You know how new innovations sometimes seem fine until a flaw exposes that maybe we should have just stuck with the old ways? This is one of those times. Ford has recalled its popular Mustang Mach-E because, if the 12-volt battery in this popular electric crossover dies, occupants might not be able to re-open the front doors after getting out.
The interior door handles on the Mach-E are mechanical; pull them all the way back, and you’ll feel a cable being tugged to release the door latches. The exterior “handles,” though, are electric. In fact, they’re buttons.
The issue, according to Ford, is software-related. As the automaker stated in a communique to owners, the Mach-E’s front door locks may “retain their last lock/unlock status” if the 12-volt battery goes flat, which can make regaining access to a vehicle with a dead battery tricky if you’ve already exited and closed the door.
While NHTSA hasn’t posted the full defect report yet (although it has been assigned recall number 25V404), here’s the full description of the problem from Ford’s recall notice to owners:
On your vehicle, in the event of unexpected 12V battery discharge, the front door electronic latches retain their last lock/unlock status. If the driver or front passenger exit the front doors using the mechanical inside release handles, the doors may remain locked when they are closed. This may result in an unexpected lock-out condition for the driver and front passenger without the ability to immediately re-enter the vehicle.
So basically, if the 12-volt battery dies, the door doesn’t unlock itself automatically once you open it. And so you can easily lock yourself out, which is a problem, especially if there’s a baby in the back (for example).
Due to the failure mode of the Mach-E’s locks, it seems that Ford’s software has created a lockout scenario, at least for the front doors. Since there are no door lock cylinders and the approved method of gaining entry is to hook up 12 volts to a point behind an access panel in the front bumper, some Mach-E owners say they have ended up breaking windows to free people stuck in their cars, such as this Reddit user who wrote that “AAA and Ford roadside assistance both came to try to unlock it, but I ultimately had to break the window to get our son out of the car.”
The user stated that “I had to open the door using the inside latch after breaking the window, but once opened, the door did not close.” This unlatched position should be the default for all doors if a mechanical door release is pulled with no 12-volt power to the car, but as the recall states, a software issue can prevent the front doors from entering that state. Thankfully, no injuries have been reported due to this door lock problem, although it’s astounding that it took five model years to track down.
Yes, this issue affects 196,911 2021-2025 Mach-Es in America and another 120,000 or so beyond the 50 states, so Ford’s issued a recall and pulled the Mach-E from sale until it’s sorted. Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem like a simple over-the-air update, as a technician will need to flash the updated software through the diagnostic port.
It’s worth noting that, to a degree, this door lock issue could’ve been mitigated with something Ford’s Lincoln luxury division has been doing on cars with electronic door latches for years: Including a key hole in the driver’s door. The Continental had it, the Nautilus has it, the list goes on. That way, even if the locks malfunction for whatever reason, owners can still unlock at least one door of their vehicles without having a source of 12-volt electricity on their persons if they need to get a passenger out who can’t open the rear doors on their own, like a child strapped in a car seat.
Mustang Mach-E owners looking for a fix could be waiting a while, too. Ford’s stated that instructions for a fix won’t be rolling out until the third quarter. Until then, if you own a Mach-E, maybe buy one of those cheap portable jump starters and keep it in your bag that you carry around, just in case. If an external source of electricity is the only way to get in if the battery’s dead, a little jump-starter is a whole lot cheaper than smashing out a window.
Top graphic image: Ford
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I have locked myself out of my 2003 Ford Focus on six separate occasions now. Before you say “operator error”, I have only once ever locked myself out of any other car since I got my driver’s license in 1994 (and that was while camping while on mushrooms). Maybe it’s a Ford thing?
This is so stupid in so many ways:
Electric door handles are an answer to a question nobody asked.EVs have massive batteries that could power every 12V accessory, probably for years. It’s already beyond dumb that EVs need to retain a legacy 12V battery, but it’s clusterfucking idiotic that the massive battery can’t act as a backup in case the lead acid one dies. And I know they work with different voltages, that’s a poor excuse when DC-DC converters are the size of a matchbox and just as cheap.Forgetting to add a mechanical backup hidden somewhere is inexcusable.
It’s a safety thing. By default, the high-voltage contactors are open so that only the battery itself is at 400-800V or so and nothing else. Closing the contactor (and making the decision to do it) requires power from somewhere, and that’s where the 12V comes in.