Anyone else scared to update their Mach-e after reaching 36K miles?

[Nikos]

I seem to remember that you can’t buy the Ford extended warranty after your standard warranty expires, but I could be mistaken.

You can buy an extended warranty from Ford. Make sure you do it prior to 36K on the odometer. I have another 6K to go on mine. Planning to keep mine for another 3-5 years.

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[Mach1E]

As long as you are willing to take on the possible cost of any repair to fix a failed update, go ahead and continue to receive auto-updates. But don't say 'It's a terrible idea' without acknowledging there is some risk/cost to doing that.

What cost?

Plenty of people are out of warranty already. Haven’t heard of a single story of someone paying out of pocket to fix something an update broke.

We don’t need to speculate and create fear out of things that “could happen, but never have.”

That’s what the news does.**

**Ever heard of razor blades in apples near Halloween? News outlets pushed that nonsense for DECADES. And yet…….. zero cases of any kids ever getting hurt, and only one crazy person ever tried it in 1968. https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5341734

Summary- there are more real things to worry about than this. Keep the updates on.

 

[Shundi]

39K and no fear

 

[steveg95]

It seems like every time I get an update something else breaks and now that I am over 36K miles, I have to pay Ford to fix these random issues. :/

Maybe I'm fortunate, but I've not had anything affected by an update. I did purchase an extended warranty just in case.

 

[bshaw]

Maybe I'm fortunate, but I've not had anything affected by an update. I did purchase an extended warranty just in case.

Your experience is typical. When people are quoting "things broken after update", they are talking about minutiae like mirrors not folding in or seat profile settings.

The number of cars rendered un-driveable from a failed OTA is incredibly small, I don't recall seeing any of those credible reports.

 

[DevSecOps]

I am sure it has been posted on this forum, but I would be curious to know if anyone had to pay for a repair on their MME past their warranty from an unusual defect? While I get normal wear and tear would not be covered (tires, wiper blades etc.) I am guessing that Ford would not charge for an unusual item repair/defect?

Yes I have and I had the extended warranty. I brought the car in for Service on a few issues mainly the loud banging noise and static from the radio. When I brought the car in for service it was happening. I showed it to the service advisor in the service drive. He tried adjusting the volume himself and noticed how it was completely fu*ked up.

Come time to pick up the car I was charged $160 because they couldn't "replicate" the problem. Even though the service order clearly stated that the service adviser observed it. At the time, this wasn't a widely known issue at Ford, so they had nothing to go on. I complained about paying and he said "someone has to pay for the technicians time"...

The other time I took it in for the SSM for the headlamp switch. Because the car had a different DTC than the one listed in the SSM, I was charged $136, again for nothing. I even had documented videos where the headlamp switch caused OTA updates to fail. Yes, that is a thing. But even with that they didn't care.

So, the biggest difference in warranty vs out of bumper to bumper is that diagnostics and non-replicable issues will be at the expense of the person who brings it in. The extended warranty only covers issues that they can replicate and repair.

So yes, now the forum has heard of someone paying out of pocket for something and update broke and to rub salt in the wound, it wasn't even fixed.

 

[Space_Pony]

Maybe I'm fortunate, but I've not had anything affected by an update. I did purchase an extended warranty just in case.

I guess you're lucky, my folding mirrors stopped working. The only expense was listening to my wife say that the car was broke, since I quickly reset the autofolding setting.

 

[DennisD]

Yes I have and I had the extended warranty. I brought the car in for Service on a few issues mainly the loud banging noise and static from the radio. When I brought the car in for service it was happening. I showed it to the service advisor in the service drive. He tried adjusting the volume himself and noticed how it was completely fu*ked up.

Come time to pick up the car I was charged $160 because they couldn't "replicate" the problem. Even though the service order clearly stated that the service adviser observed it. At the time, this wasn't a widely known issue at Ford, so they had nothing to go on. I complained about paying and he said "someone has to pay for the technicians time"...

