2021 MachE 60k miles huge problem: VIN changed

[HuntingPudel]

Here I thought the VIN was hard coded into the module in an inaccessible place for writes. This is an unacceptable design flaw. The VIN should be completely on-changeable (read-only) while the module is installed and programmable only via a dedicated physical channel while not installed in the car, using highly-restricted tools (dealer-only, and by approval of the manufacturer’s engineering department only). Ugh. Someone screwed the… Well, you know.

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[21st Century Pony]

I think you need to contact a lawyer. There are Federal laws governing VINs and I would think NHTSA would be concerned if manufacturer bugs cause cars to start changing the VINs reported electronically and those differ from physical VIN etchings.

How would Ford comply with a safety recall in your car if the VIN it reports electrically is faulty and duplicates some other car VIN?

There are probably state consumer protection and fraud laws easily violated here, but you probably won't get anywhere without a lawyer making some noise unfortunately.

^^^ THIS! ^^^

Please keep us posted on how this develops.

 

[Maquis]

I think the supposed legal aspect of this is a red herring. DOT regulations only require that the VIN be physically marked on the vehicle. There are no requirements for or against what’s coded in software modules.
This situation is a mess, and Ford needs to fix it, but I highly doubt some government agency is going to come down on Ford because it doesn’t look like it violates any DOT regulations regarding the VIN.
The VIN of the car is legally what’s on the VIN plate.

 

[21st Century Pony]

I think the supposed legal aspect of this is a red herring. DOT regulations only require that the VIN be physically marked on the vehicle. There are no requirements for or against what’s coded in software modules.
This situation is a mess, and Ford needs to fix it, but I highly doubt some government agency is going to come down on Ford because it doesn’t look like it violates any DOT regulations regarding the VIN.
The VIN of the car is legally what’s on the VIN plate.

I'm not sure if there isn't more to this.

 

[randomvoice]

Another reason to get an extended warranty. For everyone that says nothing can go wrong or battery is covered for 8 years, yeah, whatever can go wrong will.

it’s a car with a million different things in it , even without an engine.

I'm willing to bet my left butt cheek that Ford will cover this shit if they catch a wind of this. Threaten a law suit and they'll come to the table. This shit can get them in hot water soon especially if he can't get recalls due to the issue.

Still not really sold on the extended warranty part. Most car owners don't even keep a car around for more than 5 years on average. Chances of shit going sideways in 5 years even on a ICE car is low let alone EVs with much less moving parts. Maybe 2021 folks might want to get it but after the first 2 years, most of the major shit should have been fixed already.

 

[RidingwithScotty]

Tell me if it’s different in NY @Jerrett83 but here in VA the VIN is tied to registration and inspection so something like this could end up being a problem if the VIN somehow changed from when you initially purchased and registered the vehicle… this is a whole new level of strange and I’m so sorry you’re going through this! Hoping you can resolve this and curious to see how it ends up

 

[kennethjk]

I'm willing to bet my left butt cheek that Ford will cover this shit if they catch a wind of this. Threaten a law suit and they'll come to the table. This shit can get them in hot water soon especially if he can't get recalls due to the issue.

Still not really sold on the extended warranty part. Most car owners don't even keep a car around for more than 5 years on average. Chances of shit going sideways in 5 years even on a ICE car is low let alone EVs with much less moving parts. Maybe 2021 folks might want to get it but after the first 2 years, most of the major shit should have been fixed already.

I haven’t gotten one either. 1 year anniversary coming up, will decide by year 3 with option plan payment and regular warranty expiring.

if I keep car I will get warranty because I just don’t trust what they do long term

for many years I never kept a car past 2 or 3 years, put too many miles on but lately at least 7 years.

I usually don’t get extended but have 1 or 2 times and a waste of money.

 

[azerik]

Chances of shit going sideways in 5 years even on a ICE car is low let alone EVs with much less moving parts. Maybe 2021 folks might want to get it but after the first 2 years, most of the major shit should have been fixed already.

That’s the HVJB calling the car bricked.

