Ford’s press-a-button solution for the Mach-E’s door “handles” is now subject of a serious recall.
These days, it seems like every other recall coming down the pipeline boils down to a software issue. Several of them aren’t a big deal, as they’re more annoying than dangerous, but this Ford Mustang Mach-E recall has the potential to result in serious injury, especially as we’re coming up on the first day of summer (with a massive heat dome overtaking the U.S., to boot). The automaker says in documents filed with the NHTSA that it’s recalling more than 197,000 Mach-E’s in the American market because an unexpected discharge of the 12-volt battery could keep the doors locked with owners unable to get back in from the outside. That’s not only inconvenient, but could be disastrous if there’s a child in the back seat — as owners noted actually happened with their car.
The issue, Ford engineers worked out through months of investigation, is down to the Mach-E’s “e-latch” system (as it uses electronic door popper buttons on the exterior instead of physical handles) and the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) software. Earlier versions of the software from the car’s launch until June 2025 would stop providing 12V power support from its DC-to-DC power converter beyond “key-off”, when the car is powered down. If the battery then discharges below 8.4 volts, the front doors’ electronic latches retain their last locked or unlock status. So, when the driver opens the door with the mechanical interior door pulls, they may not be able to reopen any of the doors from the outside if the e-latch system fails in the lock state.
Since there are no lock cylinders as a backup where you could use the physical key to open the front doors from the outside, the official solution in a discharge event is to jump-start the 12V battery through an access panel in the front bumper, hidden below the right headlamp. Now, most owners aren’t going to have the equipment or the presence of mind to do that, especially in a panic sort of situation where their child is stuck in the car, so (as this Reddit owner did) folks have to resort to a more drastic measure to gain access: break the window.
“Nothing worked!”, that owner said. “The car locked and neither the key or either of our phones could unlock it. AAA and Ford roadside assistance both came to try and unlock it, but I ultimately had to break the window to get our son out of the car.” The owner does not mention their child’s age, but running the scenario that a child isn’t old enough to open a front door on their own, this can create an “absolute nightmare”, as they put it. “By the time Ford arrived, my son would have been locked in the car for over an hour and a half.”
To-date, Ford says it is aware of four warranty claims, three customer service reports, and — crucially — three allegations of vehicle lockouts with children in the rear seat post-12V battery discharge. Fortunately, there don’t appear to be any injuries related to this problem.
Including global markets, this issue affects more than 300,000 Mustang Mach-Es.
In the U.S., Ford is recalling 197,432 Mustang Mach-Es between model years 2021 and 2025 to address the battery discharge lockout problem. An additional 120,000 units are impacted in other markets as well, though, so this issue ultimately impacts more than 300,000 units globally.
Under federal law, Ford cannot sell vehicles with a known (i.e. reported to NHTSA) safety defect until it fixes the issue. As a result, it’s pulled the Mach-E from sale until the remedy is rolled out to all the impacted vehicles.
Coming back to the software discussion, that is Ford’s fix for this particular issue. It tells safety regulators that it plans to update the PCM software to continue letting the DC-to-DC converter (effectively an electric car’s alternator) provide charging support to the 12-volt battery for 12 minutes after the car is switched off. The updated software also adds in a sort of fail-safe condition in which the doors will stay unlocked for that 12-minute period after a front occupant opens the door so they can get back in the car, until the owner intentionally locks the car again.
Ford says customers may see a notice on the infotainment screen displaying a “system off to save power” warning, or a completely blank screen, as a warning that there’s something wrong with the 12-volt battery. They may also have to pull the interior door handle back further than normal to unlatch the door.
Nevertheless, most modern vehicles with electronic door latches still have a physical key hole hidden somewhere. That way, if the electronic latches fail for whatever reason, you can at least open the driver’s door to retrieve whatever you might need from the car or arrange to have it towed. Ford’s Lincoln division does include an emergency release for the Nautilus, for example (it’s a little square keyhole below the “Nautilus” badge on the driver’s door).
When can owners actually set up a repair?
Even though this issue stems back to the 2021 model year, Mustang Mach-E owners will still need to wait awhile for the fix. Ford notified dealers of the recall on June 16, and it plans to send out an interim notice to customers between June 23 and 27.
However, the remedy notification date isn’t coming until the third quarter, around September 29 to October 3. From there, folks will have to take their cars into the dealership to get a software update done, as this isn’t a case where Ford can fix the problem with an over-the-air update.
If you need to find out more information, you can check the NHTSA’s website (their recall number for this campaign is 25V-404) or Ford’s recall website. The automaker notes the recall is VIN searchable as of June 16, so you should be able to find whether your car is affected (Ford’s recall number is 25S65). That said, if you own a Mach-E built between February 24, 2020 and June 3, 2025, you will be part of this campaign. So keep an eye out for letters in the mail.
