FaultScore

2021 Ford Mustang Mach E brake problems

31 of the 665 complaints about the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach E are about the braking system — 5% of everything reported for this model year. Half of the failures with a mileage on record happened before 43,270 miles.

B

31

Complaints

2

Crashes

0

Fires

1

Injuries

Exactly what failed

Service Brakes 30 96.8%
Service Brakes, Hydraulic 1 3.2%

Brakes across every Ford Mustang Mach E year

2021 31 43.1%
2022 16 22.2%
2023 25 34.7%

What owners said

Filed with NHTSA, in their own words.

at 65,000 miles Claremont, CA Crash

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E. While the contact's daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle independently accelerated. The brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occurred while the vehicle was being parked in the residence driveway. The vehicle crashed into the right side of the residence before coming to a stop. The air bags did not deploy. The contact stated that the right side of the garage was damaged. No injuries were sustained. The contact stated that the failure was a known failure with the vehicle. The contact stated that an unknown recall with a similar failure was completed in 2022. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. The vehicle was deemed a total loss by the insurance company. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

NHTSA complaint #11754043 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 40,400 miles Georgetown, SC

SERVICE BRAKES

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 - 25 MPH in the rain at night, the brake pedal was bouncing up and down. The contact stated that the doors locked and failed to open. Additionally, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the hazard lights were inoperable. They stated that one of the passenger’s side tire warning lights was illuminated. The contact stated that the battery was at 98 percent and that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V333000 (Vehicle Speed Control, Power Train) prior to the failure. The contact called Roadside Assistance, but Roadside Assistance was unable to assist. The contact stated that a Police Officer arrived on the scene to assist. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer after several hours. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 40,400.

NHTSA complaint #11694472 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Stockbridge, GA

SERVICE BRAKES

Car stalled once while going to a military appt but started up 3 mins later. Car then made a noise then stalled out of nowhere on the highway at a slow speed in heavy traffic causing anxiety. vehicle then had me stranded waiting for a tow to find out it’s the HVJB .

NHTSA complaint #11693497 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Forked River, NJ

SERVICE BRAKES

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 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 46,140 miles Laurens, SC Crash 1 injured

SERVICE BRAKES

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and the brake pedal was depressed, the vehicle did not slow down as intended, and crashed into another vehicle. The contact sustained neck, head, and arm injuries. Medical attention was needed. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a body shop. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 46,140.

NHTSA complaint #11673754 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Edison, NJ

SERVICE BRAKES

Was driving and suddenly all errors started popping up Hill start assist warning 1 pedal driving unavailable Pre collision assist not available Antilock brake fault, etc Lost braking power, steering got stiff, accelerated suddenly.

NHTSA complaint #11666168 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Virginia Beach, VA

SERVICE BRAKES

Lack of power assist braking and power steering. Anti-lock braking, Electronic Stability Control, and Traction Control System, as well as Hill Start Assist and Pre-Collision Assist are disabled. The instrument cluster displays several warning lamps and text messages at vehicle startup. The dealer is recommending a replacement of the brake booster. This issue matches a recall with the same make, model, and year car, but my VIN is not associated with any unrepaired recalls.

NHTSA complaint #11664398 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Brighton, MI

SERVICE BRAKES

While driving, the service parking brake system alert displayed. The parking brake when I entered a parking lot no longer functioned and displayed an error on the dash. The vehicle had to be repaired before the parking brake became functional again.

NHTSA complaint #11644822 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Maplewood, NJ

