NHTSA Opens Investigation Into Ford Recall Remedy

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation into if a prior recall remedy issued by Ford was adequate.
Aug. 22, 2023
2 min read

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an investigation into if a prior recall remedy issued by Ford was adequate, Autoblog reports.

The recall being investigated was first issued in 2022 on nearly 49,000 Ford Mustang Mach-E electric vehicles manufactured between May 27, 2020, and May 24, 2022.

The vehicles were recalled due to an issue with high voltage battery main contactors overheating from DC fast-charging and repeated wide-open pedal events and resulting in an immediate loss of power.

As a remedy, Ford had a Secondary On-Board Diagnostic Control Module (SOBDMC) software update implemented to monitor contactor temperature and reduce battery power, as well as a Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) software update to monitor contactor resistance and reduce vehicle power if needed, according to NHTSA documents.

Following this, a technical service bulletin was sent out by Ford stating to replace High Voltage Battery Junction Boxes in recalled vehicles.

Since then, the NHTSA has received 12 consumer complaints detailing a high voltage battery main contactor failure in vehicles covered by the 2022 recall, resulting in a loss of motive power. 

The vehicles in the complaints received the initial recall remedy as well as the technical service bulletin’s recommended replacement, prompting a recall query from NHTSA.

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