2023 Ford Mustang Mach E

On April 25, 2024, NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE24012) to assess BlueCruise, a partial driving automation system available on certain vehicles manufactured by Ford Motor Company (Ford). NHTSA opened the investigation after the agency received notice of two fatal collisions involving BlueCruise-equipped Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles. Based on the incidents, NHTSA scoped the investigation to 2021-2024 Mustang Mach-E vehicles equipped with BlueCruise. In June 2024, ODI sent an Information Request (IR) letter to Ford requiring that it provide certain information pertaining to crashes, non-crash reports, and technical specifications that relate to BlueCruise, as well as other Ford partial driving automation systems that offer lane and speed maintenance. In its response to ODI’s IR, Ford stated that there are 2,539,962 Ford and Lincoln vehicles (including subject and peer vehicles) equipped with a partial driving automation system within the scope of the request. The majority of these vehicles are equipped with a system that Ford calls Lane Centering Assist (LCA), which is a hands-on partial driving automation system that combines longitudinal control authority governed by Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and lateral control authority governed by a steerable path. LCA is offered on a wide range of Ford and Lincoln models beginning in model year 2019. Vehicles that are equipped with BlueCruise, the focus of this investigation, have LCA capability and additionally offer hands-free partial driving automation when certain conditions are met. Hands-free BlueCruise operation is only offered on certain roadways and system availability is geofenced using vehicle GPS. BlueCruise-equipped vehicles employ a camera-based driver monitoring system to determine driver attentiveness to the roadway. BlueCruise was introduced in model year 2021 and is currently available in a select range of Ford and Lincoln vehicles. For BlueCruise- and LCA-equipped vehicles, both ACC and Pre-Collision Assist (PCA) features use a combination of camera and radar sensing technologies to detect and classify objects. ACC is specifically designed to detect vehicles (including cars, trucks, and motorcycles) and bicycles in front of the subject vehicle which are either stationary or moving in the same direction as the subject vehicle. Through this investigation, limitations in the detection of stationary vehicles in certain conditions have been identified. Specifically, due to the potential for false detection of stationary objects at long distances, Ford designed ACC to inhibit any response to reported stationary objects when the subject vehicle’s approach speed is at or above 62 mph. Additionally, system performance may be limited when there is poor visibility due to insufficient illumination. In addition to reviewing Ford’s response to ODI’s IR, the agency conducted a review of crash and non-crash reports identified collectively through Ford’s IR response, incident reporting through Standing General Order 2021-01 (SGO), and NHTSA vehicle owner questionnaires. In total, 32 crashes and 2,004 non-crash reports on subject and peer Ford vehicles were identified across manufacturer and ODI data sources. A detailed analysis of each crash was conducted including the review of any available police reports, photographs, data recovered from in-vehicle event data recorders, connected vehicle data, and/or other information. In both fatal collisions referenced in the PE24012 opening resume, the subject Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicle was traveling over 70 mph on a controlled-access highway during nighttime lighting conditions with hands-free BlueCruise engaged when it collided with a stationary vehicle. Analysis of data imaged from the vehicles’ event data recorders demonstrates that in each incident, the driver did not apply the brakes or take evasive steering action, and no deceleration was initiated by either the BlueCruise system or PCA prior to impact. Through the agency’s crash analysis, four additional frontal collisions were identified where the subject Ford impacted a stopped or slow-moving lead vehicle or another stationary object located in the travel lane. Two of these four incidents involved BlueCruise-equipped Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles (included in the failure report summary along with the fatal collisions discussed above), while the other two involved other Ford models equipped with the LCA system. Additionally, a trend was identified through analysis of the non-crash reports relating to allegations that ACC (the longitudinal component of both BlueCruise and LCA) failed to detect and/or respond to a stopped or slow-moving lead vehicle. In these reports, consumers often describe that the absence of deceleration initiated by ACC was unexpected and required harsh manual braking or intervention from the PCA to avoid a frontal collision with the lead vehicle. Based on NHTSA’s analysis, system limitations relating to the detection of stationary vehicles while traveling at highway speeds and in nighttime lighting conditions appear to be factors in collisions under investigation and several apparently similar near-miss, non-crash reports. This Engineering Analysis (EA) is being opened to further investigate these system limitations and to evaluate drivers’ ability to respond to scenarios that exceed system limitations. During the EA, the agency expects to, among other things, perform vehicle evaluations, review additional technical information, and perform additional analysis of related crashes and non-crash reports. The crashes included in the failure report summary can be found at NHTSA.gov under the following SGO report identification numbers: 502-7268, 502-7426, 502-6852, 502-8738.

