CSP 23B12 - High Voltage Battery Module Replacement for Previously Repaired Vehicles

[Mach-Lee]

A customer satisfaction program (CSP) has been released for a small number (276) of 2021-2022 vehicles with incorrect applied thermal interface material (TIM, AKA thermal paste) due to an incorrect template that was sent out to Ford dealers. This only affects vehicles where a battery module has been removed or replaced previously (rare). The thermal paste bridges the battery cells to the cold plates so heat can be transferred from the cells for thermal management. If the paste is not applied properly, the affected cells will run hotter (or colder in the winter), which degrades them faster than the rest of the pack and causes greater cell capacity mismatch and range loss over time.

The fix it to replace the affected cell modules with new ones (usually 1 pair), and reapply the thermal paste with the correct template. This will involve dropping the battery pack. A battery module is one of the "bricks" inside the battery pack that contains about a dozen cells.

This is NOT related to the HVBJB recall/repairs.
It only affects a small number of vehicles that actually had a battery module removed or replaced. This is rare.

As usual, check the Service > Service Campaigns section of FordPass to see if you're affected by any CSPs. If you do not see 23B12 listed, then you are NOT affected. I would recommend having this done if you're affected, it is not urgent however. Owner notification letters will be sent out starting in September.

Here is a picture of the templates (blue sheets) used to apply the TIM to the cold plates. The cell modules sit on top of the cold plates and the TIM is sandwiched between them. It functions similar to thermal paste between a CPU and heat sink in a computer. During module replacement, the template is placed onto a bare cold plate and the TIM is filled and pressed into the slots. The blue template is removed and the cell module is installed, which spreads the line of paste out when it is clamped down. Each line of paste is for one cell.

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[GrayWolf]

Thanks for posting this - turns out that my car is one of the "lucky.rare" ones.

Someone else on the forums posted about the email that we have received about this CSP. Here's the forum entry with the email contents for reference.

 

[Snakebitten]

That's one interesting way to get an idea of how many of our Mach-E's needed cell replacement.

I find it comforting, to be honest.
Both for the low % of battery cell replacement, as well as Ford stepping up to the plate and notifying the customer of a previous repair that didn't meet standards.

 

[GrayWolf]

That's one interesting way to get an idea of how many of our Mach-E's needed cell replacement.

I find it comforting, to be honest.
Both for the low % of battery cell replacement, as well as Ford stepping up to the plate and notifying the customer of a previous repair that didn't meet standards.

Small problem - they allocate 2 days for rental coverage but, according to my local dealer, this repair takes 4 days from start to finish. Not ideal. I'll be opening a case with the BEV team.

 

[Mach-Lee]

Small problem - they allocate 2 days for rental coverage but, according to my local dealer, this repair takes 4 days from start to finish. Not ideal. I'll be opening a case with the BEV team.

The repair is 14 hours. That can be done in two days. The job should be postponed and booked when the technician has two sequential days of availability.

I guess you'll see what BEV team says. They may only offer you some rental reimbursement.

 

[GrayWolf]

The repair is 14 hours. That can be done in two days. The job should be postponed and booked when the technician has two sequential days of availability.

I guess you'll see what BEV team says. They may only offer you some rental reimbursement.

I had a feeling that the dealer rep might be misrepresenting the repair time. I did speak with someone on the BEV team and it was noted that the CSP gives the dealer instructions for getting exceptions for the repair time.

Now to see if the dealer team steps up.

 

[MustangJim]

I had a feeling that the dealer rep might be misrepresenting the repair time. I did speak with someone on the BEV team and it was noted that the CSP gives the dealer instructions for getting exceptions for the repair time.

Now to see if the dealer team steps up.

My car seems to fit the criteria in the bulletin and i had the hvjb replaced. How do I know if they used the wrong template? I haven’t received anything yet, but based on the problems this could cause I want to make sure they may not be missing me somehow.

 

[macchiaz-o]

My car seems to fit the criteria in the bulletin and i had the hvjb replaced. How do I know if they used the wrong template? I haven’t received anything yet, but based on the problems this could cause I want to make sure they may not be missing me somehow.

This is only for a subset of customers who had an HVBM replaced. (HVJB is a different repair.)

 

[MustangJim]

Ahh ok thanks! Another post linked to this one and referenced HVJB replacements. Thanks for clarifying!

 

[GrayWolf]

My car seems to fit the criteria in the bulletin and i had the hvjb replaced. How do I know if they used the wrong template? I haven’t received anything yet, but based on the problems this could cause I want to make sure they may not be missing me somehow.

Hey - I see that you've had a quick discussion with someone else here but I wanted to add that you can check your car on the Ford.com website to see if you see anything related listed in the Recalls area, in the "Customer Satisfaction Program" (CSP) section -- in this case, it would be 23B12.

 

[phil]

What, if anything, does the "23" mean, in the CSP ID number "23B12"?

I had the impression that the first two digits identified the year in which the CSP was issued. But clearly my impression was wrong, since this one was announced in late 2024.

