Completely locked out 😭

[JM22681]

Skimming through this has me wondering if I should go disconnect my battery for a bit.

I've recently started getting two notifications from the app about "Electrical System Drain Service Required" and "Plug in to Maintain 12V Battery". A quick glance at the Ford website shows my battery at 68% - but that may have been from a couple hours ago when I got home from work and parked it.

First got these one of the days a few weeks ago when I did like three updates in a row when I was at home - so I expected it then after having completed the updates. But I've had the pair of alerts come up a handful of times since then too - and never had them before the recent updates.

And I definitely do not have any accessories or 3rd party services connected that would cause a drain.

Recent updates included:

- 24-PU0121-FTDI-FX (7/22)
- 24-PU0105-CMR-FX (7/23)
- 24-PU1024-6CH-AUD (7/23)
- 24-PU0301-BLM-PE (7/23)
- 24-PU0302-BAT-DR (7/25)

Note: I have NOT been locked out of my car at any point yet.

EDIT: Decided to disconnect it. Will see if the 12V warnings stop.

Ford web site now shows HVB SoC, not the LVB anymore. So that 68% is likely going to match or come close to what you see on your dash.

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[JM22681]

So I saw Lee's post about the string on the passenger side as a failsafe (and initially I thought it was an April fools joke), but absent that, recommend a window down while in a secure garage location? Only way to open frunk is physically from the driver's side?

 

[2023MachE_MB]

Hey everyone, been watching this forum since i bought my 2023 Mach E Premium back in March 2024...

But just this past thursday my Mach E locked me out... well...... my experience with it, has been a nightmare. On lock out day, FordPass App, said my "vehicle was ON", if i applied my level 2 charger it went orange so it really thought the car was "on". nothing opened anything, App, Keys... 12v was at 80%... totally locked out... tried to drain the 12v down, and after hours... still going strong... Location of the vehicle was wrong as well.... Now the nightmare starts...

Ford Road side in canada refused to send anything but a flatbed... they just dragged it up, and off to the dealer(even after all the concerns)... then it finally arrives at the dealer... and they break into the car, get into the Frunk(wont tell me they broke in, but its the only way)... instead of just removing the 12V's... and trying to reset things... they figure they will " DRAG it into the shop"... in that process they smashed the whole front right side of my brand new Mach E... 4925 kms... which is like 3060 miles... plus they tossed all the dirty frunk pieces onto my nice leather seats... who knows what else is broken at this point... but.. it is sitting in pieces on the dealer lot..... Good times!

 

[BayPoodle]

This is ridiculous. Why haven’t all of us who own 23’s and 24’s gotten an email or a phone call alerting us to this? And assuring us we will be contacted when it is resolved, so we can take the string and tape out of our cars and once again feel relatively secure? The problem is less the problem for me than the response (lack there of).

 

[Ford of Canada]

Hey everyone, been watching this forum since i bought my 2023 Mach E Premium back in March 2024...

But just this past thursday my Mach E locked me out... well...... my experience with it, has been a nightmare. On lock out day, FordPass App, said my "vehicle was ON", if i applied my level 2 charger it went orange so it really thought the car was "on". nothing opened anything, App, Keys... 12v was at 80%... totally locked out... tried to drain the 12v down, and after hours... still going strong... Location of the vehicle was wrong as well.... Now the nightmare starts...

Ford Road side in canada refused to send anything but a flatbed... they just dragged it up, and off to the dealer(even after all the concerns)... then it finally arrives at the dealer... and they break into the car, get into the Frunk(wont tell me they broke in, but its the only way)... instead of just removing the 12V's... and trying to reset things... they figure they will " DRAG it into the shop"... in that process they smashed the whole front right side of my brand new Mach E... 4925 kms... which is like 3060 miles... plus they tossed all the dirty frunk pieces onto my nice leather seats... who knows what else is broken at this point... but.. it is sitting in pieces on the dealer lot..... Good times!

Good afternoon, Timothy - could you please send us a private message with your VIN? We’d like to take a closer look at this. Thank you.