On April 25, 2024, NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE24012) to assess BlueCruise, a partial driving automation system available on certain vehicles manufactured by Ford Motor Company (Ford). NHTSA opened the investigation after the agency received notice of two fatal collisions involving BlueCruise-equipped Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles. Based on the incidents, NHTSA scoped the investigation to 2021-2024 Mustang Mach-E vehicles equipped with BlueCruise. In June 2024, ODI sent an Information Request (IR) letter to Ford requiring that it provide certain information pertaining to crashes, non-crash reports, and technical specifications that relate to BlueCruise, as well as other Ford partial driving automation systems that offer lane and speed maintenance. In its response to ODI’s IR, Ford stated that there are 2,539,962 Ford and Lincoln vehicles (including subject and peer vehicles) equipped with a partial driving automation system within the scope of the request. The majority of these vehicles are equipped with a system that Ford calls Lane Centering Assist (LCA), which is a hands-on partial driving automation system that combines longitudinal control authority governed by Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and lateral control authority governed by a steerable path. LCA is offered on a wide range of Ford and Lincoln models beginning in model year 2019. Vehicles that are equipped with BlueCruise, the focus of this investigation, have LCA capability and additionally offer hands-free partial driving automation when certain conditions are met. Hands-free BlueCruise operation is only offered on certain roadways and system availability is geofenced using vehicle GPS. BlueCruise-equipped vehicles employ a camera-based driver monitoring system to determine driver attentiveness to the roadway. BlueCruise was introduced in model year 2021 and is currently available in a select range of Ford and Lincoln vehicles. For BlueCruise- and LCA-equipped vehicles, both ACC and Pre-Collision Assist (PCA) features use a combination of camera and radar sensing technologies to detect and classify objects. ACC is specifically designed to detect vehicles (including cars, trucks, and motorcycles) and bicycles in front of the subject vehicle which are either stationary or moving in the same direction as the subject vehicle. Through this investigation, limitations in the detection of stationary vehicles in certain conditions have been identified. Specifically, due to the potential for false detection of stationary objects at long distances, Ford designed ACC to inhibit any response to reported stationary objects when the subject vehicle’s approach speed is at or above 62 mph. Additionally, system performance may be limited when there is poor visibility due to insufficient illumination. In addition to reviewing Ford’s response to ODI’s IR, the agency conducted a review of crash and non-crash reports identified collectively through Ford’s IR response, incident reporting through Standing General Order 2021-01 (SGO), and NHTSA vehicle owner questionnaires. In total, 32 crashes and 2,004 non-crash reports on subject and peer Ford vehicles were identified across manufacturer and ODI data sources. A detailed analysis of each crash was conducted including the review of any available police reports, photographs, data recovered from in-vehicle event data recorders, connected vehicle data, and/or other information. In both fatal collisions referenced in the PE24012 opening resume, the subject Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicle was traveling over 70 mph on a controlled-access highway during nighttime lighting conditions with hands-free BlueCruise engaged when it collided with a stationary vehicle. Analysis of data imaged from the vehicles’ event data recorders demonstrates that in each incident, the driver did not apply the brakes or take evasive steering action, and no deceleration was initiated by either the BlueCruise system or PCA prior to impact. Through the agency’s crash analysis, four additional frontal collisions were identified where the subject Ford impacted a stopped or slow-moving lead vehicle or another stationary object located in the travel lane. Two of these four incidents involved BlueCruise-equipped Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles (included in the failure report summary along with the fatal collisions discussed above), while the other two involved other Ford models equipped with the LCA system. Additionally, a trend was identified through analysis of the non-crash reports relating to allegations that ACC (the longitudinal component of both BlueCruise and LCA) failed to detect and/or respond to a stopped or slow-moving lead vehicle. In these reports, consumers often describe that the absence of deceleration initiated by ACC was unexpected and required harsh manual braking or intervention from the PCA to avoid a frontal collision with the lead vehicle. Based on NHTSA’s analysis, system limitations relating to the detection of stationary vehicles while traveling at highway speeds and in nighttime lighting conditions appear to be factors in collisions under investigation and several apparently similar near-miss, non-crash reports. This Preliminary Evaluation is being upgraded to an Engineering Analysis (EA25001) to further investigate these system limitations and to evaluate drivers’ ability to respond to scenarios that exceed system limitations. During the EA, the agency expects to, among other things, perform vehicle evaluations, review additional technical information, and perform additional analysis of related crashes and non-crash reports. The crashes included in the failure report summary can be found at NHTSA.gov under the following SGO report identification numbers: 502-7268, 502-7426, 502-6852, 502-8738.