SERVICE BRAKES

I bought a certified pre-owned 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E GT. The brakes always kind of made a grinding but i figured it was the brake dust on the rotor since the car had sat on the lot for a while. I took the car into Maplecrest Ford in Union, NJ for this issue and they replaced the rear brakes under warranty. Shortly after that I felt a vibrating on the highway, I figured it could be the brakes bedding in. After that it became more persistent and I took the car to the dealer on [XXX] and they told me the front brakes had to be replaced. The car was purchased with 16,500 miles, went to the dealer at 17,000 miles and has 17,500 miles right now. It is impossible to believe that brakes on an EV (where most braking is regenerative) need to be replaced down to the caliper. I read Ford TSB 22-2023: Vibration/Pulsation From Brakes - Brake Pad Material Stuck To Rotor - Built On Or Before 06-Jan-2022 that describes this very issue. Ford essentially notes that pad material will become dislodged and get attached to the rotor. That they're not replacing this under warranty and that they haven't issued a recall for brake pads they've already redesigned because they can break apart is extremely dangerous. There's notes of this happening to cars on Mach-e message boards and Ford is aware because they've issued a TSB: [XXX] (for example). I would strongly encourage the NHTSA to implore a recall before someone gets hurt. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11616696 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Pleasant Prairie, WI

SERVICE BRAKES

My car has repeatedly had to have rotors replaced due to warping. Between 12,000 and 36,000 miles I’ve had 7 pairs of rotors replaced. After exceeding 50 mph, when braking I decided violent steering wheel vibrations between 43-35 MPH when braking normally. I have service records and video to back up my claim. Ford is calling this “normal wear and tear” however no other 2021 mach-es vehicles in my geographic area have had this issue, in fact none have had to have rotors replaced at all. This is a serious safety issue, occurring approximately every 3,000 miles. This points to a defective vehicle, Ford refuses to cover the repairs now that the vehicle has passed 36,000 miles despite having a verified service record of 7 rotor replacements. The date below is for the most recent issue, it has been going on for a year and a half. Ford clearly doesn’t understand how to fix it, as the same fix has been recommended every time to the same result. I can’t upload the videos but happy to send for additional support of my the defective vehicle assertion, it helps to show how much of a safety issue this is.

NHTSA complaint #11605448 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Buffalo, NY

SERVICE BRAKES

The parking brake stuck on after the recall was completed 4 months ago. A new wiring harness was installed to correct the issue, just as was done during the recall.

NHTSA complaint #11592520 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Carlsbad, CA

SERVICE BRAKES

After my last recall for my battery connector I am receiving "one pedal driving fault". I get this every few days but never before the recall. One Mach E forum numerous owners have reported the same problem. Very dangerous.

NHTSA complaint #11587628 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Fredericksburg, TX

SERVICE BRAKES

I had my MME in to the local Ford dealership for recent work concerning Ford Recall 23S56 (HVBJB). This work was completed along with numerous other software updates needed as indicated by dealership service department. Shortly after getting car back a "1Pedal Drive Fault - Press Brake Pedal To Reduce Speed" warning message was displayed on the instrument panel and the one pedal function quit working. This feature reset it self after the car was parked overnight. Yesterday while driving over many miles this same warning message appeared to happen again and the one pedal feature quit. This happened while vehicle was traveling in an active school zone very near a crosswalk being used by students. This could have been a very bad situation if not quickly going from one pedal braking to two pedal braking which is needed to stop the car.

NHTSA complaint #11586920 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

12074, NY

SERVICE BRAKES

One pedal drive system failure. Had the 22B50 charge port recall done on the 18th of April 24. After leaving the dealer upon approach to a light one mile away, one pedal disengaged during de-acceleration for the light. Warning did come up near the same time. It felt like vehicle was accelerating, but just loss regen. It has since happened daily. sometimes multiple times. Restart the car and it works normal. The recall was to reprogram the BCCM according to the dealer.

NHTSA complaint #11585171 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Covington, WA

SERVICE BRAKES

After getting the HVBJB recall, I have had 1 pedal drive mode turn off unexpectedly about once a day. Since I expect my car to start breaking when I am off the accelerator pedal, when 1 pedal drive disables the car will move faster than expected if I am off the accelerator pedal. This could result in running a stop sign or hitting another car due to this unexpected lack of breaking. I do get a warning (while driving) on the dash screen that 1 pedal drive had a fault and was disabled. I have not taken my car into a dealer.

