Safety Recall 22S41 - 2021-2022 Mach E - HVBJB Recall [high voltage battery main contactors may overheat]

[mwtechy]

What could possible go wrong there?

can always be worse.

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[Mach-Lee]

Honestly, I didn’t know all this background that you shared. But I agree and this was the first thing I thought of when I heard about this recall. And the more I read and think about it, the more I think you (and a few others) are right - I think this *is* related to the “5 second limit” on the GT, and the whole reason we are hearing about it is probably because the people on this forum are so noisy and excessively in love with these cars, that eventually Ford dig some digging and found out about the problem. And *maybe* the fix for the problem is a fix for the limiter?

The 5 second limit likely comes from the GT using the same pack as the premium without any upgrades. The bus bars in the Mach-E pack are tiny compared to the ones in Model-S Plaid pack, maybe only 3/4" wide vs. 4 inches wide. If you have experience sizing wires, it's clear the bus bars in the Mach-E GT are not going to sustain the 1000+ amps it uses on acceleration for very long without overheating. Upgrading the HVBJB will not do anything about the bus bars being small. So I think the 5 second limit will probably remain even after replacement. Also it wouldn't make sense for Ford to put more stress on a component that's already had a lot of trouble by removing the limit.

Mach-E:

Model S Plaid:

 

[silverelan]

The 5 second limit likely comes from the GT using the same pack as the premium without any upgrades. The bus bars in the Mach-E pack are tiny compared to the ones in Model-S Plaid pack, maybe only 3/4" wide vs. 4 inches wide. If you have experience sizing wires, it's clear the bus bars in the Mach-E GT are not going to sustain the 1000+ amps it uses on acceleration for very long without overheating. Upgrading the HVBJB will not do anything about the bus bars being small. So I think the 5 second limit will probably remain even after replacement. Also it wouldn't make sense for Ford to put more stress on a component that's already had a lot of trouble by removing the limit.

Mach-E:

Model S Plaid:

thanks, that’s a good visual explanation of a technical issue and might just be disappointingly true.

 

[Astraea]

I went back and looked and @DevSecOps has these recommendations for how to best avoid/be prepared:

Ya know what I found interesting about this, is there is no way mine over heated when mine bit the dust. It happened the beginning of January in the coldest week we had in Northern NY. Never got above 0F and she was dead as a door nail. Didn't happen when driving either, poor girl was parked at work for a couple hours.

I really am hoping I don't have to go back and get her fixed again... the trauma the first go around was....

 

[Peaceowl]

What about all those race videos, and all the discussions about racetrack time slips, etc. We all have done our share in trying out the pedal. Didn’t happen, to my knowledge to anyone while racing, during heavy acceleration. Has ford been able to put together a scenario of what causes the ’meltdown’ to some but not to a high percent of the owners?

I have to admit, even though my GTPE has been perfect so far, in 7 months of driving, I have worried that this might be an issue for all of us over time. we all deserve some legit answers. And yes, I am worried about my grandchildren riding in it now. Anxious to get it fixed.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

Indeed. If Ford had a snowball's chance in hell of getting this started in July, you can be certain they would have said that. My guess is that sadly "3rd quarter of 2022" likely means September.

That said, there is a silver lining to this admittedly pretty darn dark cloud: Ford has identified the problem, presumably has a fix (since it doesn't impact vehicles built on a go-forward basis), and is working to get this resolved.


I know I plan to keep driving my GT, though I hope Ford offers guidance regarding driving the car safely in the interim. In the interim I'll not drive it super hard! Haven't decided about whether or not to forgo DCFC road-trip charging though...

Keep the faith folks, keep the faith!

My guess is that every affected car gets throttled down via software and then later gets a hardware. Fix.

Hope I’m wrong. And it’s just a guess.

 

[Mach-Lee]

Ya know what I found interesting about this, is there is no way mine over heated when mine bit the dust. It happened the beginning of January in the coldest week we had in Northern NY. Never got above 0F and she was dead as a door nail. Didn't happen when driving either, poor girl was parked at work for a couple hours.

I really am hoping I don't have to go back and get her fixed again... the trauma the first go around was....

I don't have a good theory on that yet. It could be something like the contactor was very cold and stuck so it didn't close all the way, and the poor connection then overheated with a normal current load. Clearances and finish quality on the moving parts can be an issue with mechanical contactors at very low temps. They are more likely to stick in extreme cold or if extreme temperature gradients exist through the part. Part quality is likely a factor in the failure equation.

Sadly you will probably have to have it replaced again, that's usually how part recalls work.

