Ford has issued a safety recall affecting 34,762 units of its 2021-2022 Mustang Mach-E vehicles.
The recall is designated under the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Recall No. 23V-687 and Manufacturer Recall No. 23S56. According to the Part 573 Safety Recall Report, the estimated percentage of vehicles with the defect is 100%.
The defect involves the Bussed Electrical Center (BEC) parts with specific part numbers, which were in production from May 27, 2020, to May 24, 2022.
“Direct Current (‘DC’) fast charging and repeated wide-open pedal events can cause the high voltage battery main contactors to overheat,” states the report. Overheating may lead to arcing and deformation of the electrical contact surfaces, resulting in a contactor that either fails to close or welds closed.
The safety risk associated with this defect is significant. An overheated contactor that fails to close while driving can result in a loss of motive power, increasing the risk of a crash. The defect is attributed to the BEC main contactor design, which is not robust to heat generated from multiple wide-open pedal and DC Fast-Charge events.
Owners of affected vehicles will be directed to take their cars to a Ford or Lincoln dealer for a replacement of the Bussed Electrical Center, also known as the High Voltage Battery Junction Box. The service will be performed at no charge. Ford has provided a general reimbursement plan for the cost of remedies paid for by vehicle owners prior to the recall notification, with eligibility for reimbursement estimated to end on March 31, 2024.
The updated BEC hardware design, which corrects the issue, was introduced into production on May 25, 2022. Dealer notifications are expected to begin on October 16, 2023, and owner notifications are planned to start on October 30, 2023, with completion expected by November 10, 2023.
The components involved in the recall are manufactured by TE Connectivity, located in Hermosillo, Mexico. According to sources familiar with the matter, the updated BEC design has flat contact surfaces and the groove on the movable contactor surface has been removed to mitigate the defect.
This doesn’t sound like a good thing for Mach-E owners, as Ford had a similar recall back in August for the same issue, a recall that was being probed by the NHTSA.