 

[Mach-Lee]

Folks, I'm actually going to recommend that if this happens, that you do not have it towed to the dealer! They can't do anything about the issue. There is no fix yet. They will try to break into your car but they are not trained on non-destructive entry methods and may damage things in the process. Dragging the car around isn't good for it either. Again there's really no point in having it towed.

What you should do is call a locksmith instead of a tow truck. They can use the little airbag in the door frame to get their unlock tool inside and pull the door handle. Then you can proceed to open the frunk and disconnect the 12V battery (with a 10 mm nut driver) for 5+ minutes. Then reconnect and you should be good to go. If the 12V battery is dead (only some cases), then you'll need an additional jump start. Afterwards you can drive it to the dealer and have them check the 12V battery if you want.

You can put a request in FordPass for a locksmith:

Keep a 10 mm nut driver or wrench in your glovebox:

And see this on how to avoid this inconvenient situation: Anti-Lockout Solution for 2023-2024 Mach-E

So I saw Lee's post about the string on the passenger side as a failsafe (and initially I thought it was an April fools joke), but absent that, recommend a window down while in a secure garage location? Only way to open frunk is physically from the driver's side?

Not a joke unfortunately. Yes, only access to open the hood is from the driver's side footwell with the door open.

Hey everyone, been watching this forum since i bought my 2023 Mach E Premium back in March 2024...

But just this past thursday my Mach E locked me out... well...... my experience with it, has been a nightmare. On lock out day, FordPass App, said my "vehicle was ON", if i applied my level 2 charger it went orange so it really thought the car was "on". nothing opened anything, App, Keys... 12v was at 80%... totally locked out... tried to drain the 12v down, and after hours... still going strong... Location of the vehicle was wrong as well.... Now the nightmare starts...

Ford Road side in canada refused to send anything but a flatbed... they just dragged it up, and off to the dealer(even after all the concerns)... then it finally arrives at the dealer... and they break into the car, get into the Frunk(wont tell me they broke in, but its the only way)... instead of just removing the 12V's... and trying to reset things... they figure they will " DRAG it into the shop"... in that process they smashed the whole front right side of my brand new Mach E... 4925 kms... which is like 3060 miles... plus they tossed all the dirty frunk pieces onto my nice leather seats... who knows what else is broken at this point... but.. it is sitting in pieces on the dealer lot..... Good times!

That sucks. How long did you wait for the 12V to die? It might take a day or two, I would recommend just waiting it out or calling a locksmith. I would be talking to the dealership manager and your insurance company about what happened.

 

[2023MachE_MB]

well, i tried for a few hrs before Road Side showed up... i am waiting for the manager to actually talk to me like a person.... instead of acting like its not a big deal... the service lead hand that showed me the damage and explained what happen, and gave the respect i deserve... actually apologized and owned up to them creating the damage.... and now i have a gas loaner... which annoys me, cause i am making payments on a car i cant use... and paying for fuel... which i dont want, as i bought an EV for a reason...

 

[zvez]

Folks, I'm actually going to recommend that if this happens, that you do not have it towed to the dealer! They can't do anything about the issue. There is no fix yet. They will try to break into your car but they are not trained on non-destructive entry methods and may damage things in the process. Dragging the car around isn't good for it either. Again there's really no point in having it towed.

What you should do is call a locksmith instead of a tow truck. They can use the little airbag in the door frame to get their unlock tool inside and pull the door handle. Then you can proceed to open the frunk and disconnect the 12V battery (with a 10 mm nut driver) for 5+ minutes. Then reconnect and you should be good to go. If the 12V battery is dead (only some cases), then you'll need an additional jump start. Afterwards you can drive it to the dealer and have them check the 12V battery if you want.

You can put a request in FordPass for a locksmith:



Keep a 10 mm nut driver or wrench in your glovebox:



And see this on how to avoid this inconvenient situation: Anti-Lockout Solution for 2023-2024 Mach-E



Not a joke unfortunately. Yes, only access to open the hood is from the driver's side footwell with the door open.



That sucks. How long did you wait for the 12V to die? It might take a day or two, I would recommend just waiting it out or calling a locksmith. I would be talking to the dealership manager and your insurance company about what happened.

