Stop Safely Now

[Marc S]

So, just arrived home from a trip and plugged in car as usual. After about half an hour I got a message on my phone reporting a charger fault. I have seen this before so I went out to the car and unplugged then plugged back in. Same error. Went into the car and got the stop safely now message and full accessory power only. Unable to shift car out of Park. Tried couple of times with same error. Contemplating calling for a tow when I decided to try a remote start from my phone. Car started right up, no errors when I entered and hit the start button. Repeated several times and car seems OK now. Plugged back in and is just reporting waiting to charge at my scheduled time.

Anyone else experience this? Am I just waiting for a repeat? Probably when I am not so lucky and away from home I would guess.

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[HuntingPudel]

If you have an OBD-2 reader, pull the codes. The “SSN” and “SVS” warnings are just like the idiot lights on old cars. They don’t tell you much. ??

 

[Marc S]

Unfortunately I don’t have the equipment. I know there must be some codes there but I really don’t want to go to the dealer for them to tell me they couldn’t find anything after they hold the car for a week. So I’m guessing that I’m going to have to chance it until it occurs again and I need a tow

 

[Draco]

Exact same issue has happened to me twice now (2023.5 MME); was able to clear by pulling the LVB terminal for 30 min. There is definitely a bug going around....

 

[Mach-Lee]

Try this first:
Try This First - Powertrain Malfunction / High-Voltage Battery Warning / Service Vehicle Soon While Charging

And if that doesn't work, I'd pull the negative battery terminal for 10 minutes.

If it still doesn't work after the battery disconnect, then you'll probably need the tow and you might want to send me your VIN so I can see why.

 

[Marc S]

Try this first:
Try This First - Powertrain Malfunction / High-Voltage Battery Warning / Service Vehicle Soon While Charging

And if that doesn't work, I'd pull the negative battery terminal for 10 minutes.

If it still doesn't work after the battery disconnect, then you'll probably need the tow and you might want to send me your VIN so I can see why.

Thank you. Can you please take a look
3FMTK4SX9PMA66526

 

[Mach-Lee]

Thank you. Can you please take a look

Can't see anything yet, car would need to be turned on for a while. If it's stuck in stop safely now it won't report.

 

[Marc S]

Can't see anything yet, car would need to be turned on for a while. If it's stuck in stop safely now it won't report.

Ok. Thanks. It is no longer in stop safely. It went back to normal after I remote started with the app and shows it is waiting it’s normal charge time

 

[Mach-Lee]

Ok. Thanks. It is no longer in stop safely. It went back to normal after I remote started with the app and shows it is waiting it’s normal charge time

OK, that's good. Probably just a charging glitch. If you're still interested, remind me to check it again after you've driven it.

 

[Mach-Lee]

Ok. Thanks. It is no longer in stop safely. It went back to normal after I remote started with the app and shows it is waiting it’s normal charge time

Codes reported this morning. I see there was a P1A1E:66 code that triggered the SSN, which means the car was being cycled on and off too many times in a short period. This is caused by either turning the ignition on and off too many times in a row, or from charging starting and stopping too many times in a short period. The latter could be caused by a bad EVSE or a bad plug connection (such as not plugging in the car fully).

I'd suggest doing a charge port cleaning and J1772 inspection for defects: How to Clean and Inspect Your Charge Port

Again, could be a bad EVSE, a bad J1772 handle, or just not being plugged in fully. Vehicle will fully reset afterwards, it's not a big deal. But if it happens again, you should take further action (such as replacing the EVSE).

Which EVSE do you have?

 

[Marc S]

Codes reported this morning. I see there was a P1A1E:66 code that triggered the SSN, which means the car was being cycled on and off too many times in a short period. This is caused by either turning the ignition on and off too many times in a row, or from charging starting and stopping too many times in a short period. The latter could be caused by a bad EVSE or a bad plug connection (such as not plugging in the car fully).

I'd suggest doing a charge port cleaning and J1772 inspection for defects: How to Clean and Inspect Your Charge Port

Again, could be a bad EVSE, a bad J1772 handle, or just not being plugged in fully. Vehicle will fully reset afterwards, it's not a big deal. But if it happens again, you should take further action (such as replacing the EVSE).

Which EVSE do you have?

Thank you so much for this. I did cycle on and off many times when the car wouldn’t start. I found it interesting that the car would not start with button press but started right up with a remote start from the app. My original message was a charge fault. I have had this before and usually just unplug, wait a minute or 2 then plug back in.
I have a 3.5 year old juice box 40amp plug in type. Car seems OK today though I have left it off the juice box since the incident occurred. Thanks again

 

[Mach-Lee]

Thank you so much for this. I did cycle on and off many times when the car wouldn’t start. I found it interesting that the car would not start with button press but started right up with a remote start from the app. My original message was a charge fault. I have had this before and usually just unplug, wait a minute or 2 then plug back in.
I have a 3.5 year old juice box 40amp plug in type. Car seems OK today though I have left it off the juice box since the incident occurred. Thanks again

FYI the problem occurred before you tried to start the car, so the JuiceBox is probably the cause. They can have a bad J1772 connector that ends up getting loose with time, so the connection it makes with the car isn't very good and can be intermittent. The intermittent connection causes charging to start and stop rapidly and eventually sets that fault. If you unplug and let the car sit for 10 minutes, it will work again after the high voltage precharge resistor cools down.

 

[Marc S]

FYI the problem occurred before you tried to start the car, so the JuiceBox is probably the cause. They can have a bad J1772 connector that ends up getting loose with time, so the connection it makes with the car isn't very good and can be intermittent. The intermittent connection causes charging to start and stop rapidly and eventually sets that fault. If you unplug and let the car sit for 10 minutes, it will work again after the high voltage precharge resistor cools down.

I just read your post on cleaning the port and handle so I’ll try that first. My juice box is outside in the elements which can be extreme here in NY. I’ve had this car for only 6 months (second Mach-e) so I’ll pay more attention to the handle. If I need to replace the unit do you prefer any particular brand? I have to stay with plug in and max 40 amps

 

[Mach-Lee]

I just read your post on cleaning the port and handle so I’ll try that first. My juice box is outside in the elements which can be extreme here in NY. I’ve had this car for only 6 months (second Mach-e) so I’ll pay more attention to the handle. If I need to replace the unit do you prefer any particular brand? I have to stay with plug in and max 40 amps

I recommend ChargePoint, Emporia, Wallbox, or Autel. Those ones have the fewest issues.

 

[raiderchop]

Have received the same error but the car was not charging. Ran errands, parked in driveway, and walked away for an hour. Jumped in the car to pull it into the garage and received the Powertrain Malfunction/Reduced Power error. Have followed the instructions in the link above with no luck. Before pulling the LVB, would a factory reset work? Car seems to drive fine and charges fine off our ChargePoint. Called dealership (actually called closest four!) and earliest date for an appointment is Nov 5. Thanks in advance!
VIN: 3FMTK4SX3PMA75464

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