Considering buying a Mach E, a couple questions for current owners....

[joebruin77]

I currently drive a 2018 Tesla Model 3 Performance and my wife drives a 2014 Honda Accord. We are looking to replace my wife's Honda with a new EV. She and I are both very impressed with the Mach E. Our only hesitation is the fact that the Mach E is so new and does not yet have a long track record. I would appreciate it current owners could answer a couple questions:

1) How reliable are Mach E's in general? I know every car has a few bad apples, but are there any objective statistics from reliable sources on how often Mach E's have problems? I am mainly concerned about problems that make the car undriveable and require a tow to the nearest dealership.

2) How helpful is Ford service when it comes to servicing the Mach E? Are there enough mechanics trained in servicing EV's at Ford dealerships?

3) If I did have a problem with my Mach E that required an extended service, does Ford service tend to provide loaner cars?

4) For road trips, what is it like using a DC fast charger with the Ford Mach E?

Thank you for your help,
Joe

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[Thevanin]

Can't comment on all of your points but here's my 2c

Q) How helpful is Ford service when it comes to servicing the Mach E? Are there enough mechanics trained in servicing EV's at Ford dealerships?
A) My dealer has been very helpful. I could tell they really want me to have a good ownership experience since I was the first purchase at their dealership. With that being said, if you have to take it in there's a chance you'll be a guinea pig. Everything the dealership did on my car they were doing for the first time. It all went well, but took longer than expected.

Q) If I did have a problem with my Mach E that required an extended service, does Ford service tend to provide loaner cars?
A) I've had to leave my car overnight twice. Once because I had the driver screen replaced due to the buzzing and another time because a software update was required for very early cars. They gave me their demo Mach E as a loaner each time.

Q) For road trips, what is it like using a DC fast charger with the Ford Mach E?
A) I haven't road tripped nearly as much as some people here. But I haven't had any issue using EA fast chargers or ChargePoint L2 chargers. Use the EA/Chargepoint apps and ABetterRoutePlanner and you should be fine.

 

[djjerv91]

1) In my short time with the Mach E, I can say it is very reliable. Nothing in my little over a month with the car has given me the impression that it would not be reliable. I have tried leaving my key fob and phone at home for short trips to the store and I didn't need either. I can simply use the unlock feature on the door and as long as you have that memorized, you can drive your car with essentially no key.

2) Ford has been very helpful so far. I discovered my Mach E came with a crack in the panoramic roof and when I brought it in to show them they immediately ordered the part. It is scheduled to be replaced next week and it was fully covered under the warranty. They have also kept me in the loop on where the part was and how it was going.

3) When I scheduled service for the roof replacement, my Ford dealership asked right away if I would be needing a loaner car.

4) Using a DC fast charger has been super simple with plug and charge. There have been a few stalls that haven't been responsive but usually I was the only car out of 8ish stalls and there is always a majority of them that work. Plug and charge is such a great feature and makes thinking about charging so much simpler.

Hope this helps

 

[TRP]

I currently drive a 2018 Tesla Model 3 Performance and my wife drives a 2014 Honda Accord. We are looking to replace my wife's Honda with a new EV. She and I are both very impressed with the Mach E. Our only hesitation is the fact that the Mach E is so new and does not yet have a long track record. I would appreciate it current owners could answer a couple questions:

1) How reliable are Mach E's in general? I know every car has a few bad apples, but are there any objective statistics from reliable sources on how often Mach E's have problems? I am mainly concerned about problems that make the car undriveable and require a tow to the nearest dealership.

Just had 10000 service completed, $23.79. No other issues

2) How helpful is Ford service when it comes to servicing the Mach E? Are there enough mechanics trained in servicing EV's at Ford dealerships?

Other than the above service, no experience with techs. Talked to the service manager afterwards and he seemed to be up to speed.

3) If I did have a problem with my Mach E that required an extended service, does Ford service tend to provide loaner cars?

I'd check with your dealer, some do and some don't

4) For road trips, what is it like using a DC fast charger with the Ford Mach E?

I've road tripped quite a bit actually and the Electrify America DCFC network seems to be pretty reliable. I haven't used other networks. I've had a few charge errors and had to switch machines but have never had to leave and look elsewhere for a charge. 1 or 2 other cars at the same locations sometimes but mostly I am the only car charging.

Thank you for your help,
Joe

 

[Garbone]

No problems besides flat in 7 months 7k miles. Ford Towed and replaced the tire free as I have road hazard. Best car I have ever owned.

