Selling a Mustang Mach-E that won't drive

Ford has built the Mach-E at Cuautitlan Assembly in Mexico since the 2021 model year, unlike the gasoline Mustangs. NHTSA's file holds 668 complaints and 22 recall campaigns so far, and just over half the complaints are on the 2021. Many of the recall fixes are free software or parts work at a dealer, so a VIN check comes first.

Three stretches of model years

On October 10, 2026 we pulled NHTSA's Mach-E complaint and campaign counts. A campaign reaching two stretches shows up in both rows.

High-voltage battery contactors, 2021-2022

Ford's owner letter for recall 22V412 says the battery's main contactors "may overheat, which can result in a contactor that remains open or a contactor that welds closed." If they open while you drive, a warning light comes on, the cluster reads "Stop Safely Now," and drive power cuts out at once. The letter says the 12-volt systems, brakes and steering keep working.

Four recalls deal with it:

• 22V412 (June 2022): 48,924 2021-2022 cars get a software update.
• 23V687 (October 2023): 34,762 cars with the extended-range battery get a new high-voltage battery junction box.
• 25V130 (February 2025): 626 cars repaired wrong under 22V412 get the update again.
• 25V441 (June 2025): 239 more 2022 extended-range cars get the junction box.

The 22V412 letter adds a catch. Until a separate program, 22B08, is done, the car can't take Ford's over-the-air updates, so the recall fix needs a dealer visit.

Low battery charge, locked doors

Recall 25V404 covers 197,432 Mach-Es from 2021 to 2025. If the battery charge is low, the electronic door latches can stay locked once the driver or front passenger gets out and shuts the door. Dealers update two control modules. In the online lookup, 32 of 350 complaints on the 2021 and 15 of 138 on the 2022 mention the 12-volt battery. One 2022 owner described a car that was fully charged and still completely disabled.

The BlueCruise investigation

NHTSA opened PE24-012 in April 2024 on 129,222 2021-2024 Mach-Es with BlueCruise, after two fatal crashes. In each, the car was going over 70 mph at night with hands-free BlueCruise engaged when it struck a stopped vehicle, and neither the driver nor the system braked. NHTSA found that Ford designed adaptive cruise to ignore reported stationary objects at approach speeds of 62 mph or more. It counted 32 crashes and 2,004 non-crash reports across the Mach-E and peer Fords, and moved the case up to Engineering Analysis EA25-001 on January 17, 2025. We have not checked its status since. Separately, 39 of the 350 complaints on the 2021 mention pre-collision assist.

Drive unit, Park and the battery module

• 22V646: right-rear half shafts on 1,175 2022 cars can break, cutting drive power or letting a parked Mach-E roll without the parking brake applied.
• 26V417 (June 2026): the rear differential pinion shaft may fracture on 42,784 2021-2023 cars. Owners got interim letters in July 2026, with the repair to follow.
• 25V394 and 25V863: a park rod on 276 2025 cars, and the integrated park module on 2024-2026 cars, may fail to lock the car in Park. The second campaign, 272,645 vehicles shared with the F-150 Lightning and Maverick, is fixed with software.
• 26V582 (September 2026): 86 2023-2025 cars that got a new battery energy control module in a repair can show the wrong state of charge and lose drive power unexpectedly. The same software can also raise the risk of a high-voltage battery fire after repeated DC fast charging.

NHTSA's Mach-E file by model year

Mach-Es from 2025 and 2026 are new, so few complaints exist yet. NHTSA's online lookup returned nothing for the 2023 or 2024 under this model name, so the mention counts above come from the 2021 and 2022 only.

Repair it or sell it?

1. Check recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Contactor, door latch and park fixes are free at a dealer, and some are over-the-air.
2. Ask about coverage. Ford's owner site lists "Hybrid/Electric Unique Components: 8 years/100,000 miles" for its new vehicles. We have not confirmed the terms for each Mach-E year, so have a dealer read your VIN before you pay for battery or drive unit work.
3. Out of coverage? Ask for a written estimate, then set it against asking prices for running Mach-Es of the same year and trim. If you still owe on the car, read car loan owed before you sell.

Selling one that won't move

1. Collect the VIN, the mileage and any warning message on the screen.
2. Get an offer online or call (877) 421-6008.
3. Say whether it powers on and whether it will shift out of Park. A car stuck in Park needs a different loading method, so the driver should know first.
4. Leave the car complete, battery pack, wheels and charging cable included if you have the cable.
5. At pickup, sign the title and show a photo ID. Non-running car covers the rest of what to expect.

Other electric and Mustang models: the F-150 Lightning, the gasoline Mustang, or all Ford models.