I've been reading up a bit on line about disconnecting the battery. I notice in ford instructions for doing this they state to "de-energize the HVB first", and at the end of the procedure they say you have to do the "door window initialization process". I have read that disconnecting the battery can lead to issues with BSM not accurately reading the 12 v status (I'm paraphrasing as I'm not sure of the wording). I note Mike Gs post going thru the steps of disconnecting the 12 v he doesn't mention this.

This is the link to the disconnect on the lightning https://www.f150lightningforum.com/...ry-disconnect-and-connect-electric-pdf.70702/

 

[zvez]

well, i tried for a few hrs before Road Side showed up... i am waiting for the manager to actually talk to me like a person.... instead of acting like its not a big deal... the service lead hand that showed me the damage and explained what happen, and gave the respect i deserve... actually apologized and owned up to them creating the damage.... and now i have a gas loaner... which annoys me, cause i am making payments on a car i cant use... and paying for fuel... which i dont want, as i bought an EV for a reason...

someone actually posted if you have a secure garage, best to back in (on an awd mach e) and leave a window down. More and more I'm thinking of doing this tho it's a colossal PITA.
What you experienced has to be every mach e owner's worst nightmare.

 

[2023MachE_MB]

i agree, only thing i said, before the car left my driveway was, don't F up my ride.... it leaves brand new, want it back that way..... NOPE!!

But i also don't have a garage, and by time i saw the lockout thread.... it was too late for me...

I just don't have the luxury of a second vehicle i can take to work.... my other ride is too big to get into my parkade... and a few days with out a car is a no go.... figured with no real answers so far, if it was at a dealer, id get a vehicle to get me back and forth to work....

I also forgot to mention in the first thread response, that once they broke into the car.... they left my drivers door actually OPEN in the lot... and pinned a second vehicle beside so no one could get into it... you know... just RAIN and everything else... although i did a drive by a few days later... they closed it... maybe that should be my fix... just leave my doors wide open as it sits in my driveway...

 

[sparkymartin]

I also forgot to mention in the first thread response, that once they broke into the car.... they left my drivers door actually OPEN in the lot... and pinned a second vehicle beside so no one could get into it... you know... just RAIN and everything else... although i did a drive by a few days later... they closed it... maybe that should be my fix... just leave my doors wide open as it sits in my driveway...

I noticed the same thing with my car. They kept the driver's door wide open for better part of the day and put a large traffic cone on either side of it.

 

[Gungrave223]

i agree, only thing i said, before the car left my driveway was, don't F up my ride.... it leaves brand new, want it back that way..... NOPE!!

But i also don't have a garage, and by time i saw the lockout thread.... it was too late for me...

I just don't have the luxury of a second vehicle i can take to work.... my other ride is too big to get into my parkade... and a few days with out a car is a no go.... figured with no real answers so far, if it was at a dealer, id get a vehicle to get me back and forth to work....

I also forgot to mention in the first thread response, that once they broke into the car.... they left my drivers door actually OPEN in the lot... and pinned a second vehicle beside so no one could get into it... you know... just RAIN and everything else... although i did a drive by a few days later... they closed it... maybe that should be my fix... just leave my doors wide open as it sits in my driveway...

Did the dealership at least plan to fix all the damages? If not... perfect time to get a lawyer.

 

[2023MachE_MB]

yes the dealer, is planning to fix all the damages.... but... i wonder with this issue, if Ford will have a design change...

For instance, in the port on the bumper... if it had a key slot... and instead of a blank in all our keys... this was keyed... so that we can control a solenoid to turn off 12v power... so we could pop the frunk, if needed... you know when in doubt did you reboot?? just pop the cover, use the key... wait 10-20 min.. turn back on..

 

[GolfCoyote]

This may have been asked in one of the 14 pages, but can you try to roll down the window with the FOB if this happens?

 

[electric-in-the-desert]

This may have been asked in one of the 14 pages, but can you try to roll down the window with the FOB if this happens?

Nope, that doesn’t work either.

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