Ah, to be lucky enough to have bought 2021-2022 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT. Not only can you get a fun paint color (remember this factory oopsy?), not only do you get impressive performance, but now you also get a full hardware fix for your overheating battery connectors.
Ford is working on a recall campaign affecting 34,762 Mustang Mach-Es that were at risk of losing motive power. This issue arises from exposure to elevated temperatures, which can lead to the deformation of the battery connectors, especially following numerous instances of wide-open throttle events and/or multiple DC fast charging cycles.
As a result, the automaker believes that the problem is most severe with Extended Range and GT models — so they’re the ones getting this fix. Ford will completely replace the Bussed Electrical Center (sometimes referred to as the High Voltage Battery Junction Box) in these vehicles to make them more resistant to heat.
Read: Ford Issues Stop-Sale On Mustang Mach-E, Recalls 49,000 EVs Due To Potential Loss Of Power
The original bussed electrical boxes were found to be susceptible to overheating last year. That could lead to arcing and deformations of the battery’s main contactors, which could bend them open and prevent them from closing, or alternatively, could weld them shut.
Either scenario is bad, but if they’re welded together, the Mustang Mach-E will throw up an error code and lose the ability to move forward. Should this occur while the vehicle is on the road, it significantly elevates the risk of a potentially hazardous accident.
Back in 2022, when Ford first learned of this problem, it issued a recall for nearly 50,000 units of the popular EV, and a software update. However, the software was only aimed at warning the driver earlier, and helping the vehicle continue at highway speeds if its contactors were damaged.
In August, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened a recall query, questioning the efficacy of Ford’s original solution. That’s because it had received multiple complaints from drivers that their vehicles lost motive power, despite receiving the recall fix.
107 instances of overhearing
After looking into the data, Ford has decided to replace the bussed electrical center on 34,762 Mustang Mach-E Extended range and GT models. It believes that the lower strain put on Standard Range variants means damage to the contactors is much less likely. Ford says it is aware of 107 instances of this problem occurring, and just seven of those were on Standard Range models.
The Blue Oval plans to start reaching out to owners on October 30, and the fix will be completed at no cost to the driver.
