2021 Ford Mustang Mach E: key fob or push-button start problems

Filed Jan 4, 2025 · Electrical · CA

The car had an issue with the 12V battery which caused it to be completely disabled and unresponsive to the key fob and phone as a key. My wife had gotten out of the car without knowing this had happened and went to the rear door to let out our infant son, but the door would not open. We called emergency services and roadside assistance. AAA arrived first and tried to open the lock but were unsuccessful. I had to smash the window to open the door and rescue my son. Emergency services arrived after I had already done this. The only reason I know it was an issue with the 12V battery is because the Ford dealership told me after I had the car towed there for inspection. The only way to open the car in this situation is to use a portable jumper to jump two wires hidden in the bumper which open the Frunk. Then you need to jump the actual battery that is located in the frunk. It does not have a mechanical release for the doors. This supposed fix is highly dangerous as it requires one to have a readily available jumper and the 12V battery needs to be completely drained in this scenario. In my case, this didn’t work even when the Ford technician arrived. The only possible way to get in was to break through a laminated glass window which was incredibly difficult to break even with the correct tool to do it.

Filed Oct 9, 2023 · Electrical · NJ

Ford delivered the car with only one key FOB which was corrected in later builds of the car. To fix this they had a program where you could go to your dealer to get the second key FOB for free. I set up an appointment to go to the dealer and was reassured that even though the date was after the expiration of the program I would still get the second key for free. When I went in I was told this was untrue and every Ford representative has told me that even though I was lied to they would not fix things for free as it should be with the program. Eventually I was told to contact the federal safety agency about this issue. I currently have to use my phone as a key which has become increasingly unreliable requiring my backup code often to be entered into the car even when my phone is on and has the Fordpass app open to act like a key. This has caused issues with when I shift out of drive or reverse that it places itself in park asking for the backup code to be entered again before I can continue driving.

Filed Jul 15, 2022 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · PA

When placed in drive the car takes off on its own without the acceleration pedal being touched. The passenger locks only work with key fob unlock button being pressed and the passenger side doesn't recognize the Fob for easy entry. The adaptive cruise control warning comes on constantly. The handas free parking never worked since i got the car in July 2021.

Filed Aug 25, 2021 · Electrical · ME

This vehicle is sold with a single key FOB and an option to use Phone As A Key software. This feature has been a continual source of problems, as reported by almost every purchaser. It has been updated numerous times, including a dealer installed software update. This is a serious safety issue. To unlock the key, you can use the traditional keypad on the door handle. This works consistently. However, once inside the vehicle, it can be impossible to have the car recognize the phone in my hand. Many owners report having to have the phone in a certain position, out of pocket or at a certain location in the car. Rebooting the phone, starting and stopping Bluetooth, getting out of the car, locking it and starting over again have all been mentioned. These work in a very hit or miss approach. I truly believe this software feature is still very much in its beta stages and should not be relied upon in lieu of a second key fob which is standard on every other Ford vehicle. To purchase the second FOB requires a purchase of the key and a programming service from the dealer, a $300 investment. While I understand there will always be software issues, and the Sync 4 center console certainly has them, the ability to start my car should not be part of this roadblock. Carrying the single FOB with me simply makes it more likely to be lost, and no way to have any assistance available to start my car and get me home safely. My fear is that anyone could easily be stranded in an isolated / dangerous location as a result of the failure of PAAK. The feature also requires a cell signal at the location to make it successfully validate the phone. This implies that driving the car in any desert or mountain area requires use of the actual FOB. I am requesting that Ford supply a second key FOB at no cost after I made a $60,000 investment. Consumer stated after several updates software still functions erratically.

Filed Aug 22, 2021 · CA

MachE relies on drivers using their phones as a key to get in and drive their vehicle. Ford does this and encourages drivers to not use the key fob, of which they provide only 1, less than the industry standard of 2. The app has a propensity for randomly failing as happened to me today. Could not use the app to get in the vehicle, no amount of rebooting or other phone tests could get me in the vehicle. There is a backup code, but I forgot mine. Luckily I was able to reach my wife and use hers, but that is an unreasonable expectation. What if my wife were incapacitated and I needed to reach her? My car was immobile and Ford believes that is ok? They need to pick one option. Make the phone as key product work or call it an experiment (which it is) and provide all MachE customers two key fobs. There is serious safety impact of this middle road and consumers expect the “key” they are told to use to ALWAYS WORK!!!