 

[Stang68]

I know software fixes can take time, but in this case, on a problem that affects possibly every Mach E sold, you'd *think* Mr. Farley would "break glass in case of emergency" and have a couple of engineers and software developers working rotating overnight/24 hour shifts to get this done and send out an update. Ford can afford to pay those overtime wages.
And then we can get the hardware update, but if software can greatly reduce the occurrence of this issue, then I feel like all-hands-on-deck approach is needed. Maybe I'm biased here, but then again this is quite the issue.

 

[jimitoast]

I would say no. I know with RVs if there’s a safety recall, legally, we aren’t allowed to do paperwork. The good news is this will slow down the progress to 200k plus it shouldn’t matter because they can deliver as many as they want in the quarter they hit 200k and the quarter after.

Thanks for the info. My fear is that my car will sit in the dealer parking lot waiting for parts while new builds at the factory take precedence on available parts. The same thing happened to many January builds (like mine) that sat on chip-hold waiting for parts while new factory builds with the same configuration sailed through shipping. And they won't stop cranking out F150 Lightnings. If my car sits long enough, I miss the federal credit. I know that seems like a long time to sit but that's how little faith I have in Ford at this point.

 

[rcechinel]

So, this means I’m theoretically in the clear, right?

I haven’t even taken delivery yet and a delay to Q3 would be very frustrating!

I really want to see what's the answer here. For the cars in the 5/23 week that were halted in the middle of production, and the weeks following, we want to know the answer to your case.
I see 4 main groups of cars:
1- Delivered cars - life goes on, waiting for the recall details
2- In-transit cars without the fix - no delivery will take place until recall is performed
3- Not built cars - will the factory completely stop for a couple of months or new builds with the new parts will continue?
4- Cars in a Ford dealership waiting for a new HVBJB and cars that will manifest the defect prior to the recall.

Wondering what the priority will be.

 

[rcechinel]

Does this mean they will detune the GTs to avoid the problem? The 5 second limit will seem like a dream if they do that. Queue the class action lawyers.

What I've always heard is that the 5 second power limit is to protect the battery. This issue is not caused by the battery, but the contactors on the HVBJB. Unrelated issues.

 

[rcechinel]

You could be completely right, but truth is, we really don't know.

I will tell you I recently did a 2000 mile road-trip to Charleston, SC, did not at any time have covered parking, and my car got non-stop baked in the sun . When I'd get back in the car, the temp sensor would read over 115F at times (cooled down to around 99F once I got the wind from the interstate). DCFC'd all the way there and back, and I was not gentle with my acceleration. Not once did I have any issues with the car.

Obviously more current = more heat, so a GT would seem to be particularly vulnerable, but contactors are rated for current, and I'm sure the Ford engineering team would not be foolish enough to mass produce a car with an under-specced contactor for the HVB. I'm also sure they'd run stress tests where the motor was drawing full power from the HVB for an extended period of time.

You are sure about way more stuff than I am.

 

[mikeinet]

Why is everyone freaking the heck out….

There is a SAFETY RECALL on specific vehicles. It’s not a luxury feature.

for those waiting for cars… yes it sucks and the wait has been so long… but ford isn’t just busting your chops to make you mad… there’s a legitimate problem that has to be fixed that’s been reported real time by members in this forum. It’s real.

everyone take a deep breath… it’s going to get fixed and everyone will get their cars and cars will get fixed and everything will return to normal

… can we go back to using their thread for discussion on the actual recall???

 

[BalsaDust]

Y'all arguing over quarters. I only carry half dollars with me.

Can I get a loan? after paying for my MME all I have left is wooden nickels!

Tony

 

[FarSide]

I don’t think so.

I’m just miles away from delivery. My VIN comes up clean on the Ford recal checker but like everything Ford, that system can’t be up to date yet.
What do you think will be my dealer move (#1. I’m sure I will need to educate them on everything)? 1. Will they say it’s sad and encourage me to walk away like they are doing me a favor?
2. Require me to buy the car within 10 days and then have it sit in their lot for up to 14 weeks during the 3rd Quarter
3. Tell me I can buy the car sometime later (After 10 days from delivery) with a handshake that it’s mine once the recall timeline is sorted out (..of course I don’t trust this)
4. ?

I’m up shits creek. I will try and find another car quickly but I went all-in with the MME. Financing is arranged and my current car is sold. I tried to find a different car five weeks ago and struck out. I fear having to buy a car and pay for it while getting put into a recall fix line. Of course I will want fix priority… haha,do you think I’m going to get that?

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