Second Thoughts Put to Bed

[RickMachE]

Before buying the Mach-E, I said to my dealer "Ford is going to screw this up somehow, bigtime". Based upon our experience with Ford and prior vehicles, including a PHEV, I knew that the corporate side would screw things up. I knew that my dealership would have issues, but would work very hard to fix things. And, I knew that I was buying a first year vehicle.

My take, and it's worth nothing more than that, is that if we (the public "we") don't buy from Ford, or GM, or whoever, and don't push the dealerships and the corporation, kicking and screaming, into the EV era, then they will fail and disappear. I for one do not want to buy a vehicle from an egomaniac who may or may not be stable, and never will. I want companies that value their workers, their suppliers, and their customers.

If my car had had the failure, I would be upset. But I wouldn't be surprised.

If someone can't accept the situation as it is, including that they will be let down at some point in the experience, they shouldn't own one. Plain, simple, and again - my opinion.

Sponsored

 

[Logal727]

Before buying the Mach-E, I said to my dealer "Ford is going to screw this up somehow, bigtime". Based upon our experience with Ford and prior vehicles, including a PHEV, I knew that the corporate side would screw things up. I knew that my dealership would have issues, but would work very hard to fix things. And, I knew that I was buying a first year vehicle.

My take, and it's worth nothing more than that, is that if we (the public "we") don't buy from Ford, or GM, or whoever, and don't push the dealerships and the corporation, kicking and screaming, into the EV era, then they will fail and disappear. I for one do not want to buy a vehicle from an egomaniac who may or may not be stable, and never will. I want companies that value their workers, their suppliers, and their customers.

If my car had had the failure, I would be upset. But I wouldn't be surprised.

If someone can't accept the situation as it is, including that they will be let down at some point in the experience, they shouldn't own one. Plain, simple, and again - my opinion.

Yeah I’m very confused, but I guess it’s not surprising on a car forum. Issues with cars is not a unique thing. Our brand new Honda Odyssey, both sliding doors stopped working and we couldn’t get the kids out of the car, ended up pulling into our Honda dealer and demanding they fixed the issue cause of safety, which they did, but we had to argue to have them fit us in, but they figured it out. This was also before the supply issues that came with COVID.

 

[DevSecOps]

Is your car in the shop only because lane centering / BlueCruise is not working? If that is the only reason it is there, get your car back and drive it until they figure it out.

This problem is a common problem and many in the forum experienced it. Some did it to themselves when they updated their own cars using FDRS, which is what the dealers do. There is a fix, and a software update that corrects the problem, because those who lost BlueCruise have it back now.

@DevSecOps, I am pretty sure you had this problem and a module update fixed it. Maybe Tim can tell his dealer what they need to do.

That was caused by a bad release of the IPC module on Job2 cars. It was corrected and subsequent releases should have fixed it. It was only available for 3 days so a very short window to have broken it during that period.

In other words, I'm doubtful that's his problem. I would open a case with Ford support and get them involved.

 

[Chuck]

Ford says 70% of MME buyers have never purchased a Ford previously.

 

[Nklem]

So sorry for your issues. I would be frustrated as well and if I was in your shoes, I would be contemplating the same thing. I just wanted to share the other side of the spectrum.

I am a firm believer in no 1st year cars as well, that's why I bought two '21 Mach E's in 2021....lol.

I had 11000 trouble free miles in a March Build Job 1 Select AWD with tech and 13000 miles in a July Build Job 2 Premium ER with working BC right from the dealer's lot in November.

My experience has been totally opposite to yours, and 4 other local Mach E Owners have the same, zero issues at all (other than PAAK frustration which is universal).

I knew going into it to expect issues from an American Manufacturer and a totally unique drivetrain (EV) with little to no common parts . I very much expected what you have had for issues and have had none. I am actually surprised by the reliability and love the quality of the build. You were certainly an early adopter.

I know I will probably get the "stop safely now" message tonight on my way home.....

Do what you feel if best for you and I wish you the best of luck in your alternate purchase (if you choose something different). I have had the option to sell mine many times and replace with an off the lot Ioniq 5 and EV6, but I enjoy my Mach E so much, it will stay in the stable.

Are you going to use the Lemon Law for yours? You should qualify and get every penny invested back including initial tax and even insurance costs in some states.....

 

[Chuck]

I bought a new Ford Edge in 2009. It had a dangerously faulty passenger airbag that we weren't notified about until 8 years of ownership. Once notified it became apparent that the replacement airbags wouldn't be available for a long time. So, I didn't let anyone sit in the passenger seat. This went on for more than 6 months.

