This forum is giving me cold feet…

[rgreene]

I’ve been looking forward to getting my GTPE for a long time now (I placed my reservation back in November 2019 during the announcement press event), and I have a build week of 7/11. This will be my first non-ICE car, and to be honest the posts which are floating to the top of this forum cause a bit of concern in my mind. Im not really worried about range anxiety or other things like that, but really about the software that is so core to the workings of this, or any other BEV.

I’ve been a professional software engineer in both an individual contributor and leadership role for over 20 years, so I understand how hard large, integrated software development challenges can be. I get it. That said, I’m highly concerned about seeing how recent software updates are leaving people with cars which are worse off than before the update, or the update outright bricks their car. These sorts of issues just shouldn’t be happening. When perusing other forums for recent EVs (eg. taycan forums), I see complaints which are more one-offs as opposed to singular issues which hit a wide swath of owners, like we see on the MME. Again, the fact that we are seeing such a few number of issues causing so much disruption is a concern about how software is developed/deployed with this vehicle.

I had hoped that the delay to get a GT would also get some of these teething issues out of the way, but it seems like we’re in the thick of that right now. I am still really excited to get this car and want it to be great, but man… Ford needs to improve their testing and deployment.

Anybody have any words of encouragement?

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[ZuleMME]

Right there with you. Software dev, embedded development and implementation engineering backgrounds and some of these issues are quite disturbing. The biggest pro I see is the MME was a highly online sales model which promotes the possibility these issues seem more blown out of proportion by the fact we are all online to discuss them. I’m hoping for the best as my car nears production here.

I’d agree I was hoping getting from the end of the 2021 model year rather than the start would allow us to have less trouble prone models.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

Forums for cars in production are by their very nature filled with the problems and annoyances with the car. This forum is no exception. There are people who have problems with the Mach-e. They're here and rightfully complaining about the issues and seeking some form of guidance on how to deal with them.

On the other hand, those with few or no issues, aren't going to be here talking about how their car works as expected. My car has been great, with almost no issues, and those that I've had are very minor and transitory. That's probably where most mach-e's are. This is the nicest car I've ever owned. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. But this is the first year of a new model and design. There will be more issues than designs that have been hammered out over many years.

 

[ARK]

I do think this is an extremely active forum compared to a lot of other forums, so there is a bit amplification of issues. At least compared to the Taycan, that is a pretty low volume vehicle.

I think it’s also likely that Ford has already worked out the most pressing kinks for the GTs, we know from forum posts that Ford engineers were all over the big early issues that came up and they already rolled out software fixes - I would think the builds will be even more solid by the time the GTs start arriving on dealer lots.

Finally I think your own driving habits could also factor into this decision - if you drive locally most of the time with no passengers versus intending to go on a cross-country road trip with kids in tow as soon as you get the car.

 

[fayt349]

Good. It's good when you say this stuff because Ford monitors this forums and if they see posts like this they will be more motivated to fix their stuff.

 

[RedStallion]

I’ve been looking forward to getting my GTPE for a long time now (I placed my reservation back in November 2019 during the announcement press event), and I have a build week of 7/11. This will be my first non-ICE car, and to be honest the posts which are floating to the top of this forum cause a bit of concern in my mind. Im not really worried about range anxiety or other things like that, but really about the software that is so core to the workings of this, or any other BEV.

I’ve been a professional software engineer in both an individual contributor and leadership role for over 20 years, so I understand how hard large, integrated software development challenges can be. I get it. That said, I’m highly concerned about seeing how recent software updates are leaving people with cars which are worse off than before the update, or the update outright bricks their car. These sorts of issues just shouldn’t be happening. When perusing other forums for recent EVs (eg. taycan forums), I see complaints which are more one-offs as opposed to singular issues which hit a wide swath of owners, like we see on the MME. Again, the fact that we are seeing such a few number of issues causing so much disruption is a concern about how software is developed/deployed with this vehicle.

