Dangerous System Failure - locked up on highway!

[Kamuelaflyer]

I have selected P instead of D while backing up by accident. I hadn't come to a complete stop and the parking pawl attempted to throw and it made a ratcheting sound until it eventually grabbed and the car came to a sudden stop. Was very upset with myself for doing that. I just haven't become super comfortable with the dial for a gear selector yet.

I can confirm this. In exactly the same scenario.

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[SnBGC]

I never tried it in reverse. I wonder if the logic that prevents it is based on speed or direction. I tried it in a loaner car and it wouldn't let me put it in Park or Reverse while driving at about 30mph. I had to try it for science.

My two best excuses for doing dumb things are "for science" and "for the children". Honey, we have to buy the Mach-E and reduce pollution......you know "for the children".

I would hope it wouldn't try to go into park at speed. I was probably doing 3 or 4 mph when I accidentally did it and it didn't actually grab until I was nearly stopped. Still made a horrible noise and was very abrupt. I still get pissed at myself just talking about it.

 

[DevSecOps]

I may have described it - it wasn't a skid but a hard brake to a stop. But the wheels and gear knob did completely lock up at some point. The rear wheels dragged when the transport driver tried to pull it up the truck ramp.

Thank you for clarifying that. A couple of us asked that same questions while other's just made assumptions. I asked previously if it was regen vs braking. I know you were in panic mode, but do you think it was at the stopping force of 1 Pedal regen or was it more pronounced, as if mechanical brakes were applied? Did you happen to notice if the parking brake was on when it was stopped?

 

[Pitts2112]

Yeah, good luck with that. I dealt with them twice. They promise a response in 2 days. Well after 10 days I finally heard from them. We went back and forth for almost a month until the final answer was bring it into the dealer. Then they never responded again.

That's disappointing and probably closer to what I'm expecting to actually happen.

 

[Pitts2112]

Thank you for clarifying that. A couple of us asked that same questions while other's just made assumptions. I asked previously if it was regen vs braking. I know you were in panic mode, but do you think it was at the stopping force of 1 Pedal regen or was it more pronounced, as if mechanical brakes were applied? Did you happen to notice if the parking brake was on when it was stopped?

I would say it was braking vs regen; certainly harder than regen alone. Parking brake never came on.

 

[EV-PONY]

Any updates from Ford, Shawn?

 

[JeffGo]

Last week my Mach E suffered a complete system failure, locking the brakes at 70 mph and coming to a complete stop on the main freeway in Boston. A whole series of error codes came up on the driver display, the car locked itself in park and the gear knob wouldn't turn. It didn't respond to turning the car on and off and the touch screen was unresponsive. The car had to be transported off the middle of the highway to my nearest dealer. Eventually, the gear knob unlocked and the car would drive in forward and reverse but there were still major faults which could not be resolved from the car's controls. I was very lucky that I wasn't being tailgated so no accident occurred but it could have been very dangerous.

The error codes included "Service AdvanceTrac", "SHIFT SYSTEM FAULT - Service Required", "Pre-Collision Assist not available".

The dealer had it for three days, claimed to have updated 6 software modules (I'm certain the car was up to date on all software updates), test drove it and discovered 2 needed further updating. After that and 100 miles of test driving they released the car to me. All seemed OK but, this morning, all of our personal settings had been erased.

Here is the dealer's service report. I don't know what any of this means and I'm not convinced the dealer's technician really does either.

The main screen still displays this error symbol but I can't find it in the owner's manual. Does anyone know what it means?

Edit 1: The braking was more of an aggressive application of the brakes, not a full lock skid. Certainly more aggressive than just regenerative braking itself.

Edit 2: The blue cirlce/"x" icon is explained further in the thread - it's just a new "close window" icon added with a recent update.

Happened to me last week as well, fortunately NOT on an interstate and the car had enough kinetic energy to roll into a nearby trailhead parking area. Could not turn shift knob most of the time, but when I could, the parking brake would lock on. A few hours later I was able to get it home (2 miles) but then it did the same thing in my driveway. Had it towed. Dealer updated modules and returned car. I have not driven much since then so I'm a bit wary.

 

[Rex]

This should have been reported to Ford via an infallible fault reporting system by the dealer that scales the seriousness of the fault. This was a potentially deadly fault and yet Ford have to come to an informal forum to ask for details. That is totally inappropriate for such a safety event. It seems Ford have not woken up to the seriousness of software faults or error capture on their vehicles.

I have had a difficulty, generally known as a dead end, in reporting a potential safety issue. However I admit it isn't in the same league as this.

 

[voxel]

This should have been reported to Ford via an infallible fault reporting system by the dealer that scales the seriousness of the fault. This was a potentially deadly fault and yet Ford have to come to an informal forum to ask for details. That is totally inappropriate for such a safety event. It seems Ford have not woken up to the seriousness of software faults or error capture on their vehicles.

I have had a difficulty, generally known as a dead end, in reporting a potential safety issue. However I admit it isn't in the same league as this.

I suggest directly to NHTSA. If enough people report the issue they will address it. Otherwise they can continue to ignore it

https://www.nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem#index

 

[Rex]

I suggest directly to NHTSA. If enough people report the issue they will address it. Otherwise they can continue to ignore it

https://www.nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem#index

If you don't report it, you are part of the problem............................

 

[Jim Glass]

Sounds like a function of the anti collision function. How was it set? High? Normal? I’ve had the warning appear when a car almost Onthe adjacent lane brake quickly to turn or change lanes and mine is set to normal. Also, the car auto shifts to Park if a door is opened. You then can’t shift out unless you step on the brake and start the car. There is so much different shyt that can lead to warning and events like this. The OP didn’t say how it was towed (AWD/RWD). If AWD, had to be put on dollies and a flat bed. If RWD, towed ass end up. These cars are NOT uncomplicated and one only need to read these forums to see that. That and the fact that 99% of buyers NEVER READ THE OWNERS MANUAL. !

 

[Mlahote]

I did not read through all of the replies so I apologize if this I had already been mentioned. The service notes mentioned a technical service bulletin (tsb #). You should be able to find that on NHTSA’s website and maybe you will find additional information.

 

[whadenIV]

Today, rather tired after work, I spun the volume knob clockwise instead of the gear knob.

?​

I keep spinning my Travel Mug. ?

 

[JeffGo]

And here we go again, second time in two weeks. One more strike and it's a lemon. I have to wait two hours for AAA - Ford Roadside service is incompetent and can't find wheel lift/dolly service. I barely managed to get back out of an intersection, stopped at a stop sign on a busy back road.

 

[JeffGo]

I did not read through all of the replies so I apologize if this I had already been mentioned. The service notes mentioned a technical service bulletin (tsb #). You should be able to find that on NHTSA’s website and maybe you will find additional information.

I had the same TSBs applied to my car on Nov 1. System failed again today. The PaaK does work better, but that's of little consolation when the car dies on the road.

I reported this via the NTHSA link above.

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