I'm Done - 2023 Powertrain & High Voltage Battery Failure

[Tampamike]

To make sure I made the right choice and every single time I'm greeted with a "yep"

As I'm typing this message my friend just messaged me "I have a ford lightning right now replacing the battery at 3k miles"

looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool

How many “yeps” do you need to feel fulfilled?

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[dtbaker61]

That won't happen. It's a power limit (still drives) or a SSN that only shuts everything down after you've come to a stop. It's perfectly fine to drive it to the dealer with a "service vehicle soon" message.

I drove about a week with the "service Vehicle Soon' (SVS) alert active while my Dealership ordered and received my replacement HVBJB via the relatively speedy COPIS program set up to handle this issue.

I was somewhat nervous about it, but the current limit triggered by SVS did it's job, and kept me on the road albeit with limited output power.... drivable, but not as fun as usual.

 

[kennethjk]

Ford (if they are wise) will extend the warranty with or without the "safety" in mind. I could give countless examples of when they do but I will just name the two that I personally experienced.


In any event, Ford (with MME) being their maiden voyage if you will, will honor the issue of the High Voltage Junction Battery issues well past the original warranty IMO.

what makes you think Ford is wise-if they were, they would have replaced all the bad HVBJB- instead of a lousy software “fix”

your leap of faith that Ford will cover out of warranty repairs is just that, a leap of faith.

I hope you’re right. Unfortunately their high rate of recalls and high warranty claims proves they haven’t learned much after 100 plus years.

 

[Ghost Ryder]

I drove about a week with the "service Vehicle Soon' (SVS) alert active while my Dealership ordered and received my replacement HVBJB via the relatively speedy COPIS program set up to handle this issue.

I was somewhat nervous about it, but the current limit triggered by SVS did it's job, and kept me on the road albeit with limited output power.... drivable, but not as fun as usual.

you got lucky, others got the SVS, then shortly afterwards got the SSN message. I depend on my car, I wouldn't feel comfortable rolling the dice with SVS message.

 

[MidwestElectric]

This car is making me live up to my user name! I had numerous issues on day 1: see thread. All of those issues, I had to deal with. Today I was charging in the parking lot and I come back to a bricked car. Despite unplugging my car, the car reported an error upon starting and couldn't be put into gear. See video. I hope I can get my money back and get a Tesla - even my old BMW i3 would be a better choice. This car has 2418 miles.

On a lighter note - BangBus. Really???
Are you a celebrity?

For some of us who avidly followed it in the 90s, are you in the a**** entertainment business?

 

[DennisD]

what makes you think Ford is wise-if they were, they would have replaced all the bad HVBJB- instead of a lousy software “fix”

your leap of faith that Ford will cover out of warranty repairs is just that, a leap of faith.

I hope you’re right. Unfortunately their high rate of recalls and high warranty claims proves they haven’t learned much after 100 plus years.

I think they will because the EV market is soon to be red hot.

One can look at the example of the outdoor power equipment aka lawn mowers etc. Go back just a few years and there were very few brands to select from via batteries. Now, they are all in and are aggressively pursuing the market. They know that once people see something as "junk", they will move on to the next brand. On the other hand, once you purchase an item and start buying batteries, you usually stick with that brand.

Ford has done the extended warranty in the past as seen in the example that you conveniently deleted from my earlier post.

They have marketed the hell out of their truck and they have been number one of sales for years. If they "tank" on quality control with their "first" EV, they will suffer a great loss in the near future and people won't go back. (see the 80's as one example)

All of the brands have suffered the learning curve and cracks are starting to show in EV tech. I personally have never been loyal to Ford. Please research my older posts and you will soon see that I have no love for Ford whatsoever. On the other hand, I see this as logical from a business standpoint. I guess if you are right, Ford and their customers will suffer a great deal.

I don't see Ford being that Naive. They will replace these parts free of charge for the foreseeable future as needed relating to these issues. Will it suck in the meantime? Yes.

 

[1969Mach1Mike]

Oh you mean Land Rover / Jaguar / Range Rover ?

Had one recently for 3 years on a lease and glad to have gotten rid of it - did not even get close to miles / year because it was in the dealer service dept for 18 months out of the year.

Many parts had to be imported from the UK.

The only silver lining:
- excellent off roading capability - took the Monterey, CA Land Rover Off Road experience course and loved it.
- got to drive many Jags, Rovers, Velars and Discovery loaners for many months....
- refunded money at the end of lease due to low miles.

As an LR4 owner this is truth. You don't buy any JLR vehicle expecting reliability. When they are doing what they are designed for they are magnificent. I knew what I was getting into though when I purchased mine. Being an Early adopter of any EV should come with the basic expectation of issues. WIthout us though the EV industry would come to a halt.