Ford then offered a rental car to use while I awaited the part to arrive. The Edge sat in my garage. This went on for TWELVE months until I finally got a notice that the part was in. Imagine driving a rental car for 12 months. Enterprise car rental made a fortune off of Ford during that time.

So, stuff happens.

 

[Chuck]

Issues with cars occur. I've been stranded in a Pinto miles from home. I've been stranded in a 1965 Mustang. I've been stranded in a 1992 Voyager with a transmission failure. I've been stranded in a 2001 Mustang with a fuel issue. And I've had issues (documented above) with a 2009 Edge that sat in my garage for year waiting for a part from Ford.

I've driven over a million miles and one thing I've learned: If you live long enough you'll eventurally be stranded in a car.

 

[FLmac]

I bought a new Ford Edge in 2009. It had a dangerously faulty passenger airbag that we weren't notified about until 8 years of ownership. Once notified it became apparent that the replacement airbags wouldn't be available for a long time. So, I didn't let anyone sit in the passenger seat. This went on for more than 6 months.

Ford then offered a rental car to use while I awaited the part to arrive. The Edge sat in my garage. This went on for TWELVE months until I finally got a notice that the part was in. Imagine driving a rental car for 12 months. Enterprise car rental made a fortune off of Ford during that time.

So, stuff happens.

My Subaru Outback had the same issue. I rarely have someone else in the car with me so I didn’t worry. I had it replaced within about a month. Then about a year later the same airbag was recalled again because the replacement had the same issues.

No company gets it right all the time. I’ve had multiple cars strand me on the road (all ICE) and it sucks.

The bad thing with the EV stranding you is techs/mechanics don’t have decades of experience working on them. I have a friend who has turned wrenches in his spare time since he was a kid. I like to play a game when a car passes that’s making an odd noise and I ask him what’s wrong. I would say 90% of the time he knows just by the sound and watching it drive. That’s decades of experience.

I’m sure I would feel differently if I was in the OPs shoes. It sounds like he needs to get Ford more involved and have them cover payments and help get things moving.

 

[Jimct]

I'd be careful praising any other company and kicking another since I think they all have issues.

Hyundai had the battery problems like the Bolt (your can can spontaneously catch fire!) a 1st year, totally new platform that Ford bolted a ton of parts together to launch.

I just want to point out to you that I was very careful to not dis the Mach e, and I know full well that Hyundai, like all car companies, have certainly had issues. Ford's EV is in it's "learning curve" stage just like Hyundai went through in the past and I'm sure the necessary adjustments will be made. I test drove the Mach e before I ordered it, and was quite impressed.

As far as the flammable batteries, yes, my 2019 Kona made the recall list with the bent diode, but I will point out that out of thousands of these cars on the road there were only 12 reported combustions, most in South Korea and virtually none in the U.S. That problem has been rectified (as it was with the Bolts) and my 2021 model has no such issue.

 

[dtbaker61]

I'm sad to hear your MME has not met your expectations...

I also ordered mine (awd Se;ect SR) sight unseen, just on the basic specs of decent range, performance, and priced a hair under $50k. Available tax credit took some of the 'risk' out of first-year model concerns.

The only frustration/disappointments I've had so far (15k miles) have been dealing with the overly complicated computer/display issues. setting up PAAK on an old Android was a PIA in the beginning, and a bad display chip early on, which was replaced by Dealer in a day.

All the driver-assist stuff I don't want, and didn't get any of the extras. Blue cruise, lane assist and all that warning stuff I wish I could turn completely off. Adaptive cruise control is the only 'smart' feature I have come to appreciate in highway driving; although I wish the distance settings were more adjustable as it leaves too big a gap in heavy traffic that people jump into.

The one 'serious' mechanical/design issue, with the HVBJB, I think is probably a result of Ford rushing to market with under-designed parts (contactors) not suited for the increasingly high current fast charging (100kw+) thru an enclosed space without adequate cooling. While serious, Ford has initiated a recall, and will be replacing with beefier parts.... Slower than we'd like, but I think the risk of being stranded is pretty low UNLESS you are using DCFC.

all in all, the MME seems pretty solid for a first-year model.

Are there things wrong? yes
Dealerships need training? yes
Recalls likely? yes

.... but no more so than any other car out there.

 

[yngwenli]

I just want to point out to you that I was very careful to not dis the Mach e, and I know full well that Hyundai, like all car companies, have certainly had issues. Ford's EV is in it's "learning curve" stage just like Hyundai went through in the past and I'm sure the necessary adjustments will be made. I test drove the Mach e before I ordered it, and was quite impressed.

As far as the flammable batteries, yes, my 2019 Kona made the recall list with the bent diode, but I will point out that out of thousands of these cars on the road there were only 12 reported combustions, most in South Korea and virtually none in the U.S. That problem has been rectified (as it was with the Bolts) and my 2021 model has no such issue.

