Mach E left us stranded

[A-A-Ron]

Came back from a week long trip very late Saturday night. Made it to the airport offsite parking lot, and the car was sluggish to wake up (not uncommon after 7+ days). The back door didn’t want to open and I knew we were in for it when the rear hatch popped open but didn’t raise up and there were no interior lights.

Tried starting the car and knew immediately - the 12v battery was dead - lights randomly came on and off, the center console went to the “powered off to save battery”, Stop Safely Now and a slew of door, camera, brake and other errors on the IPC.

We’d been up for 20 hours at that point, it was 1am, my daughter got stuck on the flight and was puking every few minutes, the weather was colder than forecast so I’m outside in the 40s in shorts - just not a great time for this.

The parking lot had a jump cart but the operator was off getting gas so I pulled the frunk panels while I waited for him to come back. Hooked it up and started the car (save a stop safely error and red ! turtle - the car was running but maybe a bit sluggish). Made it home at nearly 2am. Put the windows down so I could get back in and plugged in and everything went back to normal the next morning.

The battery was only 3 months old and tested fine. I put it on a charger for half a day and reset the BMS in case it was set improperly when the battery was replaced but I suspect some module hung up and didn’t go to sleep, drawing a small but constant load. (No, I don’t have any after market accessories plugged in to drain power).

No idea if that happens often - I drive it often and long and charge every night typically so a small drain wouldn’t normally drain it this low.

Still, not a great experience and we likely won’t bring the Mach E to the airport for long trips again because I’m not sure I can trust it when I need it most. Can’t even imagine what this would be like for an average consumer that isn’t familiar with the 12v issues, how they manifest, how to get to the battery and jump it.

Now to go find some new frunk panel clips because I’m down 4

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[MightyMike]

I always wonder if there is something that drains the battery. (for example a dash cam). I used to have a Saturn that constantly had issues with dead battery. Turned out it was the automatic start. It was draining the battery trying to listen to the remote start signal.

Does the mach-e have some kind of long-term drain? (e.g. do they keep USB ports energized? Or drain the 12V listening for key-fobs? Has anyone done any tests?

 

[AhardFSU]

I assume your car is 3+ years old seeing as though you said the 12 volt had been replaced 3 months ago. Ford recently issued a bulletin related to the 12 volt battery being drained bc the on-board charger kept waking up the 12 volt. The notice posted here said to go to the dealer to have them update. I had my 12 volt battery replaced last week and I got the software update on Saturday for the 12 volt battery drain issue related to the on-board charger. There was also another software update that was pushed out several months ago related to 12 volt battery drain.

 

[stoopid]

Came back from a week long trip very late Saturday night...

Now to go find some new frunk panel clips because I’m down 4

Disappointing to hear, hopefully your MME is eligiable for the recent update. Did you leave the car plugged into a charger when you left it at the airport? Wondering if the MME's charge module was waking up periodically as AhardFSU mentioned.

Let us know what clips you end up getting, if a specific size. I would imagine they're used at most clip points on the vehicle/handy to have around. Been meaning to look into this and order some.

 

[GreaseMonkey]

I assume your car is 3+ years old seeing as though you said the 12 volt had been replaced 3 months ago. Ford recently issued a bulletin related to the 12 volt battery being drained bc the on-board charger kept waking up the 12 volt. The notice posted here said to go to the dealer to have them update. I had my 12 volt battery replaced last week and I got the software update on Saturday for the 12 volt battery drain issue related to the on-board charger. There was also another software update that was pushed out several months ago related to 12 volt battery drain.

Yes, but that CSP is for 2024s I think.

 

[AhardFSU]

Yes, but that CSP is for 2024s I think.

Yeah I think you’re right. The update I received on Saturday was for 12 volt drain but it was related to the gateway module.

 

[SonicBlue]

Came back from a week long trip very late Saturday night. Made it to the airport offsite parking lot, and the car was sluggish to wake up (not uncommon after 7+ days). The back door didn’t want to open and I knew we were in for it when the rear hatch popped open but didn’t raise up and there were no interior lights.

Tried starting the car and knew immediately - the 12v battery was dead - lights randomly came on and off, the center console went to the “powered off to save battery”, Stop Safely Now and a slew of door, camera, brake and other errors on the IPC.

We’d been up for 20 hours at that point, it was 1am, my daughter got stuck on the flight and was puking every few minutes, the weather was colder than forecast so I’m outside in the 40s in shorts - just not a great time for this.

