The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) revealed Monday that the safety regulator has opened an investigation into whether a 2022 Ford (NYSE:F) recall of 49,000 Ford Mustang Mach-E electric vehicles properly addressed safety concerns, and if the recall should be expanded.
Ford initiated a recall in June 2022 due to a potential issue with high voltage battery main contactors. These contractors have the potential to overheat as a result of DC fast-charging and repetitive wide-open pedal events. This overheating could lead to an abrupt loss of power for propulsion, thereby elevating the possibility of a collision.
Following the recall, the automaker issued a technical service bulletin calling for the replacement of the High Voltage Battery Junction Box on recalled vehicles.
The NHTSA reported that they have opened a recall query into 64,000 Mach-E vehicles following the receipt of 12 consumer complaints about vehicles that had already undergone recall repairs.
Ford's solution for the recall involved implementing software updates. These updates aimed to keep track of the contactor's temperature, limiting battery power to prevent contactor damage. Additionally, they monitored contactor resistance to detect instances of overheating and subsequently reduced vehicle power to prevent additional harm to the contactor.
However, a vehicle owner informed the NHTSA that their vehicle experienced another significant malfunction in its High Voltage Battery Junction Box, two days after the software update was applied.
The U.S. regulator received a complaint from a driver in the San Francisco Bay area reporting that he and his family encountered an issue when their vehicle screen panel displayed a "Service Vehicle Soon" warning. Shortly after the warning appeared, the vehicle power was restricted to just 30% of its total capacity until they reached a dealership.
In a separate incident, another Mach-E driver from Florida reported to the NHTSA that shortly after using a DC fast charge station, the vehicle's screen panel displayed a "safely stop now" message. Following the message, the vehicle came to an abrupt stop while on a highway on-ramp. Following several hours, the driver managed to restart the vehicle and proceeded to travel three miles before the car experienced another stoppage.
Ford said Monday it is "working with NHTSA to support their investigation."
Shares of F are up 0.26% in early trading Monday morning.