 

[jerrynicksdad]

A customer satisfaction program (CSP) has been released for a small number (276) of 2021-2022 vehicles with incorrect applied thermal interface material (TIM, AKA thermal paste) due to an incorrect template that was sent out to Ford dealers. This only affects vehicles where a battery module has been removed or replaced previously (rare). The thermal paste bridges the battery cells to the cold plates so heat can be transferred from the cells for thermal management. If the paste is not applied properly, the affected cells will run hotter (or colder in the winter), which degrades them faster than the rest of the pack and causes greater cell capacity mismatch and range loss over time.

The fix it to replace the affected cell modules with new ones (usually 1 pair), and reapply the thermal paste with the correct template. This will involve dropping the battery pack. A battery module is one of the "bricks" inside the battery pack that contains about a dozen cells.

This is NOT related to the HVBJB recall/repairs.
It only affects a small number of vehicles that actually had a battery module removed or replaced. This is rare.

As usual, check the Service > Service Campaigns section of FordPass to see if you're affected by any CSPs. If you do not see 23B12 listed, then you are NOT affected. I would recommend having this done if you're affected, it is not urgent however. Owner notification letters will be sent out starting in September.

Here is a picture of the templates (blue sheets) used to apply the TIM to the cold plates. The cell modules sit on top of the cold plates and the TIM is sandwiched between them. It functions similar to thermal paste between a CPU and heat sink in a computer. During module replacement, the template is placed onto a bare cold plate and the TIM is filled and pressed into the slots. The blue template is removed and the cell module is installed, which spreads the line of paste out when it is clamped down. Each line of paste is for one cell.

I received the same notification for my 23 GT.
I will call to see if mine was sent to me in error or if 23s have now been added to the list if they've had the same work done.

 

[GrayWolf]

My preferred dealer addressed the 23B12 and 23B50 CSPs that were assigned to my VIN. Since I took the car back, I attempted to charge to 100% and found that Fordpass reported 100% completed. When I get into the car, however, the battery level shown to is not 100%. Instead, it has shown 97-99% (if I am remembering correctly). Before the work was done, the app and car would agree on the charge status of 80% (my preferred charge level) or 100% (when I would occasionally charge all the way up).

Note: I charged to 100% as a post-update test because the dealer did not actually charge the car after the battery modules (2 of them) were replaced.

Also worth noting - when I saw the difference the first time, I drove the car a fair bit to drop it below 80% again, let it charge to 80% and stop at that preset level. Then, using Fordpass, told the car to charge to 100%. The app once again started the charge session up and, when the app reported 100%, the charging session completed. The car once again reported a 97% charge level while the app insisted that the car was charged to 100%.

Debating on the idea of calling the dealership to take the car back and have the EV techs check on this behavior.

On an unrelated note, the service history on my car is lacking any recent appointments, as well. Seems the dealership isn't updating Ford on the repairs performed on my car. Odd but interesting.

 

[SXBB]

Did this resolve itself with a few more charge cycles? I’m guessing that it could be the battery management system getting recalibrated which could take a few charge cycles.

My 2021 GTPE is also subject to this recall. My dealer, Corwin Ford of Reno, told me that since they only have enough EV equipment to work on one car at a time, they have a two month back log of service appointments. as a result of this, it’s going to be two months before I can get the recall done. they are actually nearing completion of a completely new Ford dealership in Reno and moving their operations to that within a few months. I have been told that when that is completed, they will have much more EV capacity for repairs.

Since this situation can result in battery modules overheating to the point of failure, I’m wondering, if charging it at a DC fast charger could result in thermal runway, or other problems? I’ll be using my car to take a trip soon and I don’t want any major surprises.

 

[GrayWolf]

Did this resolve itself with a few more charge cycles? I’m guessing that it could be the battery management system getting recalibrated which could take a few charge cycles.

My 2021 GTPE is also subject to this recall. My dealer, Corwin Ford of Reno, told me that since they only have enough EV equipment to work on one car at a time, they have a two month back log of service appointments. as a result of this, it’s going to be two months before I can get the recall done. they are actually nearing completion of a completely new Ford dealership in Reno and moving their operations to that within a few months. I have been told that when that is completed, they will have much more EV capacity for repairs.

Since this situation can result in battery modules overheating to the point of failure, I’m wondering, if charging it at a DC fast charger could result in thermal runway, or other problems? I’ll be using my car to take a trip soon and I don’t want any major surprises.

It's funny that you said this just now! I was digging into this a bit more on my own and found this:

SSM 52039 2021-2023 Mustang Mach-E, 2022-2023 F-150 Lightning/E-Transit - Unable To Achieve 100 Percent State Of Charge After HV Battery Module Replacement

Some 2021-2023 Mustang Mach-E, 2022-2023 F-150 Lightning/e-Transit vehicles may exhibit a concern where the vehicle is unable to achieve 100 percent state of charge immediately after high voltage (HV) battery module balancing and replacement. This may be due to the battery energy control module (BECM) adjusting the cell balance (conditioning) of the battery module and should be corrected within 22 days. If the vehicle otherwise functions as designed with no related diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) setting, this concern will be corrected automatically with no further actions required by the technician.

So yeah - this is a situation where the dealer didn't share a warning about this. So all's well that ends well, I suppose. However, the "22 days" part is a "wow, that's a long while" item. But NBD - good to know that this is both normal-and-expected!

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