The parking lot had a jump cart but the operator was off getting gas so I pulled the frunk panels while I waited for him to come back. Hooked it up and started the car (save a stop safely error and red ! turtle - the car was running but maybe a bit sluggish). Made it home at nearly 2am. Put the windows down so I could get back in and plugged in and everything went back to normal the next morning.

The battery was only 3 months old and tested fine. I put it on a charger for half a day and reset the BMS in case it was set improperly when the battery was replaced but I suspect some module hung up and didn’t go to sleep, drawing a small but constant load. (No, I don’t have any after market accessories plugged in to drain power).

No idea if that happens often - I drive it often and long and charge every night typically so a small drain wouldn’t normally drain it this low.

Still, not a great experience and we likely won’t bring the Mach E to the airport for long trips again because I’m not sure I can trust it when I need it most. Can’t even imagine what this would be like for an average consumer that isn’t familiar with the 12v issues, how they manifest, how to get to the battery and jump it.

Now to go find some new frunk panel clips because I’m down 4

Everything about this… is such bullshit. It shouldn’t be happening. But it’s the smallest detail that pisses me off the most - the fact that you’re having to replace plastic panel clips on top of all the other inconvenience simply due to @Ford Motor Company’s stupid design. They should make this right in some way.

 

[Sikkun]

how to get to the battery and jump it.

I’m not saying the design couldn’t be different (I’m personally on the pro physical key team).

But if you don’t know how to access your battery and jump it. Your scenario is exactly the same as it would be for any driver of any vehicle that doesn’t know how to access their battery and jump it.

To drive a vehicle you probably should at least know where your 12v is, if you have a spare or not, etc.

 

[A-A-Ron]

I’m not saying the design couldn’t be different (I’m personally on the pro physical key team).

But if you don’t know how to access your battery and jump it. Your scenario is exactly the same as it would be for any driver of any vehicle that doesn’t know how to access their battery and jump it.

To drive a vehicle you probably should at least know where your 12v is, if you have a spare or not, etc.

Yeah, but most cars don't require removing multiple trim pieces to access the battery

 

[A-A-Ron]

Disappointing to hear, hopefully your MME is eligiable for the recent update. Did you leave the car plugged into a charger when you left it at the airport? Wondering if the MME's charge module was waking up periodically as AhardFSU mentioned.

Let us know what clips you end up getting, if a specific size. I would imagine they're used at most clip points on the vehicle/handy to have around. Been meaning to look into this and order some.

I think you're referring to this TSB 25-2058: 2021-2023 Mach-E 12V Battery Drain - Software Update | MachEforum - Ford Mustang Mach-E News, Owners, Discussions, Community and unfortunately, my car's already outside warranty at 62k. Which is even more infurating - because they know it's a problem but won't fix it.

As for the clips, haven't been able to find them on Amazon, but these are what you need Replacement clips for frunk panels- Source? | MachEforum - Ford Mustang Mach-E News, Owners, Discussions, Community

 

[GreaseMonkey]

Which reminds me that I need to drill 12v access holes on my new Mach-E, because everyone is susceptible to what @A-A-Ron had to deal with. I regret not removing the panel from my old Mach-E when I traded it in.

 

[roamtheworld]

Yeah, but most cars don't require removing multiple trim pieces to access the battery

Many European cars have batteries hidden in the trunk or under the seats behind panels. They often have remote terminals to allow jump starts but you can still get locked out and not access the battery without power. I'm not calling out that this is a good idea just more common than one might think.

 

[A-A-Ron]

Many European cars have batteries hidden in the trunk or under the seats behind panels. They often have remote terminals to allow jump starts but you can still get locked out and not access the battery without power. I'm not calling out that this is a good idea just more common than one might think.

I know it - my dad took his Buick Enclave to AutoZone to get a new battery - neither he or the AutoZone guy could find it. After 10 minutes of searching, they found a YouTube video showing them where it was (under panel under the floor mats in the rear passenger footwell).

 

[Sikkun]

Yeah, but most cars don't require removing multiple trim pieces to access the battery

It’s not a rare feature in vehicles.

 

[Teslaeata]

Everything about this… is such bullshit. It shouldn’t be happening. But it’s the smallest detail that pisses me off the most - the fact that you’re having to replace plastic panel clips on top of all the other inconvenience simply due to @Ford Motor Company’s stupid design. They should make this right in some way.

A zipper if regular access is required??‍

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