On almost all Mustang Mach-E vehicles, a loose or faulty cable connection which runs to the forward facing camera in the rear-view mirror housing causes error messages to suddenly display on the dashboard screen. Generally, the driver will receive a "Front Camera Fault – Service Required" error message, in addition to a "Pre-Collision Assist Not Available" error message, also followed by an error message indicating that lane centering is also no longer functioning. All of this occurs after the vehicle travels over a harsh imperfection/bump in the road pavement, or in my case, every time I drive over railroad track crossings. I have seen so many reports of owners receiving this exact same issue, and everyone says the same thing: when this issue begins to occur, the vehicle will disable all of these safety features for about 30 seconds or less, and then all of the systems will reactivate like normal. Many owners state that eventually these errors become permanent, which causes all of these safety systems in the vehicle to become PERMANENTLY disabled, until the vehicle is brought into a dealership service center. If the vehicle is still within the 3-year/36,000 mi factory warranty, Ford will replace the coaxial cable running to the camera at no charge to the vehicle owner. However, as many owners have stated, if their vehicle is beyond the factory warranty, the vehicle owner usually is forced to pay for the repair out of pocket, which seems to range anywhere between $1,000 and $4,000. The reason I am reporting this matter is because I believe this is a major safety concern. When the front camera fault appears on the driver's display, the vehicle automatically disables many of the safety systems, including the ability for the vehicle to avoid a collision by bringing the vehicle to a stop. Because this is a major safety concern, I believe that NO Mustang Mach-E owner should be forced to pay for this repair out of pocket, and I believe that this should be a recall.

NHTSA ID

11766238

Incident

Sep 22, 2026

See attached document for complaint.

NHTSA ID

11764752

Incident

Jul 23, 2026

Multiple intermittent electrical/software malfunctions in my Ford Mustang Mach-E, one of which poses an acute safety risk. STEERING WHEEL BUTTON / UNCOMMANDED ACCELERATION: A button on the steering wheel, when pressed, causes the vehicle to suddenly accelerate to a high speed with no corresponding throttle input from me, and speed cannot be immediately brought back under control. This creates a serious risk of collision to myself, passengers, and other road users. DOOR LATCH: A door does not open fully ("bounce open") as designed. This matches Ford recall 25V404, covering doors that may fail to open, potentially trapping an occupant during an emergency exit. ALARM SYSTEM: Alarm is either overly sensitive (false triggers) or fails to trigger when it should — an inconsistent fault suggesting an underlying electrical issue. DISPLAY SCREEN: Center/instrument screen intermittently goes black while driving, temporarily removing visibility of speed, warnings, and camera views. REAR SOUND BAR: Rear-seat speaker intermittently stops working. Not itself a safety risk, but suggests a broader wiring/electrical fault affecting several systems at once. Component available for inspection: Yes, upon request. Reproduced/confirmed by dealer or independent shop: UNKNOWN. I have called the dealer twice and been unable to reach anyone to schedule diagnostic service. Inspected by manufacturer, police, or insurance: UNKNOWN. No inspection has occurred yet. Warning lamps/messages before failures: UNKNOWN. No consistent warning appeared beforehand; symptoms occur intermittently without advance alert.

