Ford issued a recall notice for over 48,000 Mustang Mach-E electric crossovers due to worries that a safety flaw could render the car immobile.
The fault, according to the recall, includes the possible overheating of the car’s battery’s high-voltage contactors, which can cause the vehicle to fail to start or lose power while in motion. “An overheated contactor that opens while driving can result in a loss of motive power, increasing the danger of an accident,” according to the notification.
Ford claims that the problem affects 48,924 Mustang Mach-E vehicles sold in the United States – roughly half of the total 100,000 Mustangs produced during that time period. It’s the latest hitch in Ford’s mass-market electric vehicle launch, which has helped catapult the automaker to the second position in EV sales after Tesla.
The model year 2021 and 2022 vehicles made between May 27th, 2020, and May 24th, 2022 at the automaker’s Cuautitlan facility in Mexico are affected. Ford also sent a notification to its dealers, advising them not to deliver any Mustang Mach-Es to consumers until a software fix is available.
A recall has also been filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, according to Said Deep, though it has yet to be placed on the agency’s website. There are no current safety investigations underway with NHTSA, Deep said.
According to Ford, the issue can be resolved with an over-the-air software update, which will be released “next month.” Owners of the Mustang Mach-E can also take their vehicles to a Ford or Lincoln store for a more immediate software patch.
The recall comes at a critical juncture in Ford’s electrification ambitions, with the first F-150 Lightning trucks hitting the road in recent weeks. The company anticipates selling 6,254 electric vehicles in May 2022, marking a 222 percent year-over-year growth and accounting for approximately 4.2 percent of overall Ford sales volume. The Mustang Mach-E accounts for the majority of the May sales (5,179 units).
This isn’t the first hiccup in the Mustang’s brief career. Ford postponed the EV’s release until spring 2021 in order to do additional quality tests. Among other issues, the automaker has issued a number of recalls for unintended acceleration, poorly fastened seatbelts, and loose subframe bolts.
