Stranded due Likely to High Voltage Battery Issue (HVB) & Ford's Response

[AlbanyIan]

This post is a follow-up to a catastrophic vehicle failure that occurred last Sunday (6/12). I'll post an entire summary later but I want to target forum member input to Ford's response this past week after officially starting a case on 6/13 and dealing with the customer rep. I don't need technical theorizing since there is an on-going thread to that issue that is now over 100 pages .

The car displayed the "stop vehicle safely" message and died at the end of an off-ramp outside Newark NJ. I live in Albany NY. The car was towed that night to a close-by dealer in NJ. On Monday morning, 6/13, I spoke with a Ford customer support representative while at the NJ dealership. By about 11:00 AM, Ford had authorized a rental car so I could get home and later confirmed the car would be transported back to Albany on 6/14.

Fast forward several days and several calls to the same Ford Rep this week under the CAS ID and the car is still in NJ, the rep has not called me, and there has been no progress to even get it diagnosed. The rep has emailed me twice to provide an update on the lack of progress and ask for a rental invoice.

My jaded attitude is telling me that Ford is circling the wagons on this issue and that I may need to get more aggressive in getting it resolved, have the rental covered upfront, lodging paid for, any damage due to towing covered, etc.

I'm hoping there are forum members with have actual experience on these concerns and/or whether anyone has started a list of Mach-E owners who have actually been affected by the issue identified in the "stop sell" order issued by Ford this week.

I accepted the risks of being an early adaptor when I purchased this car and was not overly frustrated at having to wait several hours to have the car towed after the failure occurred but I expect that Ford will make reasonable efforts to get the software/mechanical issues addressed. I'm concerned now that I need to cover my bases if they are delaying for reasons that aren't related to my particular case.

Thanks Mach-E Forum!

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[heisnuts]

As you may know, I had the HVBJB failure last month. My repair took 10 days, which based on other cases seemed extremely fast. Given that the failure occurred on the 12th, I would say you are looking at least until the 22nd before the car is repaired. However, given the current environment of parts shortages and dealer delays, I would imagine that it might take longer than the 10 days it took for my repair. The good news is that if it is your HVBJB that failed you will be getting the new part and that might be the reason for some of the delay.

I wouldn't be worrying too much right now. I would want to have some updated from the dealer, but I do not know if I would be calling them everyday. If they have already diagnosed the car and have ordered parts, calling them everyday is not going to speed that process up any.

Edit - If the dealer has not gotten the car into the shop to diagnose it yet, that is where the first delay is occurring. I was very lucky that my dealer was able to get it into the shop by day 3 to diagnose and order parts. It was another 7 days to get the parts in and the work performed before I had the car back ready to go.

 

[BadgerGreg]

Sorry you're dealing with this; it happened to me twice, but neither time was it on the road. My guess is that the dealer needs to communicate with Ford Mach E engineers to correctly diagnose the issue, and that takes extra time to coordinate. Because this is a new technology for Ford, the dealers are relying heavily on Ford's engineers to diagnose issues and recommend fixes. The part (HVBJB) is usually available within a couple days of ordering. If you're lucky, they might be able to patch you up with the upcoming OTA they've promised.

Hopefully the Ford Customer Experience rep will treat you well; they helped me out each time and reimbursed me for all rental and fuel costs.

 

[AlbanyIan]

Bingo, no one has looked at it yet because the NJ dealer is so backed up, it's only working on vehicles it has sold and Ford's contracted hauler hasn't transported the car back to NY.

 

[generaltso]

If you're lucky, they might be able to patch you up with the upcoming OTA they've promised.

Software can’t fix a contactor that‘s already welded.

 

[mwtechy]

I'm in a similar situation although the shop my car is at isn't that far away. They've had it for 2 weeks now but only started looking at it 3 business days ago. First thing they tried was swapping the 12v which didn't work and all they appear to know now is that they have to drop the HVB. I pointed them to the new part number and mentioned it's most likely to be related to the recall. I generally get the feeling shops are going into this blind either not knowing what so many have reported on this forum or hoping to locate the cause the "slow way". I'm assuming something prevents them from diagnosing it as a problem with the HVBJB directly for some reason? Good luck, def keep us posted as I'm not sure when I'll get mine back either.

 

[BadgerGreg]

Software can’t fix a contactor that‘s already welded.

Unless it was an auto shutoff due to heat, which happened to me the first time (and was fixed by clearing the codes). It's possible that's what happened here, but not necessarily so.

 

[Mach-Lee]

Software can’t fix a contactor that‘s already welded.

But I want a "Unstick Contactor" button added to my controls screen! Maybe they can add that feature to the FSCM? Ford!

 

[dliunatic]

This post is a follow-up to a catastrophic vehicle failure that occurred last Sunday (6/12). I'll post an entire summary later but I want to target forum member input to Ford's response this past week after officially starting a case on 6/13 and dealing with the customer rep. I don't need technical theorizing since there is an on-going thread to that issue that is now over 100 pages .

The car displayed the "stop vehicle safely" message and died at the end of an off-ramp outside Newark NJ. I live in Albany NY. The car was towed that night to a close-by dealer in NJ. On Monday morning, 6/13, I spoke with a Ford customer support representative while at the NJ dealership. By about 11:00 AM, Ford had authorized a rental car so I could get home and later confirmed the car would be transported back to Albany on 6/14.

Fast forward several days and several calls to the same Ford Rep this week under the CAS ID and the car is still in NJ, the rep has not called me, and there has been no progress to even get it diagnosed. The rep has emailed me twice to provide an update on the lack of progress and ask for a rental invoice.

My jaded attitude is telling me that Ford is circling the wagons on this issue and that I may need to get more aggressive in getting it resolved, have the rental covered upfront, lodging paid for, any damage due to towing covered, etc.

