Recall #25S65 - 12V battery discharge may cause door lock-out (Vehicle Entrapment Allegations). Stop Sales issued by Ford

[cereal]

The door latch is supposedly able to “remember” the lock status at the time of a 12V power loss. So in your scenario the door latch would be in the unlocked state, thus still allowing the door to be opened again from the exterior button using the backup capacitor/battery.

The problem that the recall is supposed to address is when the door is opened via the manual release, the lock state is not properly remembered or gets reset to locked. I think more likely it’s because if the power loss occurs at shut down before you open the door, the doors are still locked so the manual release will open the door but the door latch still “remembers” the last electronic lock status before power loss, which was locked.

I read the recall in light of a child in a car seat scenario. Driver parks, turns off the car, opens the drivers door and exits the vehicle. I always instinctively close the door behind me and then go and open the door for my toddler. He could open the door physically if he wasn't harnessed into his seat so he can't open the door and by this point the doors are locked and I would be unable to open any doors let alone his from the outside.

All of my previous vehicles had an option for unlocking the vehicle when going into park, which I find obnoxious that Ford doesn't have honestly. When I do drop off my kids are confused because the door doesn't work right. It's either the door doesn't open the first time because the door is locked still so they pull twice, are confused and then snark or I have to put it into park and then push the unlock button.

That's the opposite behavior of my other vehicles where it's at the very least an option so there's less juggling of buttons for the driver. If there was a park to unlock option this issue would likely be super easily avoided and yeah, some people won't like the option, but some people do.

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[Mach-Lee]

Thanks for all your insight here, but to me there is still a flaw in this logic.

What if the 12V loss happens AFTER you open the door, but before you close it? Like if you get to your destination, turn off the car and open the door simultaneously. Then get out, close the door, and the kids in the back are still trapped. And I am sure there are people out there that regularly open their door before they turn the car off. This still allows for the very situation the NHTSA is trying to address.

Like has been discussed already, it seems like leaving the DC-DC converter running for a time after vehicle shutoff is a more robust fix. Although yes, I don't doubt this is a much more complicated fix for the Ford SW team.

The doors would be unlocked in that situation, so they would open with the battery backup after 12V loss.

 

[E90alex]

Considering the dealer bulletin that’s circulating says the updates are supposed to be for the PCM and SOBDM and not the door lock modules, I think it’s likely they will be changing the programming to keep the DC-DC converter active at least until after the driver door opens (which would electronically unlock all doors), if not until it’s locked or X amount of time after all doors close again.

 

[Jimrpa]

I just thought of something horrible: what happens if one of Elmo’s Starlink Satellites hits my car and shatters the roof just after I get out, but before I get my precious therapy boa constrictor out of the back seat? ? I demand that Ford push an update to protect me from this event immediately!

 

[HuntingPudel]

Considering the dealer bulletin that’s circulating says the updates are supposed to be for the PCM and SOBDM and not the door lock modules, I think it’s likely they will be changing the programming to keep the DC-DC converter active at least until after the driver door opens (which would electronically unlock all doors), if not until it’s locked or X amount of time after all doors close again.

It seems to me that if we MME drivers unlock the doors prior to shutting the car down, the doors will stay unlocked since the DC-DC converter is still engaged. It's just a work around until Ford issues some sort of fix and is safer than opening the door prior to shut down. ??

 

[EB87]

It seems to me that if we MME drivers unlock the doors prior to shutting the car down, the doors will stay unlocked since the DC-DC converter is still engaged. It's just a work around until Ford issues some sort of fix and is safer than opening the door prior to shut down. ??

Does this mean if we park in a garage to just keep it unlocked when the car is shut off for the meantime?

 

[HuntingPudel]

Does this mean if we park in a garage to just keep it unlocked when the car is shut off for the meantime?

You could probably just do that as a force of habit inside a locked garage. ?‍?

 

[E90alex]

It seems to me that if we MME drivers unlock the doors prior to shutting the car down, the doors will stay unlocked since the DC-DC converter is still engaged. It's just a work around until Ford issues some sort of fix and is safer than opening the door prior to shut down. ??

Yes, in theory unlocking and/or opening the drivers door before shutting off the car in the mean time should help mitigate lock-in/lock-out situations for now.

 

[AKgrampy]

Does this mean if we park in a garage to just keep it unlocked when the car is shut off for the meantime?

The safety issue was shut off and kids locked inside. Not quite the safety issue if you are just locked out. I believe that has been an issue from time to time and of course it is an issue. It is the kids trapped in the locked car that has generated the recall.

 

[E90alex]

Does this mean if we park in a garage to just keep it unlocked when the car is shut off for the meantime?

I mean you can, but I don’t know how long the batteries/capacitors have before they get discharged. So if you park it unlocked and the 12V dies overnight and the door latch backups also run out of charge then you’re still locked out.

 

[EB87]

You could probably just do that as a force of habit inside a locked garage. ?‍?

Is AI right on this? lol

 

[ryelo]

This problem is another example of Fords incompetent software design/development. Fortunately for us, I hope, I had the 12v battery replaced a few months ago. No problems since replacement. I hope we are not headed for trouble and for Ford to say Software will not be available until Q3 is total BS. Software is not parts and should be included in an OTA update. Delay until Q3 makes me think there is more to the story.

I too had my 12v battery replaced by ford. It was good for about 6 months and the problem returned. Good luck to you though!

 

[ryannix123]

Ford is halting sales of the Mustang Mach-E due to a recall affecting over 300,000 vehicles globally. The recall is caused by a glitch that can leave the driver locked out or trapped inside the car in case of a 12V battery discharge. A software update is expected to be available in Q3 to fix the issue, and owners will be notified by mail to schedule a free repair at their local dealer. The recall impacts model years 2021-2025, and Ford has not reported any accidents related to the glitch.

https://electrek.co/2025/06/18/ford-halts-mustang-mach-e-sales-recalling-300000-models/

 

[SnBGC]

The issue is, if the 12v battery dies, you can exit the vehicle by pulling the handle hard which will mechanically open the door (rather than using the electric door pop) but it bypasses the lock. If you get out and shut the door - the door will remain locked and you can't get back in. The concern is that you might do that with a young child in the back seat.

Yes, the answer is to bust open a window - but a glass break tool in the glove box isn't going to help in this situation.

I think it would help. If trapped in the car, then break the glass.

I didn't realize the interior handles operated a manual lock release. I actually tried that when my car was new to see how the battery powered poppers would work. They didn't work. Upon opening up the door panels, I didn't find any batteries...???

Maybe I just didn't pull the handle hard enough?

Oh well, glad there is a fix coming. This issue has never affected my car so I am thankful for that.

 

[DragonmasterLou]

Ugh... my Mach E was finally due to be delivered to the dealer this week... I'm honestly cursed at this point.

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