I had hoped that the delay to get a GT would also get some of these teething issues out of the way, but it seems like we’re in the thick of that right now. I am still really excited to get this car and want it to be great, but man… Ford needs to improve their testing and deployment.

Anybody have any words of encouragement?

Software bugs? -- Sure. Any EV is going to rely heavily on software, and there isn't any software product void of bugs. Deal breakers? -- not really. In fact, if you read about Tesla problems, MME sounds like an almost perfect car.
The forums naturally talk more about encountered problems than anything else, and those problems are often blown out of proportions just to make the topic sound more significant than it is.

 

[DocOfClocks]

Got my car on April 4th, and can say that I haven't had any problems that have altered my enjoyment of driving and owning it.

 

[Carsinmyblood]

Stop in at any car forum, ANY car forum and you'll catch up on all the problems with emissions issues, control systems, wiper motors, glass replacement costs, problems with certain octane gasoline, ABS systems, bluetooth, key fobs, lousy MPG........

Even horses were taken out back and shot when the vet bills got too high, and has anyone gotten more than 700 miles on a wagon wheel? I mean, c'mon. Doc Brown got over 1,000 miles on a set on his buggy. Maybe he drives slower than 6 miles per hour. Dunno.....

If you drive the average mileage, the savings on gasoline and oil changes will make a thicker wallet after just a few months. Remember that when at 5 months the check oil light didn't come on.

 

[Texas-E]

Anybody have any words of encouragement?

I think you should probably hold off and wait on your purchase. It takes a confident person to jump in on the first iteration of an entirely new model. There is no shame in waiting if that reduces your anxiety.

 

[barryvo]

I understand the prospective of the original poster but have to say this forum drove me to order a MME Premium RWD. I know this thread pertains to the GT, but I'm pretty impressed on just how few major issues there are with the car. There is room for improvement software wise but it seems pretty good for the post part. My MME won't be delivered until Christmas based on the current estimate.

I'm a little concerned with some things but am happy to know most of the issues in advance. I appreciate this forum and like to hear the good and bad about MME.

 

[Illinibird]

Got mine in mid April and only problem(s) are with Bluetooth connections and PAAK issues. Phone stays connected now using Car Play (Wi-Fi connection instead of Bluetooth) and PAAK issues will be addressed later with OTA fixes (had SSM 49730 and issues have decreased in number).

 

[theo1000]

Well as one who got his car bricked recently at the dealership during an update, I would say it is a great car. The issues are not hugely different from other models IME. It has never left me stranded somewhere. There are occasional random error messages but they always clear.

Recently my PaaK is broken so down to one key but the car itself works and doesn't seem to have mechanical issues. Things will be a lot better in 6 months, half the reason I get these updates is to make sure it all works long term during the warranty period. Usually anything wrong with an EV will show itself during the warranty period. Largely smooth sailing after that.

If I had not got the update my PaaK would largely work and I would be very happy.

 

[rgreene]

I think you should probably hold off and wait on your purchase. It takes a confident person to jump in on the first iteration of an entirely new model. There is no shame in waiting if that reduces your anxiety.

This is certainly a fair statement, and been on my mind. I’ve bought a few model year cars in the past without hesitation and taken up new technology without concern in the past.

I think my concern really is the ICE->BEV transition where cars are dominated even more by software than they were in the past, where there was something more mechanical in place.

Arguably my problem is that I’m reading forums

 

[ZuleMME]

If you drive the average mileage, the savings on gasoline and oil changes will make a thicker wallet after just a few months. Remember that when at 5 months the check oil light didn't come on.

Surprise twist on some EV models IT DOES! Lol. Yes, making fun of Porsche and Audi here…

 

[JamieGeek]

Arguably my problem is that I’m reading forums

Indeed that can get your head spinning.

Keep in mind the other posts above: A forum greatly amplifies issues to make it look bad but the vast majority of people without issues don't post "my car is fine and I'm very happy" (although some of us do LOL).

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