Mustang Mach E has major powertrain issues. Dealership/service offering no help. Things to consider before buying this car

[machefan]

Lesson learned here is that a test drive before signing is a must.

Many states also have buyer remorse laws where one can return a car up to a certain amount of hours. If I signed and they told me sorry I couldn’t take it home I would exercise that option in my state.

For sure email Ford executives and keep trying different avenues.

good luck!

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[sjaj14]

Lesson learned here is that a test drive before signing is a must.

Many states also have buyer remorse laws where one can return a car up to a certain amount of hours. If I signed and they told me sorry I couldn’t take it home I would exercise that option in my state.

For sure email Ford executives and keep trying different avenues.

good luck!

This is 100% correct. My sales rep called the day mine arrived and offered for us to come in and take a ride after the car went through their delivery checklist. Have had the car for 2 months now and the dealership proactively followed up 3 times in the first week to check on how we liked the car, twice from salesman and once from sales manager. Have a couple of very minor issues that have no effect on the general day to day driving (might even be user error, lol). Salesman suggested waiting a couple more weeks to ensure there is nothing else we find, then make a list and bring her in. He already has a spot reserved in service for first priority.

So, yeah, need to be careful with blanket statements. In this case definitely was taken by the dealership with a vehicle with known issues.

Just my .02 cents...

 

[jeffdawgfan]

Bought new Mustang Mach E Premium in Infinite blew from Autonation Ford Tustin on April 21st. They had one in stock so I decided to just buy it. Paid sticker price. Once the finance paperwork was completed, sales guy told me that car had some technical issues and had to be kept overnight. So I went home and end of next day was told care is ready and picked it up. On the drive home, care showed a powertrain/brake malfunction error. Also gave a chargeport error every time care was started and randomly turned off while driving.

Took it back to the dealership and they still have the car and have made no progress on fixing it.

Its been a nightmare experience as they have my money and now in possession of my car. They can't be bothered to update me or provide a timeline when this will be resolved. Its been 20 days of this already and I have had a long time to think about things. Here are my reasons why I would NOT recommend this care to anyone.

1. Ford dealership service is not ready: They have no idea how to work on this car. When dropping off, the service adviser told me that they'll likely have to contact Ford hotline and this will take a while. Its been 20 days already and they have done nothing. The warranty this car comes with is pointless if they can't fix it.
2. Ford dealership does not care at all: During these 20 days, dealership has not once initiated any communication. They haven't updated me on the progress or expected resolution. . I'll get a "we are working on it" reply if I keep contacting them a few times. I can't imagine a dealership providing worse service than this.
3. Ford has provided no support: I have reached out to ford directly and they haven't provided any help whatsoever. All I am told is that they've called the dealership and service and have left messages but their calls are not being returned. For a company that's staking its future on BEV, I would expect more support for such major malfunction. Its telling that their influence on dealership is so minimal.

Overall the features, design and idea behind the care is fantastic. The drive is a bit harsh and you can hear lot of road noise but still fun to drive. But the company and dealerships standing behind it offer no support at all if something goes wrong.

Sounds like this is a 99% dealership problem. I have dealt with a Autonation dealership twice before and neither time was a very good experience. I avoid them like the plague now.

 

[Blinkin]

Realistically, this is a more risky experience than buying a more conventional vehicle or better brand. On the other hand California does have a lemon law.

There are reliability questions, because, well, it's a damn Ford. This is the company of the Ford Pinto and if you get bored look up the DPS6.

On the other hand, It's competition is legendary for roofs and bumpers falling off, doors that won't open, etc.

2) The dealer network is an even bigger weak link in my opinion. The front side might play all kinds of shenanigans and the backside has been very hit and miss in my experience.

However, right now it's maybe the best vehicle of it's type out there, past a significant budget upgrade, so there you go.

The only good news is that it's very possible (with a little research) to find the hits and avoid the misses in that regard. Is it great that we as customers have to do that research at all? Nope. But it is possible to have really good customer service as we've seen anecdotally from people on this very forum.

 

[dbsb3233]

Unfortunately, those experiencing problems often fall into "Early Adopter Hell". This is such a radically new and different vehicle for Ford that most dealerships have zero experience with it, are struggling to get parts, and are all learning on the fly. Something that would normally take 3 days to fix is taking 3 weeks, or more.

Frustrating as hell, no doubt. But it's also the risk we take being early adopters of a radically new and different vehicle for them.

 

[Crow979]

This is really good advise. Had no idea lawyers worked that way. will certainly look into this
Thanks!

I'd look at the "Lemon Laws" in your state and the "Deceptive Trade Practices" Act in your state. The withholding of material information in a sales transaction can constitute fraud. I can't say for certain in your case, but it certainly is in the realm of plausibility. Frankly, if they won't refund the sales transaction in full, I'd seek legal advice. There are a number of consumer law legal clinics where law students can help work on your case for little to no compensation, just for the experience. Call your local law school and see if they have anything like that.

