Initial experiences from a new Mach-E owner

[SoCalPony]

Hello friends, I started out this evening very excited as I went to go pick up my brand new Mach-E. Unfortunately my high spirits were not to last.

Don't get me wrong. I still have high hopes that I will love the car, but I'm sad to report that my experiences this evening did not go well. Where to start?

Problem #1 - Navigation

I should start out by saying that I took my car for a test drive when it arrived at my dealership last week. During the test drive I noticed that the navigation was not working. It did not show anything on the map at all. When I finished my test drive, I reported this to my dealer. He stated that it was probably because they had not activated the modem yet.

When I picked up the car, I quickly discovered that the navigation is still not working. I have to say that I'm quite disappointed that the dealer did not ensure that the navigation was working before delivering the car to me after I reported that it was not working last week.

After browsing through the navigation menus, I observed the following oddities:

- The list of installed maps is empty
- The Satellite Status screen says "GPS is Off" (even though it lists a latitude and longitude for my location??)
- The System Information screen has nothing listed under Navigation Version

It appears as though none of the navigation software/data got installed at the factory.

Problem #2 - Wi-Fi

As soon as I got home, I tried connecting to my home Wi-Fi network. I was unable to connect. I spent a significant amount of time trying to get this to work. Nothing I did made any difference. I have two Wi-Fi Access Points in my house. I tried connecting to both of them. No luck with either one.

When I type in the wrong password, it tells me that the password is wrong. When I type in the correct password, it just says that it was "Unable to connect". This tells me two things. 1 - It is definitely communicating with the access point. 2 - I'm not typing in the wrong password.

I was able to connect the Mach-E to the Wi-Fi access point on my phone when I set the phone up as a Wi-Fi hotspot, so I know that the car is able to connect to a Wi-Fi network. Just not the network in my house. We have countless Wi-Fi devices in the house, and they are all connected just fine, so I know my home Wi-Fi is working properly. I have no idea why the car won't connect to it, but for some reason it just won't.

Problem #3 - Android Auto

When I connected my Google Pixel 3 to the car, the phone immediately recognized that the car had Android Auto, and told me to finish setting it up on the car. When I open Android Auto on the car, the car says to go to the phone list, select a phone, then select Connect Android Auto. I did that, but there was no "Connect Android Auto" to be found. Lots of options for setting up my phone, but nothing related to Android Auto at all.

The Android Auto app in the car also suggested connecting the phone to the car with a USB cable. My wife has a Nissan Murano with Android Auto that only works through a USB cable. I've used it on my wife's car many times. In her car it works perfectly. I tried plugging my phone into the Mach-E with a USB cable. As soon as I plugged in the cable, my phone immediately crashed and restarted the operating system. I tried it numerous times with different cables (to test both ports in the car). Same thing every time. As soon as I plug in the phone, the phone crashes.

I realize that in this case it is the phone that is crashing, but like I said, I've used it in my wife's car with no issues. Clearly the Mach-E is doing something that the phone REALLY doesn't like.

Problem #4 - Charging

I wanted to charge the car up to 90% overnight. There does not seem to be a way to set a global charging limit. You can only set limits for specific charge locations. This is not really an issue, but when I tried to edit the current location to make it my home location, and to set the charge times, the screen to edit the location showed a wait indicator (the three animated dots), and just sat there. I kept trying to hit Next, but nothing happened. I tried waiting a while, but the wait indicator never went away. I have no idea what it was trying to do, but it would not let me set the limit for my charging session because I could not edit my location.

Luckily after checking the user guide, I discovered that you can edit the location though the Ford Pass App, so I did that instead. That at least worked, and it was able to successfully upload the settings to the car, so the car will now stop charging at 90%.

On a slightly unrelated note, while I was standing beside the car, plugging in the charger, I noticed that the car was making some strange noises. As though it was trying to do something. I didn't have my key with me, and I wasn't touching the car at all. I had not plugged in the charger yet. After all the bad experiences that I had this evening, these noises did not give me a warm fuzzy feeling. I sure hope those noises are normal.

Looks like I've got some support calls to make tomorrow. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

These are all software issues that other EV makers also have had to work through. Tesla had a devil of a time getting several features of this kind ironed out. The Android Auto thing wasn't one of them cause Tesla has their own architecture. Hopefully this gets fixed in a fast software update. The navigation not being set up upon delivery is not really excusable. I wonder if the rush to start deliveries contributed to this, or maybe it is supposed to be set up by the dealer upon delivery and they didn't understand that. Anyone know who is responsible for the navigation system being configured?

Keep us in the loop going forward, since not every owner is qualified to be a WiFi interface debugger, and many will just expect things to work without too much effort on their part. I suspect most legacy automakers who don't have an extensive software development background will face these kinds of issues.

SCPony

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[Chiefsfan]

I guess you are dealing with the issues that an adopter of new tech experience. I’m sure that Tesla had their share of software issues in the beginning. The test will be how quickly Ford resolved these issues and whether they can accomplished OTA.

 

[Maquis]

I wouldn't worry about the noises you are hearing. Likely that the battery management system works to keep the battery temperature optimum during charging.

 

[CP-Mach-E]

You'll hear various noises from EVs. They're constantly doing things in the background while parked, especially during charging. There are various vents, fans, pumps, motors, valves, etc all working to either warm up or cool the batteries.

I had a motor noise on my Tesla about every 8 seconds while parked and charging, I couldn't figure out until I got on my knees in front of the car and saw the louvers adjusting. Typically they're closed at highway speeds for better aerodynamics and open up when additional air is needed for either the HVAC system or additional cooling for the batteries. Apparently the vents don't just open up completely, they adjust their opening size multiple times during the charging process.

Anyway, don't worry about various noises while charging.

