error messages, and nothing much for any of them individually either. But reading the ones that were there I believe the shift knob system needs to be replaced and that probably should do it. The Power Train Fault one seems to be more common and the fix for the few I saw involved replacing that. We will see...

Add that to the 15 or so other glitches, mostly software, all fairly minor but very annoying, and it's clear that for some of us being on the bleeding edge has a price. Of course we all knew this could happen, but I'm pretty disappointed in this and the unreliability of many of the tech features of this vehicle. Hoping that Ford will get their stuff together soon and resolve these and move from fixing problems (mostly software or firmware) to improving functionality. If anyone out there has any ideas or experience with these issues please post. The service rep at the dealer had that 'deer in the headlights' look so not too confident they will make headway on this. None of these folks, especially outside major metro areas, have seen very many of these.

The service reps know nothing. All the ones I spoke to could say was that it's new tech. HOGWASH! Ford has had training available for nearly two years. The reps blamed Ford for delays (I'm on day 18 of being without my Mach E), saying their techs are trained and ready, yet Ford sent two engineers to look at the car. I had the Service Vehicle Soon: powertrain detected a fault in the high voltage system. They said it's two bad battery modules. They have the modules but are now waiting on the TIM tubes and frame bolts.

I hope all the best for you. Apparently the DTCs can represent a ton of different issues. It requires a specific set of troubleshooting steps to determine the real issue.

 

[Mandretti]

Thanks! Yeah - no one can be truly ‘trained’ until they’ve had hands on experience on a number of these vehicles over a long period of time. They have neither of these and won’t for a long time. I think their training is mostly to support sales, post-delivery prep, OTA service, and to perform rudimentary first pass diagnostics. That’s going to leave us folks with issues in a difficult and frustrating situation. Especially when parts are almost impossible to come by.
Glad they were able to diagnose your problem.

 

[jojomontag]

Thanks! Yeah - no one can be truly ‘trained’ until they’ve had hands on experience on a number of these vehicles over a long period of time. They have neither of these and won’t for a long time. I think their training is mostly to support sales, post-delivery prep, OTA service, and to perform rudimentary first pass diagnostics. That’s going to leave us folks with issues in a difficult and frustrating situation. Especially when parts are almost impossible to come by.
Glad they were able to diagnose your problem.

This dealership in SA started with more than that almost 2 years ago (http://www.futurecar.com/article-3692-1.html). And there is a training that costs $89 offered by Ford Motorcraft that covers BEV high voltage batteries.

According to the dealer (in December 2019):

"That design makes the battery "easier to service," Goddu says, since it enables dealerships to store and ship individual modules instead of a bulky and extremely heavy battery pack. The modules will improve repair times for the Mach-E, Goddu says."

The dealer also said the training
"includes sending his eight EV-certified techs to a Ford center for specialized training specific to the electric Mach-E. Technicians are also taking courses online."

The article adds: "Barry says he will have to buy special tools for Mach-E service, adding that Ford will define those requirements next spring. The Mach-E is scheduled to arrive at dealerships in late 2020."

So Ford has attempted to do its part. It's the dealers and techs dropping the ball.

 

[HFn!eSwMFilFX4mxbn&!P9T&G]

The service reps know nothing. All the ones I spoke to could say was that it's new tech. HOGWASH! Ford has had training available for nearly two years. The reps blamed Ford for delays (I'm on day 18 of being without my Mach E), saying their techs are trained and ready, yet Ford sent two engineers to look at the car. I had the Service Vehicle Soon: powertrain detected a fault in the high voltage system. They said it's two bad battery modules. They have the modules but are now waiting on the TIM tubes and frame bolts.

I hope all the best for you. Apparently the DTCs can represent a ton of different issues. It requires a specific set of troubleshooting steps to determine the real issue.

Do you know if they tried updating with the TSB's for these errors? I'm awaiting a shop appointment for the same errors and am hoping it's software and not hardware.

OP: Sorry you are having issues as well. What month was your Mach-E built?

 

[jojomontag]

Do you know if they tried updating with the TSB's for these errors? I'm awaiting a shop appointment for the same errors and am hoping it's software and not hardware.

OP: Sorry you are having issues as well. What month was your Mach-E built?

It's hard to say. They are quite tight lipped about what they have done. At first they said they would have to play email tag with Ford as Ford walks them through the diagnosis, but then total silence for a few days. Then I was told that Ford was sending two engineers to look at the vehicle (no ETA, and no diagnosis). I kept following up but continued to hear that there was no ETA. I complained to corporate and finally heard from the service manager.

He called and told me the engineers would be there the next day and would be bringing the necessary parts. I asked him how they knew what was needed and if a troubleshooting protocol had been followed. He said they already diagnosed the problem because they had access to the same DTC/freeze frame data he had. I asked him why no one told me of the diagnosis. He never answered.

I don't believe any TSB updates were done. Supposedly the engineers verified which modules were bad, but I fear they didn't check anything else. It could be that something else is wrong and caused damage to the modules, but I guess I will never know.