NHTSA complaint #11585283 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Sudbury, MA

SERVICE BRAKES

Having completed the high voltage junction box recall with the Mach-E a week or so before, I was braking in order to complete a left-turn in one-pedal drive mode (therefore lifting my foot off the accelerator causing the vehicle to slow down). I received a notification as I did so that one pedal drive mode had a fault and was deactivated (this appeared on the screen by the steering wheel). This caused the car to lurch forwards, as it shifted from OPD to standard drive mode. Fortunately no cars were ahead of me and I was able to quickly slow the vehicle by braking, but I'm alarmed as to what would have happened had this been in traffic.

NHTSA complaint #11585092 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Honolulu, HI

SERVICE BRAKES

This is a follow up to ODI 11510437 that was filed via the phone in 2/2023 related to now NHTSA Recall 23V687. The vehicle in question experienced exactly the issue described in the recall notice. Our incident was part of the NHTSA investigation. The vehicle had its high voltage battery junction box replaced in +/- March 2023, but the new box was the same design as the old box that is poorly engineered. Notices sent out in Fall of 2023 indicating that there was a recall were not sent to us for this vehicle. Similarly, the notice sent in April 2024 informing Mach E owners to schedule appointments at their dealer was not sent to us for this vehicle. Upon contacting Ford, they indicated that this vehicle is not part of this recall. After insisting on speaking to a supervisor, he claimed that it was now a part of the recall but refused to provide me any written acknowledgment of this. When pressed further he then said that our vehicle was not part of the recall because the part was already replaced. When I explained that the part replace was the same defective part he told me to call the dealership or NHTSA because he would do nothing further. He went on to say that there was nothing further he would or could do, nor would it transfer me to anybody at Ford that could address our unique circumstances. Upon calling NHTSA they advised, (amongst other things), that we file a complaint via this portal.

NHTSA complaint #11583689 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Oceanside, NY

SERVICE BRAKES

heavy vibration and pulsation from brakes when stopping from 50 mph. Steering wheel jumped out of my hands on a panic stop one time. I would say this is a safety issue that apparently Ford already knows about with service bulletin #22-2023. Ford refuses to make the repair under warranty because they say it's a wear and tear issue-even thought they admit to faulty brake pads. The problem was confirmed by the dealership and they wanted $1300 to fix their defective brake pads.

NHTSA complaint #11563093 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Pleasant Prairie, WI

SERVICE BRAKES

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. If you do a search on vehicle dashboards, this is an issue with many other 2021 mach-e vehicles. Ford continues to pretend like this is limited to my vehicle. While they have covered the reports thus far, having a vehicle with (now) 30,000 miles on it and multiple issues with the braking system (and it appears to be a systemic issue) is unsafe and causes significant lack of faith in my ability to brake safely. While I was assured by Ford that the brakes work fine and it wasn't unsafe, a jarring vibration in the steering wheel when decelerating in a specific speed range is not safe. The information in the "additional" details is for the latest (now 5th time) this is being addressed.

NHTSA complaint #11557048 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Miami, FL

SERVICE BRAKES

All 4 brake rotors warped at once. Had vehicle serviced for 10000 mile evaluation which included rotating tires and checking brake only 6 weeks earlier. Only drove car additional 200 miles since service. All rotors warped at once without excessive braking, heat or water.

NHTSA complaint #11548589 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Madisonville, LA

SERVICE BRAKES

I was driving on the highway (12) in Mandeville, Louisiana and the car (a 2021 all electric Mustang Mach E with only 13k miles) flashed a 'Stop care safely now' sign and then proceeded to power down within 3 seconds of the message. I exited (luckily I was at my exit) and felt the car lose power on the exit ramp. Three signals came up (battery - yet I was at 100% - then a turtle mode and not sure what the third symbol was) and then the car locked up - went into park, would not move or allow me to put into neutral to pull off a very busy highway ramp. I was forced to a dead stop on the ramp (very dangerous). I put on my hazard lights but cars still pilled up all around me, beeping etc. at high rates of speed. I called 911 and the police came out (took about 10 minutes during which time I had to direct traffic around me - again very dangerous) and asked that I move the car but the car would not move or even go into neutral. A DOTD tow truck towed me to a nearby Winn Dixie and then the roadside assistance towed to the Ford Dealer. The Ford Pass app send me the message attached below that said it was forcing a software update and the car would not be able to be used during this update - while the car was in drive and while I was driving it down a four lane highway! Very unsafe considering the car was connected to WIFI at home and that update could have been done at any time - not while driving. There was no notice prior to this that a software update was needed and we have it set for updates to happen at 1 am. The car relies upon software (not firmware) to run and if that fails, the car just locks up. This car should be recalled. I am lucky no one was injured including me trying to direct traffic on a busy high speed highway ramp. The policeman was very frustrated and made me get out of the car. Then the DOTD driver confirmed it would not budge. Thank God this didn't happen while I was in the middle of a 4 lane highway. It would have been like stopping on a train track.