On road trips I plan using ABRP, plug share and Electrify America, I do not use the car because, well, it a car, I also don't use my fridge to do shopping lists either because even though some have the functionality it is still a fridge. Get a Tesla Tap so you can use destination chargers and all will be good.

 

[benk016]

1. I've had my Mach E since February. I absolutely love it. I don't think you'll be disappointed if you get one. There are some initial kinks they are still trying to get straightened out, but they are working on it. And so far all the issues I have faced, have been pretty small, and a software update can fix.

2. So far, my experience with Ford support hasn't been too great. They still have a support mentality that its just another vehicle, and haven't come across anyone with any special EV knowledge. Actual customer support was responsive, but they just end up telling you to go to a dealer for everything. Then at the dealer your experience can vary wildly. My dealer seemed to know what they were doing, but still wouldn't preform some updates because they couldn't reproduce the error even though the error was in the vehicles error history. So at this point I'm just holding out for the OTA updates to fix a few small issues.

3. Ford does not officially offer a loaner on warranty work. However, dealers often do have loaner cars available as part of just their benefits to customers. My dealer has a 3 month waiting list on loaner cars though. This is where the ford extended warranty can really be worth it. IF you have the extended warranty, you qualify for loaner OR rental car. So my other cars with the extended warranty, if I took the car in and they didn't have a loaner available, they would drive me down the road to enterprise and I'd get a fully paid rental car. (This dealer has also paid for a rental without the extended plan) Ford also at its discretion can authorize loaners on a case by case basis. My last case with Ford I was told that it was given a special status ( I don't remember what he called it) but I wouldn't have to pay for anything the dealer did, even if it wasn't covered under warranty. Not sure if that was for my particular issue, or just because its such a new vehicle and they want to make sure people are happy.

4. I have taken my car on several road trips between 800-1000 miles each. They have all been great. In the beginning there were some charging issues, but a lot of those have been solved, which possibly was an Electrify America update, because the issues went away without an update on the vehicle side. I typically show up to a charger with 10-25% battery, and spend around 30 minutes charging. I typically charge up enough to get me to the next charger with a 50 mile buffer or so. This usually puts me at a fast charging stop 20-30 minutes and then back on the road.

 

[mfbrown]

I currently drive a 2018 Tesla Model 3 Performance and my wife drives a 2014 Honda Accord. We are looking to replace my wife's Honda with a new EV. She and I are both very impressed with the Mach E. Our only hesitation is the fact that the Mach E is so new and does not yet have a long track record. I would appreciate it current owners could answer a couple questions:

1) How reliable are Mach E's in general? I know every car has a few bad apples, but are there any objective statistics from reliable sources on how often Mach E's have problems? I am mainly concerned about problems that make the car undriveable and require a tow to the nearest dealership.

2) How helpful is Ford service when it comes to servicing the Mach E? Are there enough mechanics trained in servicing EV's at Ford dealerships?

3) If I did have a problem with my Mach E that required an extended service, does Ford service tend to provide loaner cars?

4) For road trips, what is it like using a DC fast charger with the Ford Mach E?

Thank you for your help,
Joe

I am still waiting for my Mach-e, but if you are thinking about the Mach-e vs. another Tesla I would consider the following:

1. Are you happy with the Tesla? If so, you may be disappointed with the many "differences" with the Mach-e. Whether the differences are actually problems may not matter; they will be different and therefore possibly disturbing. For example, Tesla computer technology will seem more mature and developed than Ford - which is having trouble getting the bugs out let alone enhancement features. If everything is working seamlessly on the Tesla, the "bugs" on the Ford will be annoying.

2. The biggest factor to me is I like to have as much as possible be the "same" in my family. As the IT guy in the family I tell everyone that I support only Windows 10 and iPhone. You get a Mac or an Android; you are on your own. The same is true with the features of a car or the mechanic you find. Once you have a "system" in place; why add new variables. You know the Tesla charging infrastructure; why introduce a new charging structure?

Now if you are NOT happy with the Tesla then it is a whole different story. This also assumes you don't need the tax credit to reduce the cost of the car.

Not sure that was worth 2 cents.

 

[RonTCat]

I am still waiting for my Mach-e, but if you are thinking about the Mach-e vs. another Tesla I would consider the following:

1. Are you happy with the Tesla? If so, you may be disappointed with the many "differences" with the Mach-e. Whether the differences are actually problems may not matter; they will be different and therefore possibly disturbing. For example, Tesla computer technology will seem more mature and developed than Ford - which is having trouble getting the bugs out let alone enhancement features. If everything is working seamlessly on the Tesla, the "bugs" on the Ford will be annoying.

