Nearly every Ford Mustang Mach-E is being recalled and all units sitting on dealer lots are now under a stop-sale order. The reason: occupants may become trapped according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
On Wednesday, the NHTSA posted a recall issued by Ford for 197,432 Mustang Mach-E electric cars. Ford also issued a stop-sale due to the issue, but importantly not a stop-drive order. This means dealers can’t sell a Mustang Mach-E, but Ford isn’t telling owners to stop driving their vehicles.
But the issue affects far more than the vehicles listed by the NHTSA’s recall report. About 120,000 Mustang Mach-Es sold in global markets are also affected by the recall and stop-sale order. In total, that means over 300,000 Mustang Mach-Es have an issue spanning model years 2021 through 2025. The specific part in question was put into production on 2/24/2020 and taken out of production on 6/3/2025.
The issue stems from the EV’s 12-volt battery. If the 12-volt battery becomes discharged below 8.4 volts the electronic door release system will retain its locked or unlocked status at the time of discharge when the vehicle is turned off.
Like other modern vehicles with electronic door releases, the Mustang Mach-E features mechanical door releases inside the car. But once outside the car, getting back in becomes an issue. Should a child or animal be left in the rear seat it would become an instant issue to enter the vehicle and retrieve the child or animal.
Ford spokesperson Mike Levine told The Drive, “This could result in a serious injury, especially in hot weather.”
The recall report posted by the NHTSA notes that Mustang Mach-E drivers can identify the situation by noticing the car’s touchscreen displaying a “system off to save power” warning when turning the vehicle off, a blank screen, or the need to pull the door release handle further than normal to unlatch.
Ford first became aware of the issue when the NHTSA contacted the Blue Oval on January 10, 2025 after six Mustang Mach-E owners had submitted situations where they were unable to open their vehicle with children inside. The report reveals that “to gain access from the exterior of the vehicle in the event of a discharged 12-volt battery and locked doors, the customer much jump the 12-volt battery by first gaining access to the frunk using a 12-volt power supply on the leads hidden below the vehicles right headlamp.”
The NHTSA report states Ford is aware of four warranty claims, three customer service reports, and three allegations of a vehicle lock-out with children in the rear seat post 12-volt battery discharge all between November 22, 2023 and April 28, 2025. The automaker is not aware of any reports of accident or injury related to the issue.
Ford is prepping a fix for the issue with a software update. Levine said the software update is “coming soon,” but a firm timeline wasn’t given. The NHTSA documentation reveals Ford plans to begin mailing Mustang Mach-E owners remedy notification letters on September 29, 2025.
The NHTSA report states the software update will update the vehicle’s Powertrain Control Module (PCM) and Secondary On-Board Diagnostic Control Module C (SOBDMC) at no charge. It’s unclear why the Mustang Mach-E, which is a connected car that Ford touts as updatable and upgradeable via Over-The-Air software updates, can’t have this issue remedied via an OTA update in similar fashion to issues with Teslas and Rivians.
The NHTSA documentation reveals the updated module software will extend the 12-volt power post key-off for 12 minutes with continued DC/DC converter function to prevent a lockout situation. The current PCM/SOBDMC software stops providing DC/DC converter 12-volt support at the time of key off, according to the report.
Ford will be mailing recall notices to Mustang Mach-E owners beginning June 23, 2025.
Owners with questions or concerns can call the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 and reference campaign number 25V404.
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