NHTSA complaint #11526050 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Fountain, CO

SERVICE BRAKES

All of the advanced safety features have stopped working in my Mach E The curse control does not work either the adaptive or the standard. The pre-collision system is not working, lane assit is not working. The absence of these working systems is a danger. Ford knows about this software problem with the software, however they refuse to fix the problem at there expense. The Mach E was designed from the ground up as software driven, the manufacture should be responsible to ensure that the software is up to date.

NHTSA complaint #11514740 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Yountville, CA

SERVICE BRAKES

Stuck Disk Brake: The left rear disc brake was stuck. After releasing the parking brake the car would not move. After two attempts to reverse the brake released. There is a loud thumping sound from the rear wheel. While braking there is a violent vibration coming from the left rear wheel. The car is parked now and will be towed to a Ford Dealer. In the on-line Ford Mach-E forum there are other complaints about brakes being stuck with similar description as above. My car was last driven in wet weather and then parked in a garage. Temperatures at the time were cold but not freezing. The temperature at the time of incident was about 50 degrees Fahrenheit. This seems to be a safety issue.

NHTSA complaint #11503146 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

at 21,000 miles Huntington Woods, MI

SERVICE BRAKES

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E. The contact stated while in reverse(R) and driving approximately 3 MPH, the vehicle would independently brake suddenly. The contact stated that the parking brake light was illuminated. The contact stated that the brake failure was intermittent and occurred without warning. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle would lunge forward while stopped at a traffic signal without depressing the accelerator. The vehicle was not taken to the local dealer; however, the local dealer was contacted, and the contact was asked if she had duplicated the failure. The contact stated that she could not since the failure was intermittent. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 21,000.

NHTSA complaint #11493699 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Apple Valley, CA

SERVICE BRAKES

* On October 16th, 2022, at about 7:00 pm, I was driving my 2021 Ford Mach-E GT when we began to change lanes (we were in the left lane heading East) as the vehicle in front of us slowed down to make a left-hand turn. There was a car behind us and two vehicles in the right lane (two-lane road in each direction) that were a few car lengths behind us as we began to change into that lane. When I turned on my signal and turned the steering wheel, I pressed the gas pedal to accelerate to get around the car in front of me to keep my distance from the vehicles in the lane I was transitioning into. Unfortunately, when I pressed the gas pedal, we experienced complete vehicle failure. I had no steering, brakes, or acceleration. Within a short time (30-45 minutes), we had no power as the lights on the vehicle, and all electrically powered devices and components were entirely out. This made it very difficult to tow the car as it is all-wheel drive, and we could not put it in Neutral to pull the vehicle. As this happened, five cars were in the area, and several had to swerve and fly off the road onto the dirt shoulder. We barely missed the car in front of us, and the car behind us had to lock up its breaks not to hit us. Our car gradually slowed down and cost off the road about 50 yards or so after losing power, as it was very difficult to get the vehicle to steer; it took everything I had to turn the wheel to get it off the road. We put on the emergency blinkers, but the vehicle lights flashed erratically inside and outside the car. We had over a dozen warnings flash on our dashboard about vehicle failure. The speakers in the car were making a thumping sound on their own as the car was flashing headlights, brake lights, and flashers on their own and very sporadically. It was like a disco club in the car as all the lights were flashing on and of at a rapid rate. The other cars stoppe and were very angry at us as the screamed at us that we almost caused an accident.

