Mach-E front motor dead at 33.5K

[Trav]

Yeah I stopped paying attention to CR for that reason. Cars with solid reliability on major components like powertrain getting dinged for little minor issues like seatbelt or radio etc.

Instead of owner feedback I rather look at the TÜV report. Cars are inspected by qualified engineers over years, if there is anything that needs attention they will find it, front to rear over and under, inside and out it gets a thorough going over. If they declare the car as crap you can bet money it is correct.

https://www.carscoops.com/2025/11/an-american-model-was-germanys-most-defective-vehicle-this-year/

https://car-recalls.eu/reliability/reliability-tuv-report-2025-2-3-years/

 

[Brons2]

Instead of owner feedback I rather look at the TÜV report. Cars are inspected by qualified engineers over years, if there is anything that needs attention they will find it, front to rear over and under, inside and out it gets a thorough going over. If they declare the car as crap you can bet money it is correct.

https://www.carscoops.com/2025/11/an-american-model-was-germanys-most-defective-vehicle-this-year/

https://car-recalls.eu/reliability/reliability-tuv-report-2025-2-3-years/

Unfortunately this is probably too "big brother" for people in 'MURICA to stomach. But, it makes me feel better about a Made in Deutschland model.

 

[alarmguy]

Instead of owner feedback I rather look at the TÜV report. Cars are inspected by qualified engineers over years, if there is anything that needs attention they will find it, front to rear over and under, inside and out it gets a thorough going over. If they declare the car as crap you can bet money it is correct.

https://www.carscoops.com/2025/11/an-american-model-was-germanys-most-defective-vehicle-this-year/

https://car-recalls.eu/reliability/reliability-tuv-report-2025-2-3-years/

Yeah, but what is sold in Germany isn’t always sold here.
Not only that, but these German engineers, that rate these cars gave the 4 most popular types of vehicles, top rated awards to all German companies

Either way different country different agency and different models in many cases that I would take with a grain of salt

 

[Brons2]

Yeah, but what is sold in Germany isn’t always sold here.
Not only that, but these German engineers, that rate these cars gave the 4 most popular types of vehicles, top rated awards to all German companies

I would say "mostly isn't sold here"

The cars are a lot different in Germany proper than what's offered here by German companies.

 

[Trav]

Yeah, but what is sold in Germany isn’t always sold here.
Not only that, but these German engineers, that rate these cars gave the 4 most popular types of vehicles, top rated awards to all German companies

Either way different country different agency and different models in many cases that I would take with a grain of salt

Made in Germany cars are much better than the ones or parts they make in the US, Mexico and Brazil (mostly parts) that are commonly found in the US. Sad but true.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Made in Germany cars are much better than the ones or parts they make in the US, Mexico and Brazil (mostly parts) that are commonly found in the US. Sad but true.

Why is that?

 

[4wd]

I used to be a CR subscriber, a long time ago. It was fun to read, but that's about it. It is not a proper scientific survey, by definition. But CR can be used as a data point.

Personally, I became suspicious when a given vehicle was great one year and a dog the next. Also, their groupings were poorly or not defined, rendering them meaningless. Quien sabe?

Or rebadged units reviewed with drastically different results

 

[Brons2]

Well the parts finally arrived today after 11 days. I asked if it would be ready in which case I would take the loaner to the office but they aren't sure.

 

[Brons2]

...and it's ready as of noon today. The dealer is about a mile from my office so I will turn in the loaner and drive it home in a couple of hours.

 

[KCJeep]

...and it's ready as of noon today. The dealer is about a mile from my office so I will turn in the loaner and drive it home in a couple of hours.

I had “heard” that even at the Ford dealerships they didn’t really know how to work on the EVs. Any truth to that? Obviously they just fixed yours….

 

[Brons2]

I had “heard” that even at the Ford dealerships they didn’t really know how to work on the EVs. Any truth to that? Obviously they just fixed yours….

I have heard this also that they are hit and miss regarding working on EVs, but so far so good with my dealer. I also live in an area with relatively high EV ownership so that might be part of it also.

 

[fdcg27]

I have heard this also that they are hit and miss regarding working on EVs, but so far so good with my dealer. I also live in an area with relatively high EV ownership so that might be part of it also.

It's probably a matter of the techs having limited experience with the EV models.
As they become more familiar with them repair services will likely become more consistent.

 

[Brons2]

Hasn't missed a beat since we picked it up on Wednesday and it's been driven a few hundred miles. I think we're good to go.

