2021 Ford Mustang Mach E Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2021 Mustang Mach-E most often describe electrical and high-voltage battery faults that can leave the car unable to start or to move, plus a separate cluster of driver-assistance complaints centered on the front camera. Many reports arrive at low mileage (a large share under 30,000 miles), and the camera and warning-light problems frequently reappear after dealer repairs.

1. 1
   Electrical system

   High-voltage battery contactor fault / powertrain

   • 100 complaints (28%)
   • median 19,000 mi at 2.4 yrs old (9 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2021–2026

   Complaints describe messages such as "Power Train Malfunction - Reduced Power," "High Voltage Battery Warning," and "Stop Safely Now" appearing while driving or charging, sometimes with power reduced or the car refusing to restart. Owners report the vehicle being diagnosed with a failed high-voltage battery junction box or contactor assembly and replaced under warranty, and some say the same fault returned after recall work had been completed. Several complaints note that their vehicle was not covered by the related recall. Reported from a few hundred miles up to roughly 90,000 miles, with many clustered in the first 45,000 miles.

   Recall 22V412000Recall 23V687000Recall 25V1300002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask for the recall history and whether the battery management software updates (22V412, 23V687, 25V130) were completed, and request any service records for high-voltage junction box or contactor replacement.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “After receiving the remedy to NHTSA campaign 22V-412 on Aug 5, 2022 via a Ford Power-Up over-the-air update, my high-voltage battery contactors still overheated and failed on Oct 25, 2022, requiring warrantied replacement by my Ford dealer on Oct 27, 2022.”

   NHTSA complaint #11539925, filed 2023-08

   “At around 600 miles my vehicle displayed high voltage battery warning and powertrain malfunction dashboard warning lights. Each light had an associated description that indicated the vehicle's power could fail at any time. This is a 1st model year all electric vehicle. The fact this occurred within 1k miles of ownership is concerning. I took it to a local Ford dealer, ultimately they replaced the high voltage battery junction box and battery electronic control module.”

   NHTSA complaint #11462618, filed 2022-04
2. 2
   Forward collision avoidance

   Front camera fault disables driver-assist features

   • 118 complaints (34%)
   • median 27,250 mi at 2.5 yrs old (8 state mileage, few)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $2,103 (median of 8 quotes)
   • filed 2021–2026

   Owners describe a "front camera fault" or "pre-collision assist unavailable" message on the instrument panel that switches off pre-collision assist, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping and blind spot functions. Complaints say the alert can appear intermittently, often while cruising on the highway, and that the system may also brake or warn when nothing is ahead. Some report the camera or its wiring was replaced, in a few cases repeatedly, without a lasting fix. Reported from very low mileage (under a few hundred miles) up to about 34,000 miles, and more often in cold or snowy conditions according to some owners.

   Recall 25V3150003 related service bulletins

   What to check: Before buying, start the car and check the instrument panel and driver-assist menus for camera fault messages, and ask whether the front camera and coax cable have been replaced or any related TSB performed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “When I start up the car, and the temperature is below 50 degrees, the pre-collision assist is not available, the park aid malfunctions and the blind spot detection with cross traffic is inoperative....the alerts are on the dash, and come as alerts to my phone. The car can still be driven. My car has been at the service department at the dealership since march 16, and I have no word on when it will be returned. This has happened 2/26, 2/27, 3/2, 3/4, 3/5, 3/6,3/7,3/10 and 3/12. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11404729, filed 2021-03, 100 miles

   “While driving on thruway, it began to snow.. One. by one the safety sensors reported failure due to being blocked. Even basic criosese control stopped working. As conditions cleared none of the sensors recovered. I pulled off at an exit to clear any remaining snow that may have been blocking the sensors. The sensors were already clear, yet still reported. being blocked. I pulled into a car wash and. had the car washed and dried to make sure that every sensor was unobstructed. All of the sensors were still in a failure state. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11444409, filed 2021-12
3. 3
   Electrical system

   12-volt battery drain leaves car dead or locked out

   • 110 complaints (31%)
   • median 40,400 mi at 3.1 yrs old (11 state mileage)
   • filed 2021–2026

   Complaints describe the vehicle losing all power without warning, failing to start, and in some cases the doors refusing to unlock so the owner is locked out until the 12-volt battery is jumped. Owners report the car being towed and the battery or software updated at the dealer, with some saying the problem came back afterward. Others link dead battery conditions to the door latch recall. Spread from a few thousand miles to over 60,000 miles, with several reports in the first two years of ownership.

