I'm no longer willing to recommend the Mach-E or Ford

[rhfritz]

Functionality of the car has moved steadily backwards since picking it up last November.

Phone as a Key NEVER works any longer. The dealership couldn't help - it looks like it's a Pixel 6a issue, but no one knows for sure.

I now carry the key fob all the time. On a couple of occations it has failed to unlock the car - I've had to enter the passcode on the door column.

I have to be sure NOT to carry the key fob when in the house as it sometimes triggers the rear hatch to open, scratching it on the garage door. Or, it sets off the car alarm, which sometimes can only be turned off by going into the garage and actually starting the car.

This morning I urgently needed to move the car out of the garage and didn't have the key fob on me. The keyboard wouldn't appear on the screen when I was prompted for the backup start code (which I have used successfully in the past).

About half the time when I make a phone call from the phone, in the car, the person on the other end can hear me but I can't hear them. I have to press the phone section of the car screen to get the phone controls to show up, then I have to press the bluetooth icon to get the option of bringing the call back to my phone's speaker. By which time the other person has often hung up.

About 1 out of 5 times I start the car it doesn't not successfully pair with the phone. To get maps / music, etc. I have to plug my phone in via USB cable - and, if it is already fully charged, that's not good for my phone battery.

The cruise control sometimes activates itself without me pushing the button on the steering wheel - and it will accelerate beyond the speed limit when it does that.

If cruise control is on, it will try to accelerate from 55 to 85 when it "sees" the 885 road sign, which happens several times a week. As noted in another thread, it will sometimes slam on the brakes when it sees an I-40 road sign.

I've spent countless hours on the phone with the nice people at the FordPass help line, but there is no help for most of these issues.

Ford also does its best to sweep any issues identified by the dealers under the rug. If my feedback to their survey is anything other than 5 stars on any question, the service writer and manager at the dealership are punished - so I just don't respond to the surveys rather than get an innocent Ford employee in trouble.

Don't get me wrong, I love driving the car, but am tired of the constant aggravation. Many of these problems didn't exist when I received the car. They have appeared, usually after software updates.

I'm no longer willing to spend hours / days on the phone with FordPass or going to the dealer given they have not been able to resolve any of the issues I've taken them. They just don't have the information. Some issues I've learned how to resolve on my own or through this forum as the FordPass and Dealer personnel simply don't have enough information.

I bought a silicone fob protector. It has the benefit of eliminating accidental presses. Though because the fob is so big, I generally hang it from a belt loop.

I've had all sorts of phone related issues with my G S9. I've had to completely delete and re-pair my phone a few times to solve weird connection / android-auto issues. But connectivity seems to have improved with recent updates.

Those cruise control issues are odd though. If I have cruise control set, I've never seen it increase my speed. But I don't live near I-85/I-40.

My local dealer can't do anything with the ME. They seem to have to wait for a monthly visit from some traveling field-engineer in order to service it. It took 5 months to get the parts and repair my charging door when the part that captures the pin broke off behind the charging plate.

As for 5 Star surveys, if I'm having difficulty getting help, I give the lowest rating on all questions except the ones having to do with the actual representative, if they're simply not trained to help with the product. I recently received a call-back as a result of one of those from a month prior (not Ford). The caller was a representative whose job was to address the issue and got me hooked up with someone who could actually fix the issue.

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[dbsb3233]

I use the fob exclusively. It's been consistent, but the receiver in the car is both weak and spotty. As long as I'm standing in the right spot, it's dependable. But it doesn't take much to block the signal. Like for instance, standing at the driver door to open it (or especially the rear door) with the fob in my right pocket and my body angled where that pocket is 180 degrees opposite the driver door hinges (where the driver-side receiver is located inside the door). My body is blocking the signal that way and it won't work. But if I just rotate my body a little to clear the signal line between the fob and the receiver, it works fine.

Same way with the rear liftgate. The fob needs to be more near the centerline of the liftgate. If it's in a pocket that's closer to a corner, it won't work.

 

[Mrn]

I sympathize with the OP's situation.

That said, my 1 year old MME Select is a joy to drive. I love running it on energy from my rooftop solar. I like it's firm ride and brisk acceleration. I love how it holds the lane and brakes itself when necessary, how It startles me when it ding-ding-dings for cross traffic I haven't seen yet.

I've only seen a small subset of the things the OP mentions and I keep them in mind when driving. And I do see incremental improvements over time.

 

[DYohn]

re: speed limit sign recognition comments. You folks use your cruise control in town on city streets? Wow, not something I have ever done nor would ever consider. Too many variables. I only use cruise control on highways.

 

[mccdeuce]

This is going to sound like an Apple vs. Android thing but ... a few years ago I was on a project that involved software that used "Push" notifications and it had to work with both Apple and Android. On Apple there was one way to make this work and it worked on all devices (rock solid). On Google ... there was a completely different way the software had to be coded depending on which device the being used by an end-user. It was incredibly frustrating. It was rock-solid on some models and extremely unreliable on others. I got the developer's view into how clunky Android is.

this is spot on. And unfortunate.