NHTSA complaint #11493140 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Solomons, MD

SERVICE BRAKES

I keep receiving a fault for the front camera which seems to be a very common occurrence amongst Mach-e owners lately. After receiving this message, the cruise control abruptly kicks off. All functions of the cruise control do not work in this instance…adaptive, speed keeping, lane control, etc. This fault happens about once every couple of minutes while driving. When I’m using cruise control in ‘one-pedal’ drive mode and this fault occurs, the vehicle immediately starts braking. This happened one time as I was entering a narrow bridge in Solomons, MD, and a car behind me nearly rear ended me.

NHTSA complaint #11490513 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Fords, NJ

SERVICE BRAKES

The rear brake pads have grinned into the rotors causing a rusted ring around the rear rotors. During braking, harsh metal-on-metal noise can be heard in low speed braking applications. Performance-wise, noticeably longer braking distances in low speed braking applications were observed. I Have been to the dealership multiple times however, I was told this was ‘normal’ by chief service managers. Loud braking noise and weakened braking performance should not be observed after fewer than 11k miles and less than a year of ownership.

NHTSA complaint #11486251 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

San Antonio, TX

SERVICE BRAKES

The HVBJB subassembly in ALL Ford Mach-e vehicles has known defects with 'under-designed' main contactors that known to fail under normal charging and driving conditions as outlined in current open Ford recall notice for my vehicle 22s41. Any internal damage to contactors is not externally visibley, and warning notices on display only after damage has occurred, and can result in sudden loss of propulsion power at highway speed, loss of power steering, power brakes and failure of other 12v systems due to failure to charge the 12v battery properly after contactors are damaged. Less catastrophic results can include failure to start; which can 'strand' driver's and passengers in remote areas, bad weather conditions, as well as cause loss of use for weeks due to delays in replacement parts and local Dealerships NEED equipment and training to effect removal/replacement of faulty unit with a new HVBJB having re-designed 'beefier' components.​ ​ My complaint is that Ford's recall notice 22s41 is a software-only band aid and does not require removal of the parts KNOWN TO FAIL. These parts should be replaced with the re-designed components which are available, and have been used to repair failures under warranty. I have no way of inspecting the original equipment to evaluate current condition; and failure can result in sudden and unexpected loss of power, steering, and braking as well as potentially 'stranding me' in unsafe conditions unable to re-start my vehicle.​ I suffered a failure related to this post-recall and had a sudden and permanent loss of power while driving at Texas highway speeds (70mph) in congested morning traffic. Fortunately I was able to make my way off the highway but other conditions could have ended up worse. ​ Software "fixes" are not the solution and the actual problem of the defective parts need to be replaced in the affected models to avoid possible injuries and fatalities from these vehicles.

NHTSA complaint #11475350 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Lincoln, DE

SERVICE BRAKES

While driving around a curve, my car lost all power and went completely dark. I didn't have brakes, steering, lights or any other functions. My car was completely bricked. This happened before daylight and I didn't have emergency flashers to notify other drivers I was stopped on the side of the road. After waiting for 6 hours for a tow truck, I went and tried to find the problem myself. I found a loose connection. It was the main power feed supplying the fuse box. Once I tightened it up, I was able to start and drive the car. I've attached a picture of the connection I tightened.

NHTSA complaint #11462003 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Sun Prairie, WI

SERVICE BRAKES

As the vehicle was braking to a stop at a stoplight the rear motors began chattering. The vehicle stopped and gave multiple error messages including "Shift System Fault" and "Stop Vehicle Safely." It locked the parking brake and could not be moved. It was stuck in the middle of a busy intersection on a county highway. It could not be driven or pushed out of traffic until the error cleared. It was a hazard to the occupants and other drivers on the road. 911 was called to get support with traffic. There was no indication before this failure occurred. It will be going in for service in 2 days. This is the second occurrence of the failure on this vehicle, the previous one at 2011 miles.

NHTSA complaint #11454597 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other 2021 Ford Mustang Mach E problems

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