It's been a huge mess. My wife doesn't want the car anymore. We love the car, but it's hard to swallow not being able to drive it for weeks on end and knowing that there's a possibility of having to go through all of this again.

 

[HFn!eSwMFilFX4mxbn&!P9T&G]

It's hard to say. They are quite tight lipped about what they have done. At first they said they would have to play email tag with Ford as Ford walks them through the diagnosis, but then total silence for a few days. Then I was told that Ford was sending two engineers to look at the vehicle (no ETA, and no diagnosis). I kept following up but continued to hear that there was no ETA. I complained to corporate and finally heard from the service manager.

He called and told me the engineers would be there the next day and would be bringing the necessary parts. I asked him how they knew what was needed and if a troubleshooting protocol had been followed. He said they already diagnosed the problem because they had access to the same DTC/freeze frame data he had. I asked him why no one told me of the diagnosis. He never answered.

I don't believe any TSB updates were done. Supposedly the engineers verified which modules were bad, but I fear they didn't check anything else. It could be that something else is wrong and caused damage to the modules, but I guess I will never know.

It's been a huge mess. My wife doesn't want the car anymore. We love the car, but it's hard to swallow not being able to drive it for weeks on end and knowing that there's a possibility of having to go through all of this again.

Sorry you are going through this, it's not fun. I have been in touch with corporate executive offices and the regional contact. The first place I took it in for service couldn't service it and the next place was 2 weeks out (9/8). Hope you get some good news soon. Not sure what your plans are, but I'm documenting and keeping the lemon laws handy for reading.

 

[jojomontag]

Sorry you are going through this, it's not fun. I have been in touch with corporate executive offices and the regional contact. The first place I took it in for service couldn't service it and the next place was 2 weeks out (9/8). Hope you get some good news soon. Not sure what your plans are, but I'm documenting and keeping the lemon laws handy for reading.

Thanks. Same here. I have also been trying to keep communication through email.

I hope yours works out, too. And that erneut is fine for the foreseeable future if/when we get our cars back.

 

[RedStallion]

The car seems to be driveable, and when I started it up again in the dealer's lot there were no messages.

If you don't have any messages then the car is probably fine. False alarm. Just ignore it.

 

[RedStallion]

The service reps know nothing. All the ones I spoke to could say was that it's new tech. HOGWASH! Ford has had training available for nearly two years. The reps blamed Ford for delays (I'm on day 18 of being without my Mach E), saying their techs are trained and ready, yet Ford sent two engineers to look at the car. I had the Service Vehicle Soon: powertrain detected a fault in the high voltage system. They said it's two bad battery modules. They have the modules but are now waiting on the TIM tubes and frame bolts.

I hope all the best for you. Apparently the DTCs can represent a ton of different issues. It requires a specific set of troubleshooting steps to determine the real issue.

Ford has no control over the dealerships, and the latter aren't interested in servicing EVs. Their mechanics are uneducated and the number of EVs isn't sufficient to affect their bottom line.
Ford needs to create their own service centers that will work only on EVs, perhaps they can strike a deal with some dealerships to convert them to such centers and agree to follow a strict service protocol. Current dealership model will continue being dysfunctional for many years until EVs become commonplace.

 

[Mandretti]

Good luck with your issues. Mine seem to be a bit different - I think it’s related to the shift knob apparatus. I’m hoping my process goes more smoothly than yours. It appears that they have at least one tech that has more knowledge/training than the others and I’m thinking that’s a good sign. I’ll post updates as they come.
I like the idea of EV centers - but not sure it’s practical for rural locations. Hopefully over the next 5 years they’ll get a handle on this support, otherwise they’re dead in the water for moving to an all EV world.

 

[Mandretti]

Ok - my dealer, Kendall Ford of Eugene, took my car in immediately and within a few hours I had a call back. I had a fender bender several weeks ago and apparently it affected the sensors in that area. So it’s a damaged sensor issue which the body shop repair process will take care of it eventually- whenever they can get parts. Yeah. Meanwhile drivable with no problems. We’ll see how it does with a 1000 mile trip starting tomorrow.

 

[Stang68]

When was your Mach E built?

 

[Mandretti]

Not sure , but with a delivery date of June 7 I’m guessing early May or late April.

 

[Johnnyb]

The service reps know nothing. All the ones I spoke to could say was that it's new tech. HOGWASH! Ford has had training available for nearly two years. The reps blamed Ford for delays (I'm on day 18 of being without my Mach E), saying their techs are trained and ready, yet Ford sent two engineers to look at the car. I had the Service Vehicle Soon: powertrain detected a fault in the high voltage system. They said it's two bad battery modules. They have the modules but are now waiting on the TIM tubes and frame bolts.

I hope all the best for you. Apparently the DTCs can represent a ton of different issues. It requires a specific set of troubleshooting steps to determine the real issue.

I had the same message before it stopped running. It's back at the dealer now. I only have 315miles on it!?

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