There are a couple of software companies that have refused large government contracts because of Military demand to not use iPad. Their explanations, android is fine, except that every hardware and software combo requires slightly different coding And they only want to support one set of code. I know that is not what OP wants to hear, but PAAK issues for OP sound heavily phone related and not car related.

as for the other issues, recommend buy back if you are not happy, and I disagree with not filling out surveys honestly. The techs are not poor innocent if they are not trying to help. (Most of the time, they dont know how to help and have little interest in learning, I have ultimately shopped around with my Ford dealer experience - it matters a lot unfortunately and I just hope the tech I use doesn’t leave this dealer or get poached)

 

[kulaga]

I've had some growing pains but things have smoothed out for me. To the point I was so happy with the car I got a 2nd MME and gave the first to my wife (being generous, she stole it from me). I've been exclusively using PAAK on Android (with a OnePlus no less). If you haven't already, make sure you are up to date on the OTA upgrades. There were quite a few early updates that would make PAAK unreliable and require using the keypad to enter or awkwardly stand and wait for it to wake up. It's been rock solid for me for quite a while now (knock on wood). To the point where 2 different times I had to talk the valet at the airport through using the valet code to park the car because I did not expect the garage to be full and never even think of taking the fob with me.

 

[alexgorod]

re: speed limit sign recognition comments. You folks use your cruise control in town on city streets? Wow, not something I have ever done nor would ever consider. Too many variables. I only use cruise control on highways.

I do. The first reason is to stay close to a speed limit if the road in front of me is empty. And if I follow another car, it's reliably keeps the distance and the speed of that car.
Never had a problem with the sign recognition, but always ready to cancel ACC.

 

[ChuckA]

The cruise control activating and accelerating without any driver command/intervention sounds like a safety issue. This should definitely be reported and investigated if it’s occurring. Contact NHTSA if you’re not getting satisfaction from Ford. Be sure you have documentary evidence of it occurring.

It’s a sign recognition feature that needs to be turned off. Sign recognition doesn’t read the yellow signs on exit ramps.

 

[Scarpia]

re: speed limit sign recognition comments. You folks use your cruise control in town on city streets? Wow, not something I have ever done nor would ever consider. Too many variables. I only use cruise control on highways.

It's just a tool. Why not use it? I always keep a careful eye on traffic and engage/disengage constantly. The main benefit is to help keep me from inadvertently driving too fast. EVs are so quiet and fast that it is easy to exceed the speed limit if you're not careful.

 

[dbsb3233]

It's just a tool. Why not use it? I always keep a careful eye on traffic and engage/disengage constantly. The main benefit is to help keep me from inadvertently driving too fast. EVs are so quiet and fast that it is easy to exceed the speed limit if you're not careful.

Yeah, might be referring to different things. He could have meant using Intelligent Cruise Control (that automatically changes speed to the speed limit). But there's also simply the speed limit showing in the IC that's just helpful info (like you're referring to). I love that. In fact I find myself rarely looking for speed limit signs anymore, I just look at the dash. Which can be a tiny bit risky since once in a great while it doesn't show the right speed (sometimes picks up the highway or frontage road next door). But 99% of the time it's correct. And convenient.

 

[bigredx86]

Sorry to hear of the bad experiences especially with the PAAK, phone hardware is now an issue, ugh!

As for the other issues, I can’t say I’ve really experienced them. I never keep my fob in my pocket in the house but also have never had an issue with it not unlocking the car, that’s scary.

I hope when the Gen 2 ev are rolling out from Ford a lot of things can be upgraded or fixed by software updates faster, this legacy ice module model the mache and lightning are stuck in blows for the “forever upgrade able car”

 

[Logal727]

I feel like quite the opposite, pretty much any quirk I’ve had has been solved OTA and still love the car. (Knock on wood)

 

[intensifi]

Sounds like an intermittent short to ground somewhere.

 

[4sallypat]

3 weeks in with my MME and loving it.

Salesperson setup PAAK and has been great.

Still carry the key fob just in case.

Got a 3rd key fob w/ frunk release and programming it soon.

 

[abfoot7818]

I am a trial lawyer by profession. I am not offering you legal advice. Were it me and I was going to keep driving the car I would send notice of the issue to Ford Motor Co. Warranty department, customer svc department and legal department by certified mail, return receipt requested.

If you are involved in a crash you don't want Ford wiggling out of responsibility.

Ultimately we are the driver not the car. I have only owned my Mach-e for under a month and have put 2300 miles on it more than half of which are with blue cruise. I also own a 2018 Expedition with the foot free cruise control which I love especially in stop and go traffic. But they are not perfect features EXCEPT if you turn them all off then they work perfectly. I would be slightly concerned and even more mindful that your vehicle engages cruise/blue cruise automatically BUT knowing that I would turn off the “read speed limit signs, and remember the brake and accelerator cancels out all of those unexpected acceleration/deceleration events. We are the licensed driver. Our cars DO NOT have a license to drive so I adjust my expectations accordingly. I feel vastly safer driving tired with all of it attempting to help me that the Tesla system not tracking if I’m watching the road.

I don’t know maybe I’m more in love and in awe of what automotive tech has achieved in the last 15 years. Or perhaps My mechanics have fixed the lose but behind the wheel.

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