Ford EVs recalled for potentially trapping people inside
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Imagine you park your new Ford Mustang EV. Then you get out of the car and slam the front door. You turn around to open the back door and let your passengers out, but you can’t. Every door is locked. And it isn’t responding to your key fob. This is an actual situation Ford has warned Mach-E owners about.
The cause of the Ford Mustang Mach-E’s potential “lock-out situation”
Modern electric vehicles have two separate batteries. The huge lithium-ion battery pack built into the vehicle’s chassis gets all of the attention. This “traction” battery powers the electric drive units and propels the vehicle. But EVs also have a 12-volt battery, like you’d find in a regular ICE vehicle. It operates systems such as the door locks and lights, even when the ignition is off and the traction battery is disconnected.
Automakers must strike a delicate balance: the vehicle must recharge the 12-volt battery while the ignition is on. If the 12-volt battery dies, the vehicle can even switch on enough to recharge it from the traction battery. But if the traction battery is low, this may deplete it even more. And if the system is set to top off the 12-volt battery continually, the overcharging will wear it out rapidly. So how low should it let the 12-volt get?
Some automakers—such as Hyundai—have realized stock settings are causing dead 12-volt batteries. Multiple automakers are scrambling to reprogram EVs. Now, Ford is joining that list.
Ford has announced a slight glitch in which a Mustang Mach-E’s doors will remain locked if they were locked when the EV battery died. You can open them and close them, and they will not automatically unlock as designed, but instead they will lock you out of the car.
Which Ford EVs are being recalled?
Ford has not announced any specifics about its Mustang Mach-E recall. It is planning a recall and warning drivers of any 2021–2025 Mustang Mach-E about the danger of a dead 12-volt battery locking them out of the car. Will all trims of the Mach-E be part of the recall? We’re not sure yet. Will it expand to other Ford EVs, such as the F-150 Lightning? Possibly, but we’ll have to wait to find out.
Ford has said it is hoping a software update can fix the problem. Obviously, a Mustang Mach-E locking itself could be deadly to pets—or even infants—still inside. So we’re lucky that Ford is not aware of any injuries or accidents caused by the problem yet.