The other time I took it in for the SSM for the headlamp switch. Because the car had a different DTC than the one listed in the SSM, I was charged $136, again for nothing. I even had documented videos where the headlamp switch caused OTA updates to fail. Yes, that is a thing. But even with that they didn't care.

So, the biggest difference in warranty vs out of bumper to bumper is that diagnostics and non-replicable issues will be at the expense of the person who brings it in. The extended warranty only covers issues that they can replicate and repair.

So yes, now the forum has heard of someone paying out of pocket for something and update broke and to rub salt in the wound, it wasn't even fixed.

I would take it to a different Dealership and/or get a different brand the next go around.

I have had some Dealerships not want to cover things past warranty and it took a simple phone call to the Regional Manager and things started to happen. The one example of the Head Gasket on my 92 Grand Am with a quad 4, it was 4000 miles past the 36,000 warranty and the Head Gaskets on those were prone to fail. The Dealership didn't want me to call 1-800-GMCares but I did anyway to take a chance that GM would warranty the defective head gasket. 10 minutes later GM said they would cover it and the Dealership fixed it free of charge. For some reason the Dealership didn't like that but I think they get less on warranty repairs.

Another example was with a Honda Accord. The back tires were cupped after 10,000 miles and in looking on the Internet I found this was a common problem. When the cars were delivered new, the back wheels (when locked down) would get tweaked and they were out of alignment from the get go. The Dealership (once again) did not want to warranty it but I made another call and all was forgiven.

In any case, your Dealership doesn't sound the best in what you explained and I would not purchase another Ford if other Dealerships are like the one you took it to in your area.

The extended warranties are worthless more times than not and I pocket the money more times than not as well.

Good Luck!!

 

[1stEV]

I am sure it has been posted on this forum, but I would be curious to know if anyone had to pay for a repair on their MME past their warranty from an unusual defect? While I get normal wear and tear would not be covered (tires, wiper blades etc.) I am guessing that Ford would not charge for an unusual item repair/defect?

I could be totally wrong but I have had many cars that needed a repair past warranty and the Company stood behind it if it was a defective part and not from normal wear.

Example, I had a a steering pump go bad and Chevy replaced it at no cost. I also had a head gasket go out 4,000 miles past warranty and Pontiac covered that as well with no questions.

In my personal experience, if it is a rare or known defect the Company usually covers it with or without a warranty.

There are thousands of examples out there and that is why I am rolling the dice on not getting an extended warranty. I think at the end of the day, it is no different than getting an extended warranty on appliances and other electronics. 9 times out of 10 you will save money by just accepting the factory warranty.

My two cents.

This is a fine question you ask - here is a tale about my experience today at a local dealer.
Our MachE is a 2021 Premium Extended Range purchased at the end of January 2021. We purchased the Ford ESP in early 2023, a few thousand miles before being out of warranty (mileage). Being a first of its kind for Ford and first model year, we decided it would be worth it.

Today we went to one of our local dealers to have them address an apparent software issue. We were informed that it would cost $199 for them to look at it and only if what was found was determined to be a warranty issue would that charge be taken away. I was told it was because they don't know what the warranty will cover. So, problem #1 - the dealer doesn't even know what the warranty covers when it comes to software issues. Oh, and by the way, that $199 is per issue!

There were two key issues that needed to be addressed:
(1) the system randomly drops phone calls (pretty much all year this has been a problem)
(2) the car randomly locked itself with the key inside of it. It is not supposed to do that. My wife had placed her purse inside in order to get two kids into their car seats. She shut the door when the second one was in place and and the car locked itself. Keypad didn't work. Cell phone was in the purse. Kids were too young to undo there set buckles. It was 90+ degrees out and sunny in an outdoor parking lot. It was only through the app on her watch that she was able to get the car open. Otherwise, we would have ended up with a broken window....and of course, Ford would say that the broken window was not through any fault of theirs....

Issue 1 had been addressed through a different local dealer (than today's), there was a charge ("not covered under the ESP") and the problem was fixed. Temporary fix as it turns out.

