2023 Ford Mustang Mach E Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2023 Mustang Mach-E describe a car whose electronics and driver-assist features often misbehave: black or frozen center screens, warnings that pre-collision assist and other safety aids are unavailable, and one-pedal driving that suddenly drops out. Several complaints describe abrupt stops or loss of power with 'Stop Safely Now' messages, and some report unintended acceleration after switching gears, usually in parking-lot or low-speed situations. Brake-related complaints, including one-pedal regen shutting off and parking brake faults, appear from very low mileage upward, while many of these cars are still young enough that long-term wear patterns are not yet visible.

1. 1
   Electrical system

   Loss of power / 'Stop Safely Now' and car won't move

   • 22 complaints (17%)
   • median 1,658 mi at 1.0 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2023–2026

   Owners describe warnings such as 'Stop Safely Now' or a high-voltage battery message appearing, after which the car coasts to a stop or goes unresponsive and cannot be shifted out of park. Several say the car was towed and dealers found high-voltage battery contact failures, or ran tests, recycled the system and returned the car only for the stop to recur. Others report no fault found after multi-day inspections. Reported from as little as a few hundred to a few thousand miles; complaints span warm and cold months and both highway and local roads.

   Recall 26V5820002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask for the service history for any 'Stop Safely Now' or high-voltage battery faults, and confirm whether BECM and related software updates have been applied. Check that the car starts, shifts and drives normally through several key cycles.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “After stopping the vehicle to run an errand, the vehicle locked up. The steering wheel would not turn. The vehicle would not shift into any gear. The vehicle was inoperable and I found myself stranded 25 miles from home. The vehicle was towed to our local Ford dealership where it has been for the past two weeks. This failure could just as occurred on the road causing a dangerous situation.”

   NHTSA complaint #11701311, filed 2025-11

   “Complete loss of power while driving on a congested road. Started as a couple error warnings for different systems like the front camera and then all of a sudden told me to pull over immediately. Luckily we had just turned off the highway, but barely got to the side of the road before we lost power. For a little while the accessories worked, but we eventually lost ALL power to include our hazards. Since we were sitting in a very dangerous areas as people off ramped the highway, this put us directly in danger. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11604934, filed 2024-07
2. 2
   Brakes

   Brake noise, pad separation and parking brake faults

   • 26 complaints (20%)
   • median 11,500 mi at 2.2 yrs old (4 state mileage, few)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2023–2026

   Owners report grinding or clunking from the brakes at low speed, and in some cases brake pad material separating from the backing plate, which dealers replaced at the owner's cost as a wear item. Others describe a parking brake fault warning with the electronic brake stuck engaged, traced to a corroded rear harness or connector, leaving the car immobilized until towed. Reported from a few hundred miles up to about 40,000 miles; several brake-material complaints followed wet or rainy conditions.

   Recall 26V4170001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Listen for grinding or scraping when braking to a stop, and test that the parking brake engages and releases cleanly. Ask whether brake pads, rotors and the rear parking brake harness have been inspected or replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On Saturday July 15, 2023 my family and I were in the car going grocery shopping. By time I reached the grocery store a warning came up on the screen that stated brake fluid low. When I arrived home I did not have any brakes. The vehicle was towed the dealer where it was purchased. I was told that the brake caliper were faulty and their is only one mechanic that is allowed to work on electric vehicles.”

   NHTSA complaint #11533998, filed 2023-07

   “Parking Brake Fault - Service Now warning appeared. Parking brakes locked after stopping vehicle. Dealer diagnosed problem as corroded wiring connector to left rear wheel parking brake motor. Vehicle has 41,000 miles. Vehicle was stuck and could not be moved. If this had occurred in traffic situation a crash could have resulted. Charge to repair was $600 because dealer claimed brake parts are a wear item .”

   NHTSA complaint #11715814, filed 2026-02
3. 3
   Electrical system

   Center screen goes black, freezes or lags

   Mentioned in 8 of 60 sampled complaints

   Complaints describe the center display going black or freezing while driving, sometimes during welcome animation, and rearview camera images that fail to show when reversing. Owners also mention connectivity dropping and, in one case, speedometer and turn-signal indicators that lag behind actual speed. Dealers often attributed it to software and, in some cases, could not resolve it. Reported across a wide mileage range, often within the first year of ownership and sometimes shortly after an over-the-air update.

