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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Transport Canada's U.S. counterpart, has opened an investigation into Ford's handling of a Ford Mustang Mach-E recall that took place in June 2022.
The campaign concerned 48,924 vehicles. It had been necessitated because the high-voltage battery's main contactors could overheat after DC fast charging and after “repeated wide open pedal events”, which could lead to a loss of power and ultimately increase the risk of an accident.
Following the recall, which included software updates to monitor contactor temperature and resistance and to reduce battery power when needed, Ford issued a technical service bulletin to replace the high-voltage battery junction box on affected vehicles.
The problem is that more than a year after the recall, NHTSA has received 12 complaints from owners of vehicles that were recalled and apparently repaired, but still have the problem. It has now opened an investigation that could impact 64,727 vehicles.
Reuters reported that one owner told the NHTSA that two days after receiving the software update, the vehicle suffered a second catastrophic failure of the high-voltage battery junction box. The affected Mach-E saw its power limited to 30 percent, which did allow the driver to get to a dealership service centre.
Another Mach-E owner reported that shortly after a quick charge, the vehicle's interior screen displayed a message directing them stop immediately. The vehicle came to a complete stop within seconds in the middle of a freeway on-ramp. The vehicle restarted after around three hours, and the driver was able to drive it for around five km before it stopped again.
Ford spokeswoman Maria Buczkowski told Automotive News magazine that the automaker is “working with NHTSA to support their investigation.”