   Recall 25V4040002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the body control module and door latch recall (25V404) software has been applied, check the 12-volt battery age, and confirm the mechanical door release procedure works from inside.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Twice in about a week my 12V battery has died without warning. The car is inoperable and there’s no way to open the car doors or even the trunk and front trunk. We’ve been locked out entirely. Left stranded in parking lots waiting for tow trucks. The only fix is jumping the vehicle’s 12V battery. If this happened while you’re in the vehicle you’d be stuck in the car since none of the accessory functions (including locks) function when this happens.”

   NHTSA complaint #11561979, filed 2023-12

   “The contact owns a 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that “Stop Safely Now and Accessory Power Active messages were displayed. The contact exited the vehicle and upon attempting to unlock the doors, the doors failed to unlock. The contact was unable to unlock the vehicle for several hours and remained stranded on the side of the road while awaiting assistance from Roadside Assistance. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11475967, filed 2022-07, 6,000 miles
4. 4
   Vehicle speed control

   Unexpected acceleration, including at low speed

   • 50 complaints (14%)
   • median 21,000 mi at 2.7 yrs old (7 state mileage, few)
   • 10 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2021–2026

   Owners report the car accelerating on its own while parking, reversing out of a driveway or pulling into a garage, sometimes resulting in a collision with a building or another vehicle. Other complaints describe cruise control engaging on its own or the car speeding up and slowing down on its own while cruise is set. Dealers in several cases could not reproduce the condition. Reported across a wide mileage range, from a few hundred miles to about 30,000 miles, often during low-speed maneuvers.

   Recall 22V3330001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask whether the powertrain control module software update under 22V333 was performed, and take a test drive that includes low-speed parking and reverse maneuvers, testing cruise control engagement and cancellation.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have been attempting to get two recalls done since November of 2021: NHTSA recall Numbers 21V711 and 21V712. I have called several ford dealers (O'Meara Ford, Larry Miller Ford Lakewood, Groove Ford and Schomp Ford) and no one will either schedule the repair or they will schedule it and then cancel it on the day of the incident. I've been told either ford won't pay enough to get the recall done (Approx. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11463530, filed 2022-05

   “The contact owns a 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact became aware that the cruise control had inadvertently been engaged, causing the vehicle to accelerate. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact depressed the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11617863, filed 2024-10, 30,000 miles
5. 5
   Brakes

   Brake vibration, grinding and parking brake faults

   • 16 complaints (5%)
   • median 43,270 mi at 4.9 yrs old (4 state mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2022–2026

   Complaints describe steering wheel shake or a grinding noise when braking, especially from highway speeds, with pads and rotors replaced or resurfaced and the symptom returning after each repair. Some owners report the parking brake sticking on after recall work, and one describes the pedal not slowing the car as expected in a collision. Mostly reported between about 20,000 and 46,000 miles, with some vibration reports at higher mileage.

   Recall 24V777000Recall 25V5130001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Test braking from around 45-55 mph for wheel shake, ask for the brake service history and whether the ABS software recalls (24V777, 25V513) have been applied, and confirm the electronic parking brake releases cleanly.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Ford had a recall on the brakes. The brakes were services 3 times in relational to this issue. Now again the front end shutters when braking especially at highway speed. The dealer says the pads need to be replaced and the rotors resurfaced .This is the 4th time in 42,000 miles. they will not warranty this on going issue. If the pads need to be replaced 4 time in 42,000 mile on a vehicle with regenerative braking there is a obvious issue. I feel this is an on going issue that was never corrected .”

   NHTSA complaint #11684260, filed 2025-09

   “Significant vibration in the steering wheel when braking between 40-50 mph. It was reported to the dealer and fixed but just had it fixed for the 4th time. The vibration in the steering wheel is alarming and disconcerting to say the least. No warning lamps or other indications were present any of the times this has been experienced. After each fix the timeframe/mileage between occurrences has reduced. The last 3 times, the dealer had the car for over a week to allow them to perform a comprehensive fix. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11557048, filed 2023-11

Buying note. A 2021 Mach-E can be a good used EV, but the service history matters more than the mileage here: confirm which recalls have actually been completed, look for records of high-voltage junction box, camera and door latch repairs, and check the 12-volt battery and driver-assist systems on a test drive.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.