2. The biggest factor to me is I like to have as much as possible be the "same" in my family. As the IT guy in the family I tell everyone that I support only Windows 10 and iPhone. You get a Mac or an Android; you are on your own. The same is true with the features of a car or the mechanic you find. Once you have a "system" in place; why add new variables. You know the Tesla charging infrastructure; why introduce a new charging structure?

Now if you are NOT happy with the Tesla then it is a whole different story. This also assumes you don't need the tax credit to reduce the cost of the car.

Not sure that was worth 2 cents.

I would also add:
The Mach-E drive experience will feel more mechanically "refined" or "mature", i.e. the car is tighter and quieter than the Tesla.

 

[SnBGC]

I currently drive a 2018 Tesla Model 3 Performance and my wife drives a 2014 Honda Accord. We are looking to replace my wife's Honda with a new EV. She and I are both very impressed with the Mach E. Our only hesitation is the fact that the Mach E is so new and does not yet have a long track record. I would appreciate it current owners could answer a couple questions:

1) How reliable are Mach E's in general? I know every car has a few bad apples, but are there any objective statistics from reliable sources on how often Mach E's have problems? I am mainly concerned about problems that make the car undriveable and require a tow to the nearest dealership.

2) How helpful is Ford service when it comes to servicing the Mach E? Are there enough mechanics trained in servicing EV's at Ford dealerships?

3) If I did have a problem with my Mach E that required an extended service, does Ford service tend to provide loaner cars?

4) For road trips, what is it like using a DC fast charger with the Ford Mach E?

Thank you for your help,
Joe

Hello Joe,
Welcome to the forum.
From what I can tell, the Mach-Es in general are very reliable. Around 45k units built so far and the tow rate appears to follow the industry average for new vehicles. I don't have specific figures, just a seat of the pants feel by following new vehicle launches of various models over the past 15 years or so. For example, the Jeep Wrangler 4xe appears have have about twice as many Electric Drive Faults requiring a tow just based on the forum posts.

I do personally know of 6 other Mach-E owners in my immediate area who have not experienced any major faults that requiring a tow or even a trip to the dealer for repairs so that is a good sign. I have talked to another half dozen owners at random encounters and they tell a similar story (no major issues of any kind).

I do have some visibility into the Ford service and repair system so I've seen the various bulletins, TSB's and even researched some service history for things like module replacement, battery replacement, drive units etc. All things considered, still fairly minimal occurrences compared to other models. For example, the 2022 F-150 easily has 3 times the bulletins, TSBs etc so the Mach-E is doing well by comparison.

Ford has done a much better job with EV training then other legacy automakers for sure. The workshop manual available to the techs is excellent and walks them step by step thru the diagnostic process.

I received an Edge loaner when I had my windshield replaced. Loaner vehicles are at the discretion of the dealership. I am not sure Ford had much involvement except for special cases. I have 18,000 miles on my car in 6 1/2 months and the broken windshield was the only reason to return to the dealer for any reason. Aside from issues with the mobile app, phone as a key and battery conditioning while parked on plug......the car has performed very well.

Road Tripping in the Mach-E is surprisingly smooth......IF you take the trip during one of Electrify America's free charging promotion periods (usually holiday weekends). My charging experience during those free promotions has been exceptional. Very fast charging, no fuss, no issues of any kind. 20%-80% in about 35-40 minutes every time.

During all other times....my DC Fast Charging experience has been horrible. Very slow speeds.
There have been two occasions on non-free-to charge days that I needed to DCFC to complete my trip and both times the max charging speed was 31 kW. Yesterday was one of those days and I switched machines and it returned a charging fault so I moved over to the 3rd available spot and it only charged at 13 kW! So, I continued on and stopped at the next city down the road and had the same issue, only 31 kW charging speeds.

Unless it's a free charging weekend.....I would recommend you take your Tesla on the road trip until the EA issue is resolved or the Tesla stations become available for use with the Mach-E. (could be quite a while....)

Good luck with your decision!