Issue 2 had been looked earlier this year (by today's dealer) - weeks after the event occurred because that was the soonest we could get an appointment. They could not find any problem. I believe there was a charge but can't really remember the amount. Again - "not covered by the ESP".

Today's visit was to have them look at Issue 2 again (along with Issue 1)...you might have already guessed we cancelled the appointment. It just looks like a never ending future of service charges for issues that aren't fixed or come back.

By the way, e were also planning to have the HVJB recall addressed but the dealer couldn't do it because they didn't have the parts. <sigh>

So the bottom line on the ESP Warranty?
We have had to use it once and it worked out fine. I would definitely suggest the upgrade rental car option and the first day option. Our experience is that there is nothing on this car (besides tire rotation) that is going to be fixed in one day. We got the lighting option too - it was not too costly and when you consider headlights these days can cost high hundreds of dollars (some even over $1000)... We bought our ESP from Lombard Ford based on info from this forum. Easy and excellent price. There are several others online too.

I aologize for the length of this reply. My wife and I will be in serious discussions about getting rid of the car. We love the car and mechanically it has been solid. However, dealing with the software issues is getting tiresome and frustrating. We don't know if these problems are a result of it being a '21 or if they are problems with the later model years, and if Ford is going to keep pushing out software updates that breaks things or doesn't consider existing software faults subject to warranty coverage, then we don't need the years of frustration, lost time and lost dollars.

I believe software is the new Achilles' Heel for cars. You are basically driving a computer. And think about the number of times your home computer, or tablet, or phone does something completely unexplainable and no one can tell you why. And right now in this marketplace there are two high level choices: legacy car makers who are great at putting together the mechanical aspects of a car and technology companies who have not been building cars for many, many decades.

Please note, we are full supporters of the transition to electric vehicles. It's just the growing pains that are making it tough and I think we had hoped Ford would be a little more prepared than they appear to be. A bit disappointing because Ford was our preferred domestic automobile.

 

[My-mache]

Yeah, unfortunately I've been considering other vehicle options too. I also have a 2021 so maybe we have more of these situations than the newer ones. Very sad… I used to tell people who asked about my car how much I love it and recommend it but not anymore.

 

[DennisD]

This is a fine question you ask - here is a tale about my experience today at a local dealer.
Our MachE is a 2021 Premium Extended Range purchased at the end of January 2021. We purchased the Ford ESP in early 2023, a few thousand miles before being out of warranty (mileage). Being a first of its kind for Ford and first model year, we decided it would be worth it.

Today we went to one of our local dealers to have them address an apparent software issue. We were informed that it would cost $199 for them to look at it and only if what was found was determined to be a warranty issue would that charge be taken away. I was told it was because they don't know what the warranty will cover. So, problem #1 - the dealer doesn't even know what the warranty covers when it comes to software issues. Oh, and by the way, that $199 is per issue!

There were two key issues that needed to be addressed:
(1) the system randomly drops phone calls (pretty much all year this has been a problem)
(2) the car randomly locked itself with the key inside of it. It is not supposed to do that. My wife had placed her purse inside in order to get two kids into their car seats. She shut the door when the second one was in place and and the car locked itself. Keypad didn't work. Cell phone was in the purse. Kids were too young to undo there set buckles. It was 90+ degrees out and sunny in an outdoor parking lot. It was only through the app on her watch that she was able to get the car open. Otherwise, we would have ended up with a broken window....and of course, Ford would say that the broken window was not through any fault of theirs....

Issue 1 had been addressed through a different local dealer (than today's), there was a charge ("not covered under the ESP") and the problem was fixed. Temporary fix as it turns out.

Issue 2 had been looked earlier this year (by today's dealer) - weeks after the event occurred because that was the soonest we could get an appointment. They could not find any problem. I believe there was a charge but can't really remember the amount. Again - "not covered by the ESP".