NHTSA ID

11763821

Incident

Aug 10, 2026

Impacts: Electric system software & fools/locks/linegae. The EV vehicle has suffered a catastrophic, complete failure of its central software architecture, specifically impacting the APIM module and RDS system. Ford's internal In-Vehicle Technology (IVT) records confirm this failure originated in December 2025 while vehicle was fully under its 3-year bumper-to-bumper warranty. Because vehicle's underlying diagnostic and software infrastructure is completely frozen in an unresolved "updating" loop, the vehicle's onboard diagnostic tools are entirely incapable of reading or reporting critical hardware and structural component failures. Initial service was May 26. This software failure has caused severe, active safety hazards. In July 2026, the driver-side door latch completely failed to secure. Because software is bricked, no diagnostic code or dashboard warning was generated. As a 100% disabled driver, I was forced to drive 35 minutes home from an oncology medical appointment physically holding the driver’s door shut at speed on public roads to prevent it from swinging open. Furthermore, vehicle's network connectivity has completely shut down while driving on 3 separate occasions. During door latch failure, I was trapped in a rural area with zero cellular service. Because onboard telematics and modem systems are frozen and failing to receive critical safety patches, vehicle's SOS Post-Crash Alert System and tracking telemetry are severely compromised. If an accident or ejection had occurred due to the door latch failure, emergency services would have had no automated tracking link. Ford has failed to repair this after multiple extended dealer stays and has admitted through their IVT department that vehicle is unfixable due to massive never before seen software failure via standard service and requires manufacturer buyback. Dealer files att show no vehicle updates since Feb 2026 tho IVT confirmed May 28 not updates since Dec 2025 from Ford known software glitch.

NHTSA ID

11762679

Incident

May 26, 2026

My 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT experienced a sudden electronic parking brake failure. The vehicle displayed a parking brake fault warning, and the electronic parking brake became stuck in the engaged position and would not release despite repeated attempts and restarting the vehicle. The failure completely immobilized the vehicle and required Ford Roadside Assistance to tow it to an authorized Ford dealership. The Ford dealer diagnosed the issue in writing as: “REAR EPB HARNESS CORRODED; STARTING TO CORRODE ON RR AS WELL; RECOMMEND REPLACING BOTH REAR PIGTAILS WITH UPDATED STYLE.” The dealer therefore found corrosion affecting the electronic parking brake wiring on one rear side and corrosion beginning on the other side. Both rear EPB pigtails are being replaced with an updated-style component. This failure appears substantially similar to the electronic parking brake wiring/connector issue Ford previously identified in Customer Satisfaction Program 22P31 for certain earlier Mustang Mach-E vehicles. Ford's documentation for 22P31 states that damage to the EPB wiring can result in a parking brake malfunction and, in some cases, an inability to disengage the parking brake. My 2023 vehicle is apparently not included in that program despite experiencing a very similar failure mode. I am submitting this complaint because corrosion of the electronic parking brake wiring on a relatively new vehicle resulted in the parking brake becoming permanently engaged and the vehicle being completely immobilized. The dealer also found corrosion developing on the opposite-side EPB wiring and recommended replacement of both sides with updated-style pigtails. I believe NHTSA should evaluate whether this EPB wiring/connector corrosion condition extends to 2023 Mustang Mach-E vehicles beyond the population originally identified by Ford.

NHTSA ID

11761038

Incident

Aug 26, 2026

Vehicle unexpectedly and without driver command steered/pulled to the right, departed the roadway and struck a guardrail. Dashcam footage documents the vehicle’s movement immediately before impact. BlueCruise was not equipped/being used. Driver did not intentionally steer the vehicle from the roadway.