 

[MachTee]

I currently drive a 2018 Tesla Model 3 Performance and my wife drives a 2014 Honda Accord. We are looking to replace my wife's Honda with a new EV. She and I are both very impressed with the Mach E. Our only hesitation is the fact that the Mach E is so new and does not yet have a long track record. I would appreciate it current owners could answer a couple questions:

1) How reliable are Mach E's in general? I know every car has a few bad apples, but are there any objective statistics from reliable sources on how often Mach E's have problems? I am mainly concerned about problems that make the car undriveable and require a tow to the nearest dealership.

2) How helpful is Ford service when it comes to servicing the Mach E? Are there enough mechanics trained in servicing EV's at Ford dealerships?

3) If I did have a problem with my Mach E that required an extended service, does Ford service tend to provide loaner cars?

4) For road trips, what is it like using a DC fast charger with the Ford Mach E?

Thank you for your help,
Joe

1) I'm not going to kid you. There have been a few reports here of MME reporting numerous errors, requiring a tow. A few bad apples as you said. Same as back when the model 3 was new, there were reports of cars becoming undriveable. Fortunately my model 3 had not gone back for any repairs during my entire ownership. Only issue it had (other than build quality issues that I ignored and of course software bugs) was a false message about a fault with the passenger side restraint system. Just as fortunate, my 3mos 5K miles ownership of my MME has been flawless, other than some software bugs.

If it wasn't clear, I came from a 2018 model 3 dual motor. My car was a 10/2018 build and 11/2018 delivery. Drove it for 40k miles by the time I traded it. I will add that the model 3 I bought was a second VIN that was assigned to me. The first VIN assigned was in 9/2018. After numerous contacts by my advisor of delays for "final quality checks" at my local Tesla center, I rejected that VIN (after having put that car on my insurance policy for over two weeks!) and requested another build when they informed me of some serious issue(s) with the first car. My model 3 ownership could have been a nightmare, so I am grateful that the delivery center's "final quality checks" caught the fault(s) before delivering it to me. More likely the case though is that they couldn't fix it in time before I became seriously suspicious lol.

2) I scheduled for an update for the PaaK bug at my purchasing dealer. First appointment available was a month away. The beauty is, I can choose to try a different dealer if I wanted. I can think of at least 4 others in my immediate area. BUT, yeah you heard that right, some updates you gotta bring you car in to let the dealer do some of these updates, at least for now. Ford is not very clear if some of these updates will eventually become available OTA.

3) I think it is up to the individual dealership on loaner cars. Where I scheduled my appointment for the PaaK update is at my purchasing dealer. I asked if they'll provide a loaner when I bring it in for the update, the rep said yes but the appointment would be even further out. When choosing your purchasing dealer, I suggest you find out what their loaner policy is before you commit to the purchase.

4) Can't help there as I haven't DC fast charged on my MME yet.

I would also add:
The Mach-E drive experience will feel more mechanically "refined" or "mature", i.e. the car is tighter and quieter than the Tesla.

Absolutely. My model 3 was horrendous with road noise at highway speeds. The MME is very simply a better built car.

 

[abr]

I currently drive a 2018 Tesla Model 3 Performance and my wife drives a 2014 Honda Accord. We are looking to replace my wife's Honda with a new EV. She and I are both very impressed with the Mach E. Our only hesitation is the fact that the Mach E is so new and does not yet have a long track record. I would appreciate it current owners could answer a couple questions:

1) How reliable are Mach E's in general? I know every car has a few bad apples, but are there any objective statistics from reliable sources on how often Mach E's have problems? I am mainly concerned about problems that make the car undriveable and require a tow to the nearest dealership.

2) How helpful is Ford service when it comes to servicing the Mach E? Are there enough mechanics trained in servicing EV's at Ford dealerships?

3) If I did have a problem with my Mach E that required an extended service, does Ford service tend to provide loaner cars?

4) For road trips, what is it like using a DC fast charger with the Ford Mach E?

Thank you for your help,
Joe

Welcome fellow Bruin . . .
1) Mine has been very reliable over 7 months and 7k miles. Only service was for a software update.
2) I think in CA, most dealers will be reasonably knowledgeable because of larger presence of Mach Es here. My dealer has been very good; both at delivery and at the one service.
3) No knowledge - didn't need loaner for update.
4) I did a road trip to NorCal and had great experiences with public DC charging. Simple and plentiful.

 

[jjwolf]

I currently drive a 2018 Tesla Model 3 Performance and my wife drives a 2014 Honda Accord. We are looking to replace my wife's Honda with a new EV. She and I are both very impressed with the Mach E. Our only hesitation is the fact that the Mach E is so new and does not yet have a long track record. I would appreciate it current owners could answer a couple questions:

1) How reliable are Mach E's in general? I know every car has a few bad apples, but are there any objective statistics from reliable sources on how often Mach E's have problems? I am mainly concerned about problems that make the car undriveable and require a tow to the nearest dealership.

