It Bit Me Like a Snake - Stop Safely Message!

[scoopman]

Thank you Tide. We declined the Ford service at 125.00. We have no idea if the dealer was EV Certified. We dropped the car in the lot and put the key in the dropbox.

NOTE: Do not EVER leave home without a key. Normally, I do not have a key with me. This time, we did.

Ford Roadside asked me where the nearest dealer was. I, in a moment of weakness, lost my shit just a bit and swore at the call operator and told the person that I called for Ford Roadside assistance and they should tell me where the nearest dealer was. I used naughty words in that exchange.

I agree re the key -- I have an emergency FOB hidden under my hood in a faraday bag. Definitely needed if you're going to use PAAK with this car and it's reliability record.

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[Calipack]

Hah. Got some more details from my wife.

By the time the first tow truck arrived, the 12V battery had declined to the point that the operator could not change the settings to put it in tow mode.

I wonder if I caused some of the battery decline by continuing to try and start the car, doing a hard reset and other things. Maybe I could have done something different. Or, maybe this car could have just not welded the HVBJB contactors and caused this inconvenience.

 

[scoopman]

Hah. Got some more details from my wife.

By the time the first tow truck arrived, the 12V battery had declined to the point that the operator could not change the settings to put it in tow mode.

I wonder if I caused some of the battery decline by continuing to try and start the car, doing a hard reset and other things. Maybe I could have done something different. Or, maybe this car could have just not welded the HVBJB contactors and caused this inconvenience.

Yes all of those things you did run down the 12V, which isn't being maintained anymore because your junction box is what sends the energy to maintain the LVB when needed.

I keep a 12V battery jump battery in an oh crap bag in my frunk as well in case this happens to me on the road. Fortunately, the first time my HVBJB went, it threw the brick at me in my garage, and I fully charged my 12V overnight in anticipation of the tow.

Harder to do this on the road, so when and if this ever happens, I recommend popping the frunk, rolling down your drivers side window, getting your FOB out if you have one for emergencies, ensuring walk-away lock IS OFF, so that your car does not automatically lock itself, and then turn the car off along with all lights (if it's safe to do so). This gives you the best chance of not having the tow be a turdshow.

 

[moparguy]

You might want to call back and get that waived or reimbursed. From page 286 of the user manual:


Or was the dealer not ”EV Certified“?

according to your quote from the manual, it has to be with in 35 miles radius.

 

[Mach-Lee]

First, sorry this happened to you, we have several HVBJB failure veterans here that know the process. For others, this situation is another example why you want the recall software installed ASAP if you will be roadtripping/DCFC in a GT. Hopefully FDRS is fixed soon so dealers can resume updates. Had the new software been installed, he would have been able to drive the car to a dealer or home instead of needing a tow. The fault probably would have shown up sooner as well (likely before the last stop). MY22 cars built before May 25th are just as likely to fail as MY21 vehicles since they have the same troublesome part and unpatched software.

The P0AA1 (positive contactor stuck closed) code means 100% you will need a new HVBJB. Now that Jody diagnosed it remotely in 10 min, let's see how long it takes that dealer to do the same. Your dealer should order the 10C666 part right away. The Ford parts depot is prepared and has lots available to ship on short notice for this failure, so your dealer should be able to receive the part the next day or two after ordering. Getting someone who can do the repair at the dealer may also prove to be a challenge, you may have to wait until Ford field service engineers are available. EV certified dealers are supposed to have the battery lift, lifting blocks, and leak check connectors on hand, as well as an EV certified technician.

Also if this happens to anyone else, SHUT OFF THE CAR TO SAVE THE 12V BATTERY until a tow truck arrives, you need enough power left to get it in emergency tow mode. Disable walk away lock as well, and keep a front window down if possible to avoid a lockout. The DC/DC shuts down and the 12V system stops being charged when the stop safely now error appears. Everyone with a GT and no recall should practice putting the car in emergency tow mode so you know how to do it. Also familiarize yourself with the proper Mach-E Winch Recovery Tow Points and towing procedures. It was good the OP knew he needed a dolly truck so his battery rails weren't damaged.

OP, do you want to share your general route for reference? Failures seem to be triggered by driving up mountains. Scoopman had his fail earlier this month after driving up the grapevine.

Best of luck to a speedy resolution. In a perfect world it would be done in a couple days.

As owners we can prepare for HVBJB failures, but I wish the dealers were more prepared as well. So many are doing this repair for the first time and really have no clue how to take the HV battery out of a BEV. I would like to see Ford do more to improve the BEV repair climate at EV dealers through additional paid training workshops with hands-on experience (have them drop and open a pack), personnel requirements (require two EV-trained techs per dealer in case one isn't available), and in-person compliance checks (make sure all the required EV stuff is actually on-hand). Another idea is Ford could start a national recruiting campaign for EV techs, maybe pay for part of their school. I think new talent is needed, the old-school mechanics probably shun working on EVs and are a lost cause.

It's going to be a long road getting through all these HVBJB failures on the forum, it will probably be like the numerous "where'd my range go" topics a lot of us fondly remember when it gets cold out. Just wait until the OTAs start happening en mass and everyone is wondering why their car says "Service vehicle soon" and their dealer has no idea/won't look at it. Sigh.

 

[BigMach-E]

Dang. Very sorry this happened to you @Calipack . The fact that this spans two model years is pretty much unacceptable. As others have said, join the club. Glad you are safe. Ford needs to pull out all of the stops on this. The fact that Ford Roadside doesn't know immediately where the nearest dealership is is insane. You have a computer in front of your face!