 

[Maquis]

Tell me if it’s different in NY @Jerrett83 but here in VA the VIN is tied to registration and inspection so something like this could end up being a problem if the VIN somehow changed from when you initially purchased and registered the vehicle… this is a whole new level of strange and I’m so sorry you’re going through this! Hoping you can resolve this and curious to see how it ends up

The VIN hasn’t changed. What’s stamped on the VIN plate matches the registration. What’s stored in software means nothing, legally. Even though it’s got his car totally messed up.

 

[Jerrett83]

^^^ THIS! ^^^

Please keep us posted on how this develops.

Thank you! I’m going to get all the paperwork form the two dealerships service depts this week. I’ll post them, and keep this thread current with information. The easiest way to explain would be to imagine if someone replaced the SIM card on your phone. Sure my phone is still my phone, but internally it’s another number. No one at the dealership can even begin to offer an explanation. One service rep made a joke and asked if the car was hit by lightning.
I have a first edition 21 Mach E took delivery 25 months ago. This first became a problem in July after fixing a recall. After trying to replace one module. I was told they’re waiting on ford to send another one however it wouldn’t be under warranty. That’s when I came here.

 

[Jerrett83]

I would push harder to get this covered under warranty. If it was assigned the wrong (duplicate?) VIN, that would obviously be a problem that was created within the warranty period. Furthermore, a pretty embarrassing error on Ford's part that I would think they would want to make right.
We’re just beginning the process. I have zero intention on paying for this.

 

[Shayne]

Here I thought the VIN was hard coded into the module in an inaccessible place for writes. This is an unacceptable design flaw. The VIN should be completely on-changeable (read-only) while the module is installed and programmable only via a dedicated physical channel while not installed in the car, using highly-restricted tools (dealer-only, and by approval of the manufacturer’s engineering department only). Ugh. Someone screwed the… Well, you know.

If it is electronic data it can be wiped, corrupted and/or modified. Only need access and rights to make changes or have a good EMP.

Thank you! I’m going to get all the paperwork form the two dealerships service depts this week. I’ll post them, and keep this thread current with information. The easiest way to explain would be to imagine if someone replaced the SIM card on your phone. Sure my phone is still my phone, but internally it’s another number. No one at the dealership can even begin to offer an explanation. One service rep made a joke and asked if the car was hit by lightning.
I have a first edition 21 Mach E took delivery 25 months ago. This first became a problem in July after fixing a recall. After trying to replace one module. I was told they’re waiting on ford to send another one however it wouldn’t be under warranty. That’s when I came here.

Good analogy. Basically your car thinks you do not own it and therefore have none of the rights that entails. That's a real conundrum if correct. Not self fixing that one I assume.

 

[i8iridium]

Every module that has the VIN coded in it can be changed by Forscan, with the exception of the PCM. Problem is if the VIN doesn't match the PCM, then you'll get DTCs regarding the VIN mismatch. It would be very easy for a ford glitch to push bad as-built data down to a module OTA. Unfortunately, if the Ford Server now has the wrong VIN, then it'll be hard to fix even with FDRS. The server side would need to be fixed first.

Like @Maquis said, legally doesn't matter. If it was a car that didn't have FordPass or OTA capability, it wouldn't even matter honestly. The DTC doesn't even show up without scan tools. But I would definitely push to have them cover the cost, because in this case, the only way it would change would be a push from Ford servers.

 

[MacherAWD]

I haven’t gotten one either. 1 year anniversary coming up, will decide by year 3 with option plan payment and regular warranty expiring.

if I keep car I will get warranty because I just don’t trust what they do long term

for many years I never kept a car past 2 or 3 years, put too many miles on but lately at least 7 years.

I usually don’t get extended but have 1 or 2 times and a waste of money.

Coming up on 1 year now, do you know the price difference if purchased before end of year one, vs end of year 3? I am thinking I will keep the car 8 or more total years so to have all the cameras, software, sensors, and little gadgets covered seems worth it.

 

[kennethjk]

Coming up on 1 year now, do you know the price difference if purchased before end of year one, vs end of year 3? I am thinking I will keep the car 8 or more total years so to have all the cameras, software, sensors, and little gadgets covered seems worth it.

Someone had mentioned that it was only roughly $100 but I can’t confirm it.

I agree with you that there are a lot of things that can go wrong with the car. I don’t have any experience with Ford but I do not have a ton of confidence.

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