Roll away issue was possible earlier. I'm sure like the MME, there will be more as time goes on. As I keep posting here, as long as the MME doesn't catch fire due to battery issues, I'm probably ok with most issues having been a previous Bolt owner. We were told to not even park indoors and I see around my neighborhood, people parking their Bolts and Hyundais outside still.

I'm sure if you/me was one of the ones which did catch fire, we'd have a very different view of Chevy/Hyundai (like OP in this case) which could have damaged our home, etc.

Hyundai generally has less EV issues probably in the US compared to the Bolt since they weren't sold in every state and honestly, were simply hard to find. It's almost like they didn't want to sell them earlier. From this article, there are 10.7k Ionic 5s which is about 1/10 of the MMEs sold if there is 100k MME already on the road based on the NHTSA report.

https://insideevs.com/news/586551/us-hyundai-ioniq5-kia-ev6-recall/


This article said there was a stop-sale as well:
https://joinyaa.com/guides/hyundai-ioniq-5-recall-2022/

I guess my point is it's easy to "think" one is better than the other since it didn't affect us and we're trying to confirm our purchase was wiser (than the other), but I think moving forward, they'll all have issues. The Ionic 5 is also a first year model I think right? which comes with the usual 1st year model risk.

 

[fayt349]

I was a big-time cheerleader for the Mustang Mach-E. My wife and I placed a reservation the day the vehicle was announced in November 2019, we converted that reservation to an order as soon as the order books opened, and we finally took delivery on 4/3/21. We loved the car and there was literally nothing we didn’t like about it.
Fast forward a little over a year, and my view of the car and the ownership experience has turned 180 degrees. I’m not sure I want to keep the car, to be perfectly honest. In the first year of ownership, the car served as our secondary vehicle and we both worked from home, so only amassed about 4,000 miles on it in the first year. In year 2, having returned somewhat to the office and with soaring gasoline prices, we started to drive it more. In late April, I got the dreaded “Stop Safely Now” error, and the car stranded me. I used Ford Roadside Assistance to tow my car to the dealership. The tow truck driver damaged my car, busting up the front splitter as he tried to force my car up a too-steep ramp with insufficient ground clearance. The dealership fixed that. I was mostly reimbursed but—to date—I’m still out $600+ on a $3400+ repair bill. While the dealership had the car, they dropped the battery to replace some high-voltage part and a computer to resolve the “Stop Safely Now” fault. They also resolved 3 recalls. During this time, they completed significant software updates. They told me the car was fixed, and we picked it up after nearly a month in the shop. Two days with the car, we realized lane-centering wasn’t working and Blue Cruise had not been installed when it should have been. We took the car right back to the dealership. It’s now into week 3 in the shop, and it doesn’t sound like anyone knows how to fix my car.
This is officially, by far, the worst ownership experience I’ve ever had. I’ve never had a new car give me even slight problems in under 45,000 miles. This car is our first EV and our most expensive auto purchase ever. I’m not sure how Ford is going to win EV converts if this is how things go. A $61,000 new car with less than 5,000 miles on it should never strand you. A new car in the shop under warranty should not take weeks—a month or more—to fix. Now that all Mach Es have been recalled for this fault, I’m sure a not insignificant number of these cars will not process the updates properly, like mine. I cannot recommend this car to anyone, anymore, and that really disappoints me.

I sold mine 6 months after I got it with zero regrets for what it's worth, so don't feel like you might be stupid for feeling that way.

I didn't want to wait till I got the stop safely now message, or wait until more recalls show up, so I pro-actively got rid of it before any of that happened. (I was still having like 300 software issues)

 

[Brian707]

Ford says 70% of MME buyers have never purchased a Ford previously.

I am one of them, always was a GM guy before the Mach E

 

[mjs020294]

You’re going to get some blowback from enthusiast and those that want to stand for the vehicle. I’ve experienced almost everything you say and it’s all true. A $60,000 car should never strand you and no repairs should take more than a week. I have two more on order but I am planning on canceling one and getting a hybrid maverick pick up on order in August when those books open and waiting for my next EV a little longer. I know I can sell the MachE so I’m going to take delivery if they could build it and give it a couple months if it gives me any grief ….it’s sold

That is my thinking right now. Worst case scenario we get the tax rebate and sell the car for a few thousand more than we paid for it. In a normal market with initial depreciation I would probably just cancel the order and wait for Ford to iron all the issues out.

 

[frontrunner]

fortunately i've had a great experience in my first year, but i'd probably feel the same as you if I had to deal with all of those issues in such a short time span

Sponsored