The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has formally launched an inquiry into Ford’s handling of a recall concerning the Mustang Mach-E from June 2022.
This review, termed a recall assessment, arises from a safety recall issued by Ford on June 10, 2022, impacting nearly 49,000 units of the 2021-2022 Mustang Mach-E. Ford specifically stated that this recall pertained to specific models manufactured between May 27, 2020, and May 24, 2022.
The central issue under examination is the overheating of the high-voltage battery main contactors, resulting from DC fast charging and frequent aggressive pedal usage. This overheating could lead to the deformation or bending of the contactors, causing them to become either stuck open or closed. These contactor problems have the potential to result in power loss or difficulties when attempting to start the vehicle.
To address this concern, Ford took various actions last year. These included suspending deliveries to dealerships, implementing two software updates to monitor contactor temperature and restrict battery power to minimize damage, and releasing a technical service bulletin to replace the problematic units on affected Mach-E models.
The NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has initiated this recall assessment after receiving 12 customer complaints, all indicating that the issue persisted even after the supposed remedy. One vehicle owner reported a failure of their high-voltage battery junction box just two days after receiving the software update.
The scope of this investigation now encompasses around 64,727 Mustang Mach-E models. Ford’s spokesperson, Maria Buczkowski, has mentioned that the company is working closely with the NHTSA to support their investigation.
