Add a software bug to the list of issues with Ford’s recently released electric crossover Mustang Mach-E. Per The edge, a problem with the car’s 12 Volt secondary battery prevents some vehicles from starting even when their primary lithium ion battery is fully charged. Under normal conditions, the battery pack draws energy from the car’s primary power cell. For Mach-E vehicles where this is a problem, this will not happen when the car is plugged in and charging. When the 12-volt battery eventually runs out, the FordPass app reports that the Mach-E is in a “deep sleep” mode.
Ford acknowledged the problem in a technical service bulletin filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, where it notes that the problem is a software-related problem with the car’s powertrain control module. The company claims the bug affects only a “small number” of Mach-E vehicles. Especially those Ford that were produced on or before February 3. And while the automaker is developing an OTA to address the problem, the main way to fix it is to take an affected Mach-E to a Ford dealer. It is possible to boot the battery yourself, but the process for this is not easy at all.
“We are aware that a small number of Mustang Mach-E owners have had their 12-volt battery reach a low-voltage state. a Ford spokesman. Engadget. “In the rare cases where this continues to happen, customers can now contact their local EV-certified Ford dealer to resolve the issue.”
When it comes to recently released EVs, software glitches are not uncommon, especially among automakers who are relatively new to making them. At the end of last year, Polestar had to recall the Polestar 2 to fix a software glitch that caused some vehicles to suddenly lose power while driving. Still, minor as this latest bug is, it’s a blip to one of a US automaker’s high-profile EV launches.