   Recall 25V315000Recall 25V4040004 related service bulletins

   What to check: Start the car and watch the center screen through the welcome animation, then cycle into reverse to confirm the rearview image appears. Ask whether the SYNC and infotainment software updates have been installed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I have taken my car to the dealership is three different occasions and reported problems with the screens (they go black, even when driving), rear-view image missing, proximity sensor malfunctioning (beeps even when there are no objects or cars around) and the driving assistance system (constantly disengages and reports it, without intervention). Additionally, I've read that the recalls talks about a possible lock-out issue that could put my children well-being at risk and I'm aware of issues with the doors of the vehicle. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11690661, filed 2025-09

   “I have Ford mach e 2023 e select model, I have taken many times to dealership, they are making excuses and saying its software issue but its not adn they are unable to fix that, it has screen problem the screen freezes full way,half way sometime all black out, connects disconnects itself, its annoying and its safety issue you get distracted by it, if you have navigation on or on the phone all of sudden connects disconnects freezes then you have to take out your cellphone and keep touching and panicking and they are not doing anything its …”

   NHTSA complaint #11640773, filed 2025-02
4. 4
   Forward collision avoidance

   Pre-collision assist and driver aids unavailable

   • 30 complaints (23%)
   • median 15,000 mi at 1.6 yrs old (3 state mileage, few)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2023–2026

   Owners report 'Pre-Collision Assist Not Available' or 'Front Camera Fault' messages, after which collision warning, lane departure and parking alerts stop working. Some say the car was in and out of the dealer repeatedly without a fix, while others were told the radar and front camera needed replacement. A loose or damaged camera cable in the mirror housing is described in some complaints, sometimes triggered by a harsh bump. Typically reported between a few thousand and about 20,000 miles, and often intermittent.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: On a test drive, confirm no warning messages appear on the cluster and that lane keeping and blind spot warnings respond normally. Ask whether the front camera and radar have been inspected or replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Dear NHTSA Team, I am writing to urgently raise concern and seek answers regarding what appears to be a systemic safety issue affecting vehicles equipped with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and self-driving technologies. I have personally experienced repeated and dangerous incidents of phantom braking, overcorrection, and loss of control while driving a 2019 Toyota Prius. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11695634, filed 2025-10

   “My car displayed a warning that the pre-collision assist was not available. This caused all of the safety features not to work (collision warning; lane departure warning; parking collision warning etc.) The car has been in and out of the dealership since Aug. 6th to repair this but Ford has not corrected the problem. We have not been told what is wrong with the car or any estimation on if or when it will be repaired. I requested the service documents for all of the records of when my car has been in the shop for this issue. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11692151, filed 2025-10
5. 5
   Vehicle speed control

   Unintended acceleration at low speed

   • 18 complaints (14%)
   • median 1,317 mi at 1.0 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2023–2026

   Several owners describe the car surging forward on its own, often after stopping or shifting from reverse to drive in a parking lot, with brake input reportedly not stopping it in some accounts. Others report the car accelerating without cruise control engaged. Complaints describe crashes into curbs, walls and parked vehicles, and owners say dealers documented the reports without a confirmed cause. Mostly described in low-speed parking-lot and stop-and-go situations rather than at highway speed.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: During a test drive, practice low-speed maneuvering and shifting between reverse and drive at a stop. Ask the seller whether the adaptive cruise control customer satisfaction program has been completed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “We were driving my Ford Mach E when the vehicle disengaged the accelerator pedal and accelerated forward in which we had no control of. Pressing the break would cause the vehicle to accelerate faster almost causing multiple accidents at a high rate of speed. Multiple sensor malfunction even after being “ fixed “”

   NHTSA complaint #11616590, filed 2024-09

   “I’ve had this situation happen at least 2 to 3 times but specifically I’ll talk about the most recent. I was reversing out of my parking spot approximately 20 feet or so to where I can turn around and circle around the parking lot and exit. When I switched over to drive the vehicle accelerated rapidly unprompted. I was able to stop it by using the break, but I can also see how this could be a significant safety issue.”

   NHTSA complaint #11692968, filed 2025-10

Buying note. This model year's complaints center on software-driven behavior rather than wear, so a thorough test drive that exercises the screen, driver aids, one-pedal mode and parking brake matters more than mileage. Ask for the full service history and confirm which software updates and open recalls have already been completed before purchase.

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.