Thanks for the reply. I actually heard the noises before plugging in the charger. I tried to be clear about that during my description, but I guess I should not have mentioned charging at all because a few people misunderstood and thought that I was describing noises that occur while charging.

Once I did plug in the charger, there were much louder noises that started, vents opening and closing, and a loud hum from under the car, but a quick search online confirmed that the hum is totally normal.

 

[agoldman]

Well this should be quite embarasing for Ford and for the Dealer. I would compain to both. I sure hope you can quickly get these connection issues sorted out. If not, Lemon Laws come to mind. I would not accept a car that can't connect and wasn't set up properly. I would return it to the dealer until this is all fixed.

I now an very curious to see if anyone else sees these sort of issues.

 

[pt19713]

Thanks for the reply. I actually heard the noises before plugging in the charger. I tried to be clear about that during my description, but I guess I should not have mentioned charging at all because a few people misunderstood and thought that I was describing noises that occur while charging.

Once I did plug in the charger, there were much louder noises that started, vents opening and closing, and a loud hum from under the car, but a quick search online confirmed that the hum is totally normal.

It's a new car and as more people take delivery, there are going to be a lot of things discovered, features not mentioned in various press releases, videos, etc. Tesla doesn't do a good job in providing the info since they pretty much have no PR department. Hopefully Ford does a better job in releasing info on these types of things. For example, on Teslas, the BMS will continue to run fans, pumps, etc for at least 30 minutes after the vehicle is parked to keep the battery from getting too warm or too cold. In colder weather it'll draw heat from the cabin and transfer it to the battery. It'll also run the HVAC fan to keep pushing fresh air over the cabin filter to prevent moisture build up to avoid a mold smell. Little things like this Tesla doesn't release officially.

 

[BlueMach]

I never doubted Ford on hardware, but the software has been making me nervous for a while now. Hopefully this is an isolated incident. To me, the speed of the fix will be telling.

 

[Shayne]

Thanks; we all need to bring software issues to the attention of those that can fix them. Don't get to stressed out about trying to fix software you can not. I am sure with over the air they can load maps. What sound do you hear when it is just sitting their not charging? How did it drive?

 

[DBC]

Good luck with customer care. They've probably never fielded a call about a MME, so they'll be reading right along with you. I guess we'll hear about that shortly.

These seem like minor but annoying issues which may all be related communication issues. Given the dealer's comment about not turning the modem on, I'd start there. IOW get Navigation working and go from there.

BEVs make a lot of odd noises. Did it sound like fluid or a pump or air moving? Those are all common.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

Keep us posted on what the outcome is, the fix, etc. We're all waiting with bated breath.

 

[mamejunkie]

Good luck with customer care. They've probably never fielded a call about a MME, so they'll be reading right along with you. I guess we'll hear about that shortly.

While this is brand spanking new for Ford, I would expect them to have a small army of people that specializes in Mach-E ready to field the initial issues. Yes, dealers will most likely be useless in the beginning.

 

[SnBGC]

Thanks for the reply. I actually heard the noises before plugging in the charger. I tried to be clear about that during my description, but I guess I should not have mentioned charging at all because a few people misunderstood and thought that I was describing noises that occur while charging.

Once I did plug in the charger, there were much louder noises that started, vents opening and closing, and a loud hum from under the car, but a quick search online confirmed that the hum is totally normal.

FWIW....it was pretty clear to me when you described your concern about the noises you heard prior to plugging in. That would concern me too.

How did your overnight charging session go?

I suspect the problem with configuring your charge location profile is related to the NAV not being enabled. I am not sure how the Mach E does it....but my FFE had a message on the screen that would pop up when the car was first initialized that said something like "The car is GPS enabled data is shared back and forth blah blah blah......Please notify your passengers." Then there was an Accept or Deny button. Hit the Deny and the car would not be able to use any of the GPS features including NAV. I know this because I hit Deny. I had to call my uncle who is a tech for Ford and he walked me through the process to get that message again. That second time I hit Accept. Now I get that same basic message from time to time but my only button choice is "OKAY". The Accept/Deny option hasn't been seen since.

I have no clue if that is at all related to your experience but it wouldn't surprise me if it was something related to that. Let's hope Ford contacts you asap. I believe they have an EV Customer Service Team so your satisfaction is likely to be very important.

If you end up at the dealership and they pull any codes.....then write those down and I can try and figure out exactly what they mean. Good luck! ?

 

[SnBGC]

While this is brand spanking new for Ford, I would expect them to have a small army of people that specializes in Mach-E ready to field the initial issues. Yes, dealers will most likely be useless in the beginning.

EVs aren't that new to Ford. They have quite a bit of experience already....

 

[Maric]

Wondering if OP has a bad GPS antennae or part. You would think if there were going to be issues like this, one of the multitudes of reviewers would have experienced this. Many actually commented about how quick and easy it was to pair their phone with the car.

Sorry OP. Has to be in the least extremely frustrating. Will be curious to find out how Ford handles this for you.

 

[SnBGC]

Wondering if OP has a bad GPS antennae or part. You would think if there were going to be issues like this, one of the multitudes of reviewers would have experienced this. Many actually commented about how quick and easy it was to pair their phone with the car.

Sorry OP. Has to be in the least extremely frustrating. Will be curious to find out how Ford handles this for you.

What he is describing sounds like some modules are not enabled. It isn't possible to pair a phone to the vehicle in Transport Mode but there are other modes available. Accessible by hitting the buttons on the steering wheel in a certain combination but even if the dealer tech accidentally did that then there should be a notice on the screen.

If I had to take a wild guess.......and this is just a guess......
The tech that was performing the pre-delivery checklist got curious and browsed the back end menus and accidentally turned off the GPS and some other modules. It sounds like a simple matter of a master reset to me but again......I am just guessing.

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