From a Ford memo sent to dealers today, it has issued a stop-sale order for the Mustang Mach-E. Today it also announced a recall of the Mach-E. A safety defect while driving could cause the vehicle to stop abruptly or lose power.

Why is the Mustang Mach-E being recalled again?

The issue is that the main contactors for the high-voltage battery can overheat. These are switches that electrically control various power circuits. This can result in not starting or losing power while running. Those cars affected include both 2021 and 2022 models. Ford spokesperson Said Deep told CNBC that in all, the recall takes in over 49,000 cars. 

Cars built between May 27, 2020, and May 24, 2022, are involved in the recall. It is unknown why there is such a wide span of years. The Cuautitlan, Mexico assembly plant has built around 100,000 Mach-Es in that time.

Right now, it expects to have a fix ready “in the third quarter.” So, we interpret that as saying no Mach-Es will be sold until the correction is applied to any built through last month. Once instructions and replacement parts become available, Ford will begin notifying owners. 

What is the Mustang Mach-E Fix?

Deep said that a software update to the Secondary On-Board Diagnostic Control Module and Battery Energy Control Module will correct the problem. This can be done remotely, or owners can take their cars into a dealership to do the update. 

This recall falls right on the heels of another safety recall issued just two weeks ago for Mach-E. This recall was over unintended acceleration and affected around 500 cars according to the NHTSA. All of them are from the model year 2021. The NHTSA said that the software could potentially ignore unintended acceleration or deceleration, which could lead to a crash.

In December 2021, rear seatbelts not correctly attached to the floor were the reason for another recall. There was a risk of back seat occupant restraints not being adequate in a crash. But there’s more.

Remember when roofs and windshields were not properly secured?

Going back a few months to September 2021, the panoramic roof assembly was the subject of another recall. The adhesive was not effective in retaining it, so the potential for glass roof panels flying off of Mach-E roofs was the consequence. This same recall is also related to a similar windshield assembly recall. Windshields were loosening due to inferior adhesive. 

And in March 2021, the NHTSA issued a recall over loose front subframe bolts. This affected handling, and could potentially lead to a crash. Repairs began on April 2, 2021. 

Ford has problems with new-car launches

It is an unfortunate truth that new vehicle launches by Ford are fraught with problems, either over production snafus or recalls. The 2019 Explorer launch is one such example. Being pre-pandemic, Ford could only blame itself for the problems encountered

Partially as a result of the pandemic and supply issues, the Bronco launch has been a struggle. We hope that Ford has seen the last of its Mach-E recalls and that the launch of the F-150 Lightning, currently underway, is as smooth as silk.