 

[agoldman]

I would have hired an attorney that morning to get out of it complete with having to pay attorney fees.

 

[JSW]

Sorry to hear about the issues/service. I think Ford is doing it’s best, with some dealers doing much less so.

There are enough ongoing issues such that, like you, I don’t recommend the MMe to others. I know many people who do not participate in on-line forums, that have also had less than perfect experiences with their MMe. When people ask, I tell them - if you can wait, I would wait another 12-18 months.

 

[dbsb3233]

Sorry to hear about the issues/service. I think Ford is doing it’s best, with some dealers doing much less so.

There are enough ongoing issues such that, like you, I don’t recommend the MMe to others. I know many people who do not participate in on-line forums, that have also had less than perfect experiences with their MMe. When people ask, I tell them - if you can wait, I would wait another 12-18 months.

12-18 months from now is basically the 2023 model year. I wouldn't go that far. I'd say the 2022MY should have most of the bugs worked out (both the car, and the servicing). Later this year.

Keeping in mind too that a lot of the early bugs don't even require a service call, but just an OTA update (once Ford gets through all the diagnosing and testing for each update).

 

[deadduck]

It's also the company of the Model T and the original Mustang.
Anybody that had anything to do with the Ford Pinto has probably passed away by now. The company and culture has gone through many stages since then. It's rather silly to equate anything now with the 1970's.

Look up the DPS6 lawsuit, Ford was selling defective transmissions, knew it, and kept selling them anyway. The Pinto killed people, they knew it and rolled with it. Ford's quality is in the bottom third of manufacturers. Other car manufacturers aren't saints either, just saying, Ford is what it is.

I owned a Ford Mustang of the 90's generation it was not a great vehicle. It was just another car that looked and sounded cooler than other cars.

The dealer network, who the heck knows. They're almost all a dice roll regardless of brand.

I'm 90% of the way there to buying one of these, so don't get me wrong, just, if you go after Tesla for it's flaws, be aware, Ford isn't that much higher on the quality list.

Anyways, I'll bow out of the thread, I don't really want to get into a brand fight online.

 

[dbsb3233]

Look up the DPS6 lawsuit, Ford was selling defective transmissions, knew it, and kept selling them anyway. The Pinto killed people, they knew it and rolled with it. Ford's quality is in the bottom third of manufacturers. Other car manufacturers aren't saints either, just saying, Ford is what it is.

I owned a Ford Mustang of the 90's generation it was not a great vehicle. It was just another car that looked and sounded cooler than other cars.

The dealer network, who the heck knows. They're almost all a dice roll regardless of brand.

I'm 90% of the way there to buying one of these, so don't get me wrong, just, if you go after Tesla for it's flaws, be aware, Ford isn't that much higher on the quality list.

Anyways, I'll bow out of the thread, I don't really want to get into a brand fight online.

The general pattern I've observed (and said) about Ford for decades is that they made great trucks and SUVs. But their cars were a lot iffier.

 

[ChasingCoral]

Bought new Mustang Mach E Premium in Infinite blew from Autonation Ford Tustin on April 21st. They had one in stock so I decided to just buy it. Paid sticker price. Once the finance paperwork was completed, sales guy told me that car had some technical issues and had to be kept overnight. So I went home and end of next day was told care is ready and picked it up. On the drive home, care showed a powertrain/brake malfunction error. Also gave a chargeport error every time care was started and randomly turned off while driving.

Took it back to the dealership and they still have the car and have made no progress on fixing it.

Its been a nightmare experience as they have my money and now in possession of my car. They can't be bothered to update me or provide a timeline when this will be resolved. Its been 20 days of this already and I have had a long time to think about things. Here are my reasons why I would NOT recommend this care to anyone.

1. Ford dealership service is not ready: They have no idea how to work on this car. When dropping off, the service adviser told me that they'll likely have to contact Ford hotline and this will take a while. Its been 20 days already and they have done nothing. The warranty this car comes with is pointless if they can't fix it.
2. Ford dealership does not care at all: During these 20 days, dealership has not once initiated any communication. They haven't updated me on the progress or expected resolution. . I'll get a "we are working on it" reply if I keep contacting them a few times. I can't imagine a dealership providing worse service than this.
3. Ford has provided no support: I have reached out to ford directly and they haven't provided any help whatsoever. All I am told is that they've called the dealership and service and have left messages but their calls are not being returned. For a company that's staking its future on BEV, I would expect more support for such major malfunction. Its telling that their influence on dealership is so minimal.

Overall the features, design and idea behind the care is fantastic. The drive is a bit harsh and you can hear lot of road noise but still fun to drive. But the company and dealerships standing behind it offer no support at all if something goes wrong.

I'm reaching out to contacts on the Mach E team to see if they can help. See DM for details.

 

[ten8bike]

At least I had my car for a few weeks before its first stay (of 23 days) at the dealership.