I'm hoping there are forum members with have actual experience on these concerns and/or whether anyone has started a list of Mach-E owners who have actually been affected by the issue identified in the "stop sell" order issued by Ford this week.

I accepted the risks of being an early adaptor when I purchased this car and was not overly frustrated at having to wait several hours to have the car towed after the failure occurred but I expect that Ford will make reasonable efforts to get the software/mechanical issues addressed. I'm concerned now that I need to cover my bases if they are delaying for reasons that aren't related to my particular case.

Thanks Mach-E Forum!

So sorry you're going through this! Reach out to @Ford Motor Company via DM and they may be able to help escalate this.

I was one of the early ones that had a HVB issue last year, but potentially a different issue at that time as one of my battery modules actually ruptured. Took 53 days for a replacement battery module to come in at that time due to service and parts issues. Ford definitely helped make it right once they were aware though. You're actually looking in good shape as you have a loaner already! Ford did me right at least and I'd say just keep the CSR in the loop as you're going through it.

 

[Odmark91]

Mine also died monday last week, no stop safely warning but loads of other warnings. AWD unavalible, ESP unavalible etc. etc.
I could drive the car home but i couldnt change driving mode or use one pedal drive.

On tuesday i called Ford and they asked if i could bring the car in on wednesday, i said sure since it was driveable.
Wednesday morning i got in the car ready to go but the shifter wouldnt budge out of Park,

Long story short, i had to call my insurance company and they sent a tow truck to pick it up and and drive it to the shop.

I heard nothing for the rest of the week and called them friday afternoon. The car was still unoperable and they couldnt find the culprit, and said they most likely have to replace the high voltage battery pack, wich will keep my car in the workshop for AT LEAST 1.5 months.
And since they said 2 weeks for the repair after my minor crash and it took 2.5 months i think those 1.5 months will take much longer.

8700 miles. Kind of bummed out right now.

 

[AlbanyIan]

Update to bricked GT and "Stop Safely Now" fault.

My car finally arrived back home on June 23rd after being stuck in NJ since 6/13. The local dealer has been unable to arrive at a diagnosis. It believes a part is needed to start diagnosing the problem(s) and that part may not arrive until October. (Full Disclosure: the passenger side window had to be broken when I got locked out of the car on the exit ramp, LV battery dead and phone inside. The dealer thinks the window needs to be fixed as part of the security system to figure out the bricked status of the car...)

In the meantime, the sales team is happy to offer me a trade-in allowance towards any new vehicle that they have on the lot. This is sounding pretty fishy and I'm ready to bring up the lemon law route since it seems likely to be out of commission for more than 30 days even if the count begins when it arrived at the Albany dealer (16 days).

To make the situation more painful, I've been renting a vehicle from enterprise until yesterday and submitting the invoices which are unlikely to be reimbursed until everything is settled. Yesterday I was given a Bronco (yea) and told I could have it for the weekend no issues. Now on a Friday afternoon, I learn the sales team needs it back early Saturday so someone can look at it.

Does anyone on this forum think its unreasonable for Ford to get me a new GT under a lemon law if this one is not reparable in a couple of months or that there are any exemptions to designating a car as a lemon in an EV warranty ?

- Thanks All!

 

[Mach-Lee]

@Ford Motor Company Please help this man. It's been almost a month and they haven't even diagnosed his car properly yet. He'll be eligible for legitimate lemon law claim very soon.

Wait, so you had to break the window? Didn't you know about the emergency jump leads behind the access cover in the front bumper? That will open the hood so you can connect jumper cables to the 12V battery, which will allow doors to open.

Don't accept a new vehicle unless it's available to buy right away.

 

[Progress]

This is a very depressing story. If you like your MME GT, which I assume you do, then definitely apply for the Lemon Law. A quick Google search of "Lemon Law NY" turns up lots of lawyers who specialize in that. Perhaps dealers and manufacturers do not voluntarily comply with the law as much as one might want.
Do you think that you have the high voltage contactor failure that is the source of the recall requiring a software update? If so, your car failed in the way that the updated software is supposed to prevent.
On a lighter note, on your recommendation I ordered a Torklift Ecohitch that will be installed in 2 weeks.

 

[AlbanyIan]

@Ford Motor Company Please help this man. It's been almost a month and they haven't even diagnosed his car properly yet. He'll be eligible for legitimate lemon law claim very soon.

Wait, so you had to break the window? Didn't you know about the emergency jump leads behind the access cover in the front bumper? That will open the hood so you can connect jumper cables to the 12V battery, which will allow doors to open.

Don't accept a new vehicle unless it's available to buy right away.

I was locked out while waiting for roadside assistance and my phone was in the car. After waiting several hours outside of Newark and getting late, I could no longer take the chance that the tow company was unable to find the car and might be trying to contact me. So at that point I broke the window to et my phone and indeed, that is what had happened. Several messages from the tow company looking for the car... Pretty sure I had no choice at that point.

 

[AlbanyIan]

This is a very depressing story. If you like your MME GT, which I assume you do, then definitely apply for the Lemon Law. A quick Google search of "Lemon Law NY" turns up lots of lawyers who specialize in that. Perhaps dealers and manufacturers do not voluntarily comply with the law as much as one might want.
Do you think that you have the high voltage contactor failure that is the source of the recall requiring a software update? If so, your car failed in the way that the updated software is supposed to prevent.
On a lighter note, on your recommendation I ordered a Torklift Ecohitch that will be installed in 2 weeks.

99% Sure that is what happened and what the problem is. If I was the dealer, I'd be working with Dearborn on that assumption and doing what needed to be done.

I think you'll like your Torklift!

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