Today's visit was to have them look at Issue 2 again (along with Issue 1)...you might have already guessed we cancelled the appointment. It just looks like a never ending future of service charges for issues that aren't fixed or come back.

By the way, e were also planning to have the HVJB recall addressed but the dealer couldn't do it because they didn't have the parts. <sigh>

So the bottom line on the ESP Warranty?
We have had to use it once and it worked out fine. I would definitely suggest the upgrade rental car option and the first day option. Our experience is that there is nothing on this car (besides tire rotation) that is going to be fixed in one day. We got the lighting option too - it was not too costly and when you consider headlights these days can cost high hundreds of dollars (some even over $1000)... We bought our ESP from Lombard Ford based on info from this forum. Easy and excellent price. There are several others online too.

I aologize for the length of this reply. My wife and I will be in serious discussions about getting rid of the car. We love the car and mechanically it has been solid. However, dealing with the software issues is getting tiresome and frustrating. We don't know if these problems are a result of it being a '21 or if they are problems with the later model years, and if Ford is going to keep pushing out software updates that breaks things or doesn't consider existing software faults subject to warranty coverage, then we don't need the years of frustration, lost time and lost dollars.

I believe software is the new Achilles' Heel for cars. You are basically driving a computer. And think about the number of times your home computer, or tablet, or phone does something completely unexplainable and no one can tell you why. And right now in this marketplace there are two high level choices: legacy car makers who are great at putting together the mechanical aspects of a car and technology companies who have not been building cars for many, many decades.

Please note, we are full supporters of the transition to electric vehicles. It's just the growing pains that are making it tough and I think we had hoped Ford would be a little more prepared than they appear to be. A bit disappointing because Ford was our preferred domestic automobile.

I feel your pain. Fortunately, my 22 has had zero issues but I am still firm on not purchasing an Extended Warranty. Through the years I have saved literally thousands of dollars by not purchasing them. I figure that I could absorb 20k of repairs before I start regretting not getting it.

With that being said, I would most likely dump the car if the repairs were heading north of 1k. I don't see that happening but who knows.

Thanks for your reply btw.

 

[SerenityNow]

This has happened several times throughout my two year ownership. Things such as: stereo not working unless I unplug the battery for 30 seconds. Doors not auto unlocking when I approach. Car alarm going off if car is locked but someone opens a door (yes, door opened when it was supposed to be locked). Each time I would have to take my car in and leave for at least 1-2 days.
recently, I had a door sensor fault show up right after an update. Brought it in to be fixed but odd it showed up just after an update.

I also had the door fault issue arise directly after my last OTA update.. I’m taking it to the dealer today on thursday.. even if it’s a simple fix, it’s a nuisance for sure.

 

[Teslaeata]

Anyone else scared to update their Mach-e after reaching 36K miles?

Well, you could’ve asked 36,000 miles ago when the Big Red Pony HAD actually covered 36,000 miles

But then again, I would have said nope back then.

And why would I have been scared

I’ve been allowing bloody Windows PCs to update since 1995

I don’t fap about my 12V battery, just leave it to the car’s BMS to manage that.

I don’t concern myself with the c6,000kWh on DCFC charge points of my total c25,000kWh on charge.

I let nothing spoil my enjoyment of this car.

NOTHING!

No alarmist, misguided forum posts.

No ICE-age man’s nonsense.

Not any of the trash written by the propagandist anti-EV press who are uneducated and inexperienced in such matters.

NOTHING!

Mach-e rules for me

 

[superdave80]

I’ve been allowing bloody Windows PCs to update since 1995

Given you can replace an entire PC for way, way less than almost any single dealer repair on a car, I'm not sure how this is relevant. And most PC update issues would be fixed by the next free update anyways.

 

[Teslaeata]

Given you can replace an entire PC for way, way less than almost any single dealer repair on a car, I'm not sure how this is relevant. And most PC update issues would be fixed by the next free update anyways.

Trolled!

I knew it would happen.

A tetchy MS software developer perchance

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