 

[intoMME]

I got a burrito the other day at a restaurant, and it had a chunk of bone in it. I went to the place many other times and had no bones in my burrito. I guess if you make enough burritos, some are bound to have a bone in them. Sorry to hear your Mach-E "had a bone in it." I have had mine for 31,000 miles and have not had any problems. I had a $70K BMW M3 that had a problem. They fixed it and then it was fine. Seems that letting the dealer fix it is the simplest solution.

 

[EELinneman]

I think they will because the EV market is soon to be red hot.

One can look at the example of the outdoor power equipment aka lawn mowers etc. Go back just a few years and there were very few brands to select from via batteries. Now, they are all in and are aggressively pursuing the market. They know that once people see something as "junk", they will move on to the next brand. On the other hand, once you purchase an item and start buying batteries, you usually stick with that brand.

Ford has done the extended warranty in the past as seen in the example that you conveniently deleted from my earlier post.

They have marketed the hell out of their truck and they have been number one of sales for years. If they "tank" on quality control with their "first" EV, they will suffer a great loss in the near future and people won't go back. (see the 80's as one example)

All of the brands have suffered the learning curve and cracks are starting to show in EV tech. I personally have never been loyal to Ford. Please research my older posts and you will soon see that I have no love for Ford whatsoever. On the other hand, I see this as logical from a business standpoint. I guess if you are right, Ford and their customers will suffer a great deal.

I don't see Ford being that Naive. They will replace these parts free of charge for the foreseeable future as needed relating to these issues. Will it suck in the meantime? Yes.

Dennis,

It's my understanding from past research that Ford will not extend the warranty on the batteries, nor do they sell an extended warranty for the battery itself. The extended service plan explicitly excludes the batteries. If you have seen anything different, please share.

There is so much FUD out there about the batteries that nothing would surprise me anymore. I've had someone who was otherwise a smart person tell me that in 2 years I have to replace the battery as it's completely worn out. Like, I said, otherwise a smart person...

 

[SalsabyJake]

I came to the conclusion that you should never buy a 1st generation EV. Not only are you dealing with the battery components, but also all the Software gremlins.

I think the same goes for 1st year "built from the ground up" re-inventions of existing models. (e.g. 2020 Escape)

 

[moparguy]

I sold my GT and got me on a cheap select lease that I can return at any moment, didn't want to spend what I spent on the GT and get stuck with cheap hardware and outdated software, I doubt ford will improve anything anytime soon, maybe when they redesign the Mach E for 2026 or 2027 model, ordered a Tesla then didn't pick up, the 3 and Y are changing for MY24, would rather buy the newest one.

If you can lemon yours, I'd do it.

 

[moparguy]

I don't see Ford being that Naive. They will replace these parts free of charge for the foreseeable future as needed relating to these issues. Will it suck in the meantime? Yes.

Ford won't update outdated modules on a brand new Mach E unless you pay them to do it or you experience an issue related to that specific module, this is an update for a car that is under warranty, what makes you think they will fix stuff out of warranty!

Ford's approach to EV and their CEO's big talk sounds like they are reshaping the industry but in reality, it's just like getting grandma a boob job, same old grandma but newer boobs, which in Ford's case is electric cars.

 

[MacherAWD]

I'm less concern about the HVBJB out of warranty. At least there is a known fix. Worst case scenario is that you're out 3k to fix it. I'm more worried about all the electrical gremlins in the software where there are no known fix. Or new ones that pop up out of warranty.

I agree with you, just bought the extended warranty about 5min ago, first time I have ever considered one, and being my 3rd EV I am well aware of how reliable they are (I think extremely). Its just with the Mach-E, the cameras, sensors, safety features, door actuators, all of these items that could go as it ages. Took the premiumcare out to 8yrs/100k, looking forward to this car until at least 2030

 

[ridgebackpilot]

As an attorney, I've studied California's Lemon Law (the OP is in Los Angeles). Under the law, if you can show that your vehicle was in the shop for related issues three times in less than a year, the manufacturer has little choice but to buy back the car.

In 2020 I bought a CPO BMW 340i. I obtained the service records from the dealer showing that it had been in the shop for engine issues just before I purchased it. The Check Engine light came on literally as I drove away from the dealership! That sure didn't inspire confidence in the brand...

I drove the car straight back to the dealer and they serviced it again. Sure enough, a couple of months later, the same thing happened. Back to the dealership we went. This time, I knew I qualified for a buyback under California's Lemon Law. So I wrote a one-page, very polite letter to BMW North America, asking them to repurchase the car.

Within a few days and without argument, BMW agreed to buy back the vehicle. They paid me back nearly every single penny I'd spent on the vehicle, including my downpayment and every monthly payment I'd made. I was satisfied with their handling of the case although obviously not with the car itself.

The moral of this story: In California, vehicle manufacturers have no choice but to buy back cars that experience similar problems at least three times in quick succession. If @ragequit310 or anyone else would like a copy of my letter to BMW to use as a template, I'm happy to share it.

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