2) How helpful is Ford service when it comes to servicing the Mach E? Are there enough mechanics trained in servicing EV's at Ford dealerships?

3) If I did have a problem with my Mach E that required an extended service, does Ford service tend to provide loaner cars?

4) For road trips, what is it like using a DC fast charger with the Ford Mach E?

Thank you for your help,
Joe

I've had our Mach-E since the end of March. 1) Faultless in this regard. My issues have been with car sensors randomly failing preventing adaptive cruise control from working and CarPlay being only about 80% reliable (i.e., about one day a week, it refuses to link and falls back to plain Bluetooth). 2) I've never needed to call them, so I can't tell. 3) Not certain (see 1 and 2). 4) I tried it in May-ish and it was a total pain in the ass. I hear it's still hit-and-miss with whether the DCFC is in service and whether or not Plug & Charge will work (as opposed to a more manual payment process).

 

[Bamboozle]

From a Norwegian stand point-

1) How reliable are Mach E's in general? I know every car has a few bad apples, but are there any objective statistics from reliable sources on how often Mach E's have problems? I am mainly concerned about problems that make the car undriveable and require a tow to the nearest dealership.

Answer: Here in now a handful of cars had problems with long roads down from the mountains. Something wrong about the regeneration and overheating I think they claimed. Ford was not quick quick but they said is was fixed within a week or two after the problem really hit.

2) How helpful is Ford service when it comes to servicing the Mach E? Are there enough mechanics trained in servicing EV's at Ford dealerships?

Answer: Guess this has the same amount of right answers as there is dealerships. I know my dealer in Lillestrøm, Norway is great. More then great to be honest.

3) If I did have a problem with my Mach E that required an extended service, does Ford service tend to provide loaner cars?

Answer: My wife's friend was about to collect the car when dealer informed her the battery could not be charged. ( I know of 4 cars this has happened with) and she is driving around a MME from the dealer until they fix it. When this is, God knows...

4) For road trips, what is it like using a DC fast charger with the Ford Mach E?

Answer: I used plug and charge with no problems. Avg speed around 80kwh. About First 10%, I get 100+.

Thank you for your help,
Joe

 

[RonTCat]

Welcome fellow Bruin . . .
1) Mine has been very reliable over 7 months and 7k miles. Only service was for a software update.
2) I think in CA, most dealers will be reasonably knowledgeable because of larger presence of Mach Es here. My dealer has been very good; both at delivery and at the one service.
3) No knowledge - didn't need loaner for update.
4) I did a road trip to NorCal and had great experiences with public DC charging. Simple and plentiful.

In regards to #2, any dealer that sells Mach-E is required to have trained BEV technicians. It's why not all dealers sell Mach-E, as those dealers don't want to pay for the the training and buy the unique diagnostic equipment. Of course, there are good and bad technicians at all automakers... Ford, Tesla, everyone.

 

[shutterbug]

1) How reliable are Mach E's in general? I know every car has a few bad apples, but are there any objective statistics from reliable sources on how often Mach E's have problems? I am mainly concerned about problems that make the car undriveable and require a tow to the nearest dealership.

After 6 months, this morning MME threw an error and was undrivable. By the time the tow truck arrived, it was working again. I still had it towed, since I think it's a known s/w issue so I expect it will be fixed by tomorrow.

2) How helpful is Ford service when it comes to servicing the Mach E? Are there enough mechanics trained in servicing EV's at Ford dealerships?

That seems to vary greatly by dealer. Some service departments have a standard answer "it'll be next month before we'll even look at it". In my case they said that they'll call me tomorrow morning to let me know the status and plan of action.

3) If I did have a problem with my Mach E that required an extended service, does Ford service tend to provide loaner cars?

This also depends on the dealer. Some have simply sold off their loaners, so there is nothing to provide. Even if you're paying for the rental, it's hard to find one available these days.

4) For road trips, what is it like using a DC fast charger with the Ford Mach E?

I think this has improved greatly in recent months. Personally, I just tried using EA DC charger last week. It worked fine. Pulled up, plugged in, charging was authorize, and charging was commenced. There are of course parts of the country where the giant blank spots without any DC chargers, but it keeps getting better.

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