 

[4wd]

I also live in an area with relatively high EV ownership so that might be part of it also.

That’s the difference - I can assure you that our small town techs can do two
F series cab off’s per day - but can’t spell EV

 

[KrisZ]

Why is that?

Manufacturing naturally has variations. Everything from how old the equipment is, to how often the cutting bits are changed, to even how contaminated the cutting coolant is, can affect the quality of a manufactured component.
Just because most of the machining is computer controlled, doesn’t mean all parts come out the same, because it also takes skill and experience of the operator to setup the part and pay attention to what’s happening.

My guess is that German workers are more skilled and experienced than those in Mexico or South America and they produce higher quality parts as a result. And who would’ve thought actual skill and experience actually matters?

 

[JeffKeryk]

Manufacturing naturally has variations. Everything from how old the equipment is, to how often the cutting bits are changed, to even how contaminated the cutting coolant is, can affect the quality of a manufactured component.
Just because most of the machining is computer controlled, doesn’t mean all parts come out the same, because it also takes skill and experience of the operator to setup the part and pay attention to what’s happening.

My guess is that German workers are more skilled and experienced than those in Mexico or South America and they produce higher quality parts as a result. And who would’ve thought actual skill and experience actually matters?

Respectfully, that's a general response, but not an answer.

My career was in manufacturing systems, having coded solutions in Root Cause Analysis. RCA is a structured problem solving method used to identify the reasons for a failure rather than just treating surface level symptoms.

If in fact the German processes, or any processes, are better, why wouldn't the parent company instill them in other plants? That's effective management.

 

[KrisZ]

Respectfully, that's a general response, but not an answer.

My career was in manufacturing systems, having coded solutions in Root Cause Analysis. RCA is a structured problem solving method used to identify the reasons for a failure rather than just treating surface level symptoms.

Then you should understand that I'm in no position to give you a specific answer as I would have to study the manufacturing method in both locations, in order to do that.
The bottom line is that there is a difference and the manufacturer clearly doesn't care to address it.

 

[JeffKeryk]

Then you should understand that I'm in no position to give you a specific answer as I would have to study the manufacturing method in both locations, in order to do that.
The bottom line is that there is a difference and the manufacturer clearly doesn't care to address it.

First, I meant no disrespect which is why I started with "Respectfully".
You are spot on; results are by definition a management issue, not the worker.

I am not sure we have determined there is a difference, that was part of my original question. I am only looking for specifics. And possible solutions. For continuous improvement, these are questions management should be asking.

I do appreciate your taking a shot at my question.

 

[1lieutenant]

Consumer reports 2025 reliability scores based on consumer survey responses. The Ford Mustang Mach E ranked number one.
1. Mach E number one in reliability, score 93
2. Subaru Solterra - 90
3. Volkswagen. Id4 - 56
4. Honda prologue - 36
5. Hyundai Ioniq5 - 35
6. Kia EV6 -30
7. Tesla Model Y - 30
8. Chevy Blazer - 22

If it helps the OP the electric motor and drive system was rated best five out of five. I’m not defending Ford. I’m just relaying information. I would be very leery after his experience but it seems like it’s not a common issue at all. I’m not sure what year the OP has

Sidenote, I had a nephew who purchased a Mach E I believe in the first production year, possibly the second and it had to be bought back under the NYS lemon law. They just couldn’t get the charging right however he did get another one because he loved the car so much.

Just looked up CR. Seems some of the ratings on new EV vehicles has changed. This is for 2026 models. Remarkable how many show up as 50 or so out of 100 in reliability. Tesla model y was the best.

 

[KrisZ]

First, I meant no disrespect which is why I started with "Respectfully".
You are spot on; results are by definition a management issue, not the worker.

I am not sure we have determined there is a difference, that was part of my original question. I am only looking for specifics. And possible solutions. For continuous improvement, these are questions management should be asking.

I do appreciate your taking a shot at my question.

I didn't take your comments negatively, so apologies if my reply seemed like I did.
Trav used to wrench on these cars, and probably still does, so I take his word that there is a difference.

And since I'm familiar with manufacturing, I elaborated what could be the cause, which of course is my speculation only. But generally speaking, just having a different location will have an effect on the product, even if everything else seems to be identical. Even Toyota's plants in Japan have varying levels of quality. That's the nature of manufacturing, we cannot make things that are identical.