Also, to quote a charge for towing is also crazy. Yes, call Ford Corporate, get a case made. Ask them to deliver the vehicle to an EV certified dealership near you. You shouldn't be responsible for figuring out a way to get a 100 miles away from your home to get your car back

 

[67 Stang Convertible]

This place is great. Do you guys and gals also get together for saloon brawls and live music? I mean, if everyone is this friendly and helpful, why not?

Come back this winter and ask why your range is decreased and wait to see how "friendly" we are. LOL!!!

 

[JSW]

This is so very unacceptable, especially when Ford KNOWS it has an insufficiently robust part and this is happening to the purchasers of its (rather expensive) product. Sorry this happened to you.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

After about a thousand mile road trip we planned our last charge for the last leg home. We pulled into an Electrify America charging station without any issues. We hooked up to the charger, still no issues. The charge authorized and then reported a connection error. That was it. When I returned to the car and turned it on, the Stop Safely message appeared and the car would not start.

Ford Roadside assistance wanted 125.00 to send a tow truck. My insurance covered the tow for no charge, but they did have to send two different trucks. The first truck was a flatbed and the driver could not put the car in neutral. The second tow truck put the car on a dolly and towed it to the nearest Ford Dealer.

After one day, the Ford dealer is unable to tell us what is wrong, how they will proceed, or what to expect going forward.

The car is a 2022 MME GT. This happened at 5700 miles. Up to the point of the error message, there were no indications of any issues.

Hello. Could you please send over a private message with your VIN and the name/location of the dealership you are working with? I would like to see what I can do to assist with your Mach-E's error messages.
Drew
Ford Social Media Team

 

[scoopman]

Can't wait to hear when the Patterson Ford dealer opens and we hear if they are EV certified.....

 

[Calipack]

Hello. Could you please send over a private message with your VIN and the name/location of the dealership you are working with? I would like to see what I can do to assist with your Mach-E's error messages.
Drew
Ford Social Media Team

Many many kindnesses to you and Ford for reaching out. Thank you.

I have sent a PM with the information you requested.

 

[Calipack]

Can't wait to hear when the Patterson Ford dealer opens and we hear if they are EV certified.....

This is interesting on many levels, scoopman.

Ford Motor Company, including Ford Roadside, knows what dealerships are EV certified. The answer to this question should have been available to the operators that processed my initial call and also to the operators that processed your calls if you reached out to Ford Roadside when your car was bricked at your home. The ethical practice for Ford would be to tow the vehicle to the NEAREST EV CERTIFIED DEALER.

I hope that Ford listens to the loyal and invested consumers that own these expensive cars and have these experiences. I was very fortunate to have insurance and friends that could fill the service gaps and get my car out of the Walmart parking lot and EA charging station and then get me and my wife home. Were my wife stranded alone, we would be having a more agitated conversation. Had this happened with my kids or grandkids in the vehicle, count on another level of angst. As it is, I feel fortunate.

Ford MC and Roadside have an easy, easy, easy solution to this - follow the tips on this thread/forum and provide Mach E and Lightning owners a 5 year AAA membership with 200 mile towing trips. It would cost Ford less than staffing a call center. I signed up for it today.

 

[Calipack]

Come back this winter and ask why your range is decreased and wait to see how "friendly" we are. LOL!!!

Oh man. C'mon man. Are you already revoking my complaining privileges? I am just getting started and have not even insulted anyone yet.

 

[Calipack]

Also if this happens to anyone else, SHUT OFF THE CAR TO SAVE THE 12V BATTERY until a tow truck arrives, you need enough power left to get it in emergency tow mode. Disable walk away lock as well, and keep a front window down if possible to avoid a lockout. The DC/DC shuts down and the 12V system stops being charged when the stop safely now error appears. Everyone with a GT and no recall should practice putting the car in emergency tow mode so you know how to do it. Also familiarize yourself with the proper Mach-E Winch Recovery Tow Points and towing procedures. It was good the OP knew he needed a dolly truck so his battery rails weren't damaged.

OP, do you want to share your general route for reference? Failures seem to be triggered by driving up mountains. Scoopman had his fail earlier this month after driving up the grapevine.

Thank you, Lee.

Over the course of a week, we drove from the Sacramento area to SLC then to Vegas and we were stranded in Patterson on the last leg of the adventure. The only significant incline was over Donner and down to Reno on I-80 and then up and over the Beaver and Cedar City portions of I-15.

We charged up in Fernley, Winnemucca, Elko, Wendover and SLC going out. We charged up in Scipio, Cedar City, St. George, Vegas (at the Trump Hotel), Barstow, Bakersfield, somewhere on I-5 with a great BBQ restaurant and then bricked it in Patterson. I would not consider any of these locations or the path to be on a route with significant or noticeable inclines.

At no point on this long trip did we get any messages or have any indication that there was a problem.

Side note.... by the time we got to the dealership, the car would not pop the doors open. We were seconds away from having all of our stuff locked in the car. We learned a valuable lesson. ROLL DOWN A WINDOW!!!!!! Towing instructions and features should be more prominently available on the software/screen. This is a safety issue and one that should be easily patched by Ford. They should call me and others on this forum. We can prevent future issues and claims.

 

[phil]

Oh man. C'mon man. Are you already revoking my complaining privileges? I am just getting started and have not even insulted anyone yet.

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