Car won't start, can't open doors, weird thumping noise

[Lenni]

Car has 37k miles on it, no problems til things got weird this past Friday.

Friday: went on a day trip out of town and had immense trouble charging the car. Went to *EIGHT* EA stations by the time the day trip was over (should've needed two). The chargers either wouldn't connect to the car or they connected but charged REALLY slow (like 8 kwh). Eventually found chargers that charged reasonably fast and made it there & back.

Saturday & Sunday: car worked fine, short trips around town. Set up FordPass on my iphone after being afraid of it since I had so many problems with it last year. Set up PAAK. Tried to set up BlueOval charging.

Monday: drove to work and back home. Two hours later, attempted to drive somewhere. Got in car and all sorts of weird errors came on. "Headlight check manual" error (one headlight came on and one didn't), Stop Safely Now, a bunch of others, it's all a blur. Turned car off . Plugged it in, the charge port lights went red. Turned it on, same bunch of error messages. Was very late, couldn't google messages, drove away in other car.

Monday night: cannot open car doors, can't unlock them, every single thing on the car seems dead. Car is making a thumping noise near rear passenger door. Maybe every second. FordPass app says the car is fine. It is not fine. HELP!?

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[Mach-Lee]

OK, sounds like your junction box (HVBJB) might have died and now you have a dead 12V battery. You will have to jump start the car to get it in neutral and have it towed to the dealer. The thumping is probably the audio amplifier making a popping noise in the speakers or subs due to low voltage.

Here's how to jump start. You need to do this in order to access the menu on the screen and enter emergency tow mode so the tow truck can winch it up.

12 Volt battery - how to open the hood, how to jump start | Ford Mustang Mach E

Mach-E Winch Recovery Tow Points

Emergency Tow Mode - Tutorial | Video

Stop Safely Now (HVBJB): Mach-E Owners Biggest Fear - Facts and Info Thread

 

[SnBGC]

I didn't see any symptoms of a bad HVBJB? This just sounds like a simple case of a dead LVB. The thumping noise is the sound system freaking out. Have heard of that symptom a few times and a new or charged LVB solved the issue.

 

[JohnFoxeSheets]

I didn't see any symptoms of a bad HVBJB? This just sounds like a simple case of a dead LVB. The thumping noise is the sound system freaking out. Have heard of that symptom a few times and a new or charged LVB solved the issue.

I think Lee thinks HVBJB because the OP got a SSN, in addition to the other errors. Well that plus the fact that the OP can't charge the HVB now. (Also, from what he, Todd, and some others have said, it seems most LVB issues can be linked to HVBJB issues.)

 

[Lenni]

What a mess! Thanks all, for the advice. I will start making phone calls tomorrow. How long does it seem to be taking for the typical owner to get this resolved? A month? More?

I really liked this car and it's shocking that there was absolutely no warning.

Thankful this happened at home and thankful I have another car I can use in the meantime. I know I'm fortunate in both regards. Stay safe everyone.

 

[BigMach-E]

What a mess! Thanks all, for the advice. I will start making phone calls tomorrow. How long does it seem to be taking for the typical owner to get this resolved? A month? More?

I really liked this car and it's shocking that there was absolutely no warning.

Thankful this happened at home and thankful I have another car I can use in the meantime. I know I'm fortunate in both regards. Stay safe everyone.

Call Ford Customer Service. Get a case made with the BEV team.

At this point, a month would be far too long. When Ford didn't really know what was happening (6 to 8 months ago), if it is HVJBC failure, you could expect about a month. The investigation/determination/pulling codes should be done same day of arrival of the car. Don't accept the "we will get to it when we can".

If you have a few different dealerships in your area, vet the service departments, call around, ask them if they have the battery lift and if they are EV certified. Bring the car to them, regardless of what time frame they provide, they might tell you that they can't diagnose the same day of drop off. The tune changes if you already have a case with Ford Corporate, let the BEV team know what dealership you brought it to, and let them work the matter. It could just be the LVB though still.

I would say turn around for this should be a week, two weeks tops at this point.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

Car has 37k miles on it, no problems til things got weird this past Friday.

Friday: went on a day trip out of town and had immense trouble charging the car. Went to *EIGHT* EA stations by the time the day trip was over (should've needed two). The chargers either wouldn't connect to the car or they connected but charged REALLY slow (like 8 kwh). Eventually found chargers that charged reasonably fast and made it there & back.

Saturday & Sunday: car worked fine, short trips around town. Set up FordPass on my iphone after being afraid of it since I had so many problems with it last year. Set up PAAK. Tried to set up BlueOval charging.

Monday: drove to work and back home. Two hours later, attempted to drive somewhere. Got in car and all sorts of weird errors came on. "Headlight check manual" error (one headlight came on and one didn't), Stop Safely Now, a bunch of others, it's all a blur. Turned car off . Plugged it in, the charge port lights went red. Turned it on, same bunch of error messages. Was very late, couldn't google messages, drove away in other car.

Monday night: cannot open car doors, can't unlock them, every single thing on the car seems dead. Car is making a thumping noise near rear passenger door. Maybe every second. FordPass app says the car is fine. It is not fine. HELP!?

Hi there, Lenni! I can look into your Bronco's concerns on my end. To get started, could you please send a private message over with the name/location of your local Ford dealer and your Bronco's VIN?

 

[generaltso]

Hi there, Lenni! I can look into your Bronco's concerns on my end. To get started, could you please send a private message over with the name/location of your local Ford dealer and your Bronco's VIN?

Umm.....you might want to check which forum you're in.

 

[Maquis]

Umm.....you might want to check which forum you're in.

A pony’s a pony, right? ?

 

[generaltso]

A pony’s a pony, right? ?

In this case, no.

 

[Logal727]

Umm.....you might want to check which forum you're in.

Off to a great start lol

 

[SnBGC]

I think Lee thinks HVBJB because the OP got a SSN, in addition to the other errors. Well that plus the fact that the OP can't charge the HVB now. (Also, from what he, Todd, and some others have said, it seems most LVB issues can be linked to HVBJB issues.)

Yes, but not while driving (it didn't sound like it anyway.....)
Stop Safely Now will show along with just about every other warning message in the system when the LVB is dying.

I suppose it's possible the HVBJB has issues but that wouldn't be my first guess.
I would use the links that Mach-Lee posted to open the hood, get a charger on the LVB and charge that sucker up. I think there is a good chance the car will start and drive normally after that LVB has been serviced.

 

[JohnFoxeSheets]

Yes, but not while driving (it didn't sound like it anyway.....)
Stop Safely Now will show along with just about every other warning message in the system when the LVB is dying.

I suppose it's possible the HVBJB has issues but that wouldn't be my first guess.
I would use the links that Mach-Lee posted to open the hood, get a charger on the LVB and charge that sucker up. I think there is a good chance the car will start and drive normally after that LVB has been serviced.

For the OP's sake, I sure hope you're right! Especially since the Ford rep doesn't know which forum they're in!

 

[SnBGC]

For the OP's sake, I sure hope you're right! Especially since the Ford rep doesn't know which forum they're in!

I hope so too.
Back in Q1 2021 when these cars were first being delivered, there were a few issues exactly like the OP reported. I think all turned out to be a dead LVB. Some were replaced while others just needed to be charged back up.

 

[Lenni]

Oh my....

Let's hope Ford improves its service. This did actually make me laugh though. The tow truck is en route now.

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