NHTSA ID

11759415

Incident

Aug 21, 2026

Vehicle unexpectedly and without driver command steered/pulled to the right, departed the roadway and struck a guardrail. Dashcam footage documents the vehicle’s movement immediately before impact. BlueCruise was not equipped/being used. Driver did not intentionally steer the vehicle from the roadway.

NHTSA ID

11759414

Incident

Aug 21, 2026

We recently brough the Mach E in for a recall of the rear camera. We mention the front camera alerts. They said due to safety concerns, sometime when the back camera goes out it affects all cameras. When we picked up the car, they told use that the front camera, which controls active cruise control, self-driving and emergency stopping is not covered under the recall. How can this not be a safety issue. The cost to fix it is over $4000. Please let me know if there are any upcoming recalls. Thanks!

NHTSA ID

11758524

Incident

Jun 10, 2026

Some 2021-2023 Mustang Mach-E vehicles built on or before 25-Jun-2023, 2022-2025 E-Transit and 2022-2023 F-150 Lightning vehicles may experience a high voltage battery stop charging condition when using a direct current (DC) fast charger level 3 with diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) P0EEE:27 and P2E53:27 stored in the on-board diagnostic control module A (SOBDM). This may be due to the SOBDM software. Replacement of the charge port will not resolve this concern. Inform customers that their vehicles can still be charged using a level 1 or level 2 alternating current (AC) charger. Engineering is currently working on a software solution expected in Q3 2026. Schedule an appointment with the customer when the repair becomes available. Monitor Professional Technician System (PTS) for additional information.

Some 2021-2026 Ford/Lincoln vehicles may exhibit various symptoms including but not limited to the auto start/stop system not operating as intended with a "Check Charging System" message in the instrument panel cluster (IPC) while the charging system is operating properly with no charging related diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) stored. This may be due to someone using an aftermarket programmer to change the body control module (BCM) configuration to disable the auto start/stop system or perform other unsupported programming modifications. To correct this condition on F-150 and Bronco vehicles, download and run the Ford Diagnosis and Repair System (FDRS) application titled "BCM-Charging System Configuration Correction". Running this application will determine if the BCM configuration was modified by the customer and if so, provide the option to return the configuration back to factory settings. For other vehicle models exhibiting concerns related to unsupported aftermarket BCM programming, submit a Technical Support Request (TSR) requesting support to revert the BCM configuration

Some 2021-2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles may exhibit an "Updating SYNC" message on the vehicle center display screen after an over the air (OTA) update. The message can be cleared from the center display screen and SYNC can be used normally, but it will re-appear at every subsequent ignition cycle. Inform customers that engineering is currently working on a software update solution for this condition to be delivered OTA expected in late Q3 2026. Software will update automatically if vehicle connectivity is enabled in the vehicles settings. Monitor Professional Technician System (PTS) for additional information.

Some 2021-2026 Ford vehicles may exhibit inoperative heated/cooled seats, heated steering wheel and/or front/rear defrost features after a remote start is performed through the Ford mobile application or with the key fob. Customers may also experience heated/cooled seats, heated steering wheel and/or front/rear defrost features turning on in unexpected conditions such as during warmer weather. These features will operate normally when commanded in the center display screen. This may be due to the customer not setting up their "Climate Settings" through the Ford mobile application. To correct this condition, inform the customer they should perform a remote start from the Ford mobile application and then adjust the "Climate Settings" in the Ford mobile application as desired. These settings only need to be set once and will persist through subsequent remote starts. Heated and cooled seats will be set to Level 2 when turned ON via "Climate Settings" in the Ford mobile application during a remote start event. This is normal operating characteristic. This condition does not affect vehicle durability and no a

Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit a distorted or muffled sound originating from the center speaker. This may be due to a deformed speaker cone.

Quality improvements include: - Updates the motor short failure detection logic to prevent Diagnostic Trouble Codes