2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E: What to check before buying

The most common failure is a sudden loss of all power while driving. Cars flash "Stop Safely Now" or a string of warnings, then slow and shut down, leaving drivers stranded in traffic or on bridges. Some lose hazard lights and steering assist. Others need a 12-volt jump before the shifter unlocks. One report describes a fire that started at the front and destroyed the car. Other complaints cover frozen or black screens, a missing speedometer, driver-assist features shutting off, and a liftgate that opens by itself. Several owners are waiting on recall parts for campaign 25V404000.

Drive power drops out. Cars fall into reduced power, will not go above 35 mph, or shut off completely with "Stop Safely Now," "Service Powertrain," and high-voltage battery warnings. These failures happen while driving, while charging, and at startup, some as early as 2,800 miles. In several cases the high-voltage junction box was replaced, and some owners say the new box failed too. Dealers sometimes cannot find a cause. Repeat breakdowns after repair are reported. A recall for a powertrain control module software update also shows up in these complaints.

Two main brake failures show up. First, the electric parking brake locks on with a "Parking Brake Fault" message and the car cannot move. Dealers trace it to a corroded wiring connector at the left rear actuator, and owners past warranty pay for the repair. Second, rear pads and rotors separate or stick after rain, causing clunking and grinding at roughly 11,000 to 18,000 miles. Two reports describe a low brake fluid warning followed by a pedal that sank to the floor. Dealers blamed failed calipers, one at about 237 miles. Owners also say one-pedal regenerative braking can switch off without warning.

The most serious pattern is unintended acceleration. Cars surge after a stop, and one crash is reported. The cruise control button is easy to bump while turning, which keeps the car moving when the driver expects one-pedal driving to slow it. A "Drive Mode Unavailable" message can switch drive modes suddenly and change how hard the car slows. Other reports cover a driver display that lags, skips, or goes blank and shows the wrong speed, plus sudden power loss with a high-voltage battery warning.

Few of these reports describe a fault in the steering itself. The repeated problem is the car dropping out of the selected drive mode at random. That changes pedal feel and steering response, and the car can lurch forward while stopped in traffic. Cruise control also turns on by accident when drivers reach for the turn signal, causing sudden acceleration during slow turns in one-pedal mode. Two filings are general complaints about phantom braking across several brands, and one is about a jump in the odometer reading.

The front undercarriage cover comes loose at highway speed, vibrates hard, and drags on the road. One case happened at about 3,500 miles. In another report, the driver's door plunger jammed in the extended position and the door would not close. Separately, cargo in the frunk slid into the emergency release during hard braking and the hood opened while the car was moving. The dealer said that system was working as intended.

Two crashes with heavy front-end damage report that no air bags deployed. One was a near head-on impact that totaled the car. In the other, automatic emergency braking engaged, then the car stopped slowing and hit the vehicle ahead. A separate complaint says the rear-seat reminder does not detect passengers who get in after the car is started unless they buckle their seatbelts.

Safety features shut off while driving, and the screen shows "Forward Collision Avoidance Brake Assist Unavailable." Dealers diagnose a failed radar and front camera that need replacement, at about 15,000 miles. Those cars had not been repaired when the complaints were filed. A separate report says BlueCruise hands-free driving swerved hard left on a bridge twice, and the owner links it to shadows on the road.