When I hadn't heard from anyone in the service dept, I "twittered" my displeasure to Ford. That got me connected to the most competent person I have ever worked with; she is at the Ford Executive Offices.

Twitter away to Ford!

 

[engnrng]

Bought new Mustang Mach E Premium in Infinite blew from Autonation Ford Tustin on April 21st. They had one in stock so I decided to just buy it. Paid sticker price. Once the finance paperwork was completed, sales guy told me that car had some technical issues and had to be kept overnight. So I went home and end of next day was told care is ready and picked it up. On the drive home, care showed a powertrain/brake malfunction error. Also gave a chargeport error every time care was started and randomly turned off while driving.

Took it back to the dealership and they still have the car and have made no progress on fixing it.

Its been a nightmare experience as they have my money and now in possession of my car. They can't be bothered to update me or provide a timeline when this will be resolved. Its been 20 days of this already and I have had a long time to think about things. Here are my reasons why I would NOT recommend this care to anyone.

1. Ford dealership service is not ready: They have no idea how to work on this car. When dropping off, the service adviser told me that they'll likely have to contact Ford hotline and this will take a while. Its been 20 days already and they have done nothing. The warranty this car comes with is pointless if they can't fix it.
2. Ford dealership does not care at all: During these 20 days, dealership has not once initiated any communication. They haven't updated me on the progress or expected resolution. . I'll get a "we are working on it" reply if I keep contacting them a few times. I can't imagine a dealership providing worse service than this.
3. Ford has provided no support: I have reached out to ford directly and they haven't provided any help whatsoever. All I am told is that they've called the dealership and service and have left messages but their calls are not being returned. For a company that's staking its future on BEV, I would expect more support for such major malfunction. Its telling that their influence on dealership is so minimal.

Overall the features, design and idea behind the care is fantastic. The drive is a bit harsh and you can hear lot of road noise but still fun to drive. But the company and dealerships standing behind it offer no support at all if something goes wrong.

When I was told my new Mach E ready to pick up a few weeks ago, my dealer apologized that they needed to update software in all the modules, would be afternoon before it would be ready. If I may be so bold to suggest @Racdos - the title of the thread should be amended to include “from this dealer”, then name the dealer and location. If a high tech car needs software updates and the dealer refuses to perform the 3 to 4 hour procedures for 3 weeks, that is on the dealer, not the car itself necessarily. My guess is that the dealer service department received a notice from Ford nearly 2 months ago that they ignored and continue to ignore, as they are ignoring you as well as calls from Ford. Incompetence at dealerships exists, and certainly seems to be abundant at your dealership.

 

[dtbaker61]

Bought new Mustang Mach E Premium in Infinite blew from Autonation Ford Tustin on April 21st. They had one in stock so I decided to just buy it. Paid sticker price. Once the finance paperwork was completed, sales guy told me that car had some technical issues and had to be kept overnight. So I went home and end of next day was told care is ready and picked it up. On the drive home, care showed a powertrain/brake malfunction error. Also gave a chargeport error every time care was started and randomly turned off while driving.

Took it back to the dealership and they still have the car and have made no progress on fixing it.

Its been a nightmare experience as they have my money and now in possession of my car. They can't be bothered to update me or provide a timeline when this will be resolved. Its been 20 days of this already and I have had a long time to think about things. Here are my reasons why I would NOT recommend this care to anyone.

1. Ford dealership service is not ready: They have no idea how to work on this car. When dropping off, the service adviser told me that they'll likely have to contact Ford hotline and this will take a while. Its been 20 days already and they have done nothing. The warranty this car comes with is pointless if they can't fix it.
2. Ford dealership does not care at all: During these 20 days, dealership has not once initiated any communication. They haven't updated me on the progress or expected resolution. . I'll get a "we are working on it" reply if I keep contacting them a few times. I can't imagine a dealership providing worse service than this.
3. Ford has provided no support: I have reached out to ford directly and they haven't provided any help whatsoever. All I am told is that they've called the dealership and service and have left messages but their calls are not being returned. For a company that's staking its future on BEV, I would expect more support for such major malfunction. Its telling that their influence on dealership is so minimal.

Overall the features, design and idea behind the care is fantastic. The drive is a bit harsh and you can hear lot of road noise but still fun to drive. But the company and dealerships standing behind it offer no support at all if something goes wrong.

sounds like you have a worse Dealership than mine was....

I will agree with your observation that many Service Dept seem unprepared and undertrained for the Mach-e. My guess is that your problems are likely 'fixable' with the various updates that the Dealership *should* know how to apply.

I would recommend a visit to the Dealership, in person, and meet with the Service dept manager.... and the General Manager.... explain your frustration, and ask them if they have completed Diagnostics, applied all known updates per OASIS report for your VIN, and/or requested assistance from a Ford field engineer yet.

Failing that, you could try the public media route, give the Dealership a bad review on google, etc.

The MME really is a blast to drive... so don't give up getting yours udated, or swapped for a new one!

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