Ford Explorer HV battery failure

[minky monkey]

A good friend of mine has a 2024 Explorer - 10 months old, with 6000 miles.It's in the workshop at them moment as the HV battery has had a "catastrophic failure" and requires replacement.

Anyone come across this before? Ford are sending out a tech to look at it.

God knows how long the process is for this, worse case scenario - reject the car?

[Vsix and Vtec]

I wouldn't have thought this would need to go to those extremes, its still under warranty. I expect something simple like a new battery being fitted will happen.

[minky monkey]

It's the main EV battery that's failed rather than the 12v one. They're still not sure what caused it to fail.

[Mammasaid]

There's a one or two on the Explorer facebook Europe group, however it seems not to be an even uncommon issue.

They've all been sorted by Ford without issue, there's more of an issue with the 12V batteries, however a TSB has seemed to sort this.

Warranty is 8 years, 100,000 miles, it doesn't worry me.

[RotorRambler]

The MEB platform seems pretty good TBH, used by all of these:-

Volkswagen brand
VW ID.3 compact hatchback, Europe-focused.
VW ID.4 compact SUV, global.
VW ID.5 coupe-style SUV.
VW ID. Buzz electric van / microbus revival.
VW ID.6 larger SUV (China-only).

Audi brand
Audi Q4 e-tron compact SUV.
Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron coupe-style SUV.
Audi Q5 e-tron (China) larger SUV.

Skoda brand
Skoda Enyaq iV mid-size SUV.
Skoda Enyaq Coupé iV coupe SUV.

Cupra brand (SEAT s performance EV brand)
Cupra Born hot hatch / compact EV.
Cupra Tavascan (planned) SUV.

Ford
Ford Explorer EV (Europe) rebadged, adapted MEB SUV.

[Actual]

In September 2024 we took delivery of our Ford Explorer EV and after 2 days and 155 miles it had a total failure. After 4 weeks at the dealership Ford UK purchased back the broken vehicle and provided an identical replacement. After a few months the replacement vehicle suffered a total dashboard failure but it could be driven to the dealership where is was for another 4 weeks.

Countless hours was spent in discussion with Ford and the dealer and although everyone was extremely helpful and sympathetic nothing could ever make the process easier or bring about a more rapid conclusion.

Goodwill payments of around £300 were paid by Ford but we were still out of pocket and the amount of compensation goes nowhere near the time, effort and inconvenience endured over many weeks.

From following FB groups it seems that any incident with the Ford Explorer EV faces weeks or even months even to be booked in at a Ford dealer while arrangements are made for a Ford specialist to get involved and then there is a similar wait for repairs.

[dxg]

RotorRambler said:

The MEB platform seems pretty good TBH, used by all of these:-

Volkswagen brand
VW ID.3 compact hatchback, Europe-focused.
VW ID.4 compact SUV, global.
VW ID.5 coupe-style SUV.
VW ID. Buzz electric van / microbus revival.
VW ID.6 larger SUV (China-only).

Audi brand
Audi Q4 e-tron compact SUV.
Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron coupe-style SUV.
Audi Q5 e-tron (China) larger SUV.

Skoda brand
Skoda Enyaq iV mid-size SUV.
Skoda Enyaq Coupé iV coupe SUV.

Cupra brand (SEAT s performance EV brand)
Cupra Born hot hatch / compact EV.
Cupra Tavascan (planned) SUV.

Ford
Ford Explorer EV (Europe) rebadged, adapted MEB SUV.

Don't forget about the Ford Capri. Even though that would be for the best.

[Cobnapint]

minky monkey said:

A good friend of mine has a 2024 Explorer - 10 months old, with 6000 miles.It's in the workshop at them moment as the HV battery has had a "catastrophic failure" and requires replacement.

Anyone come across this before? Ford are sending out a tech to look at it.

God knows how long the process is for this, worse case scenario - reject the car?

Probably a long time. They'll want to download every log going on the vehicle, examine the faulty battery pack with a fine toothed comb and test the onboard charger and other charging ancillaries to make sure it isn't over charging or doing anything daft.

What a mare.

[MrDriver44]

Hi all, I have had the same issue. Main battery failure. On the dashboard, it said 12-volt failure, and the car stopped dead in traffic . Garage has said 2 /3 weeks for a replacement battery. Not happy even though it is under warranty. This seems to be a common issue, not just one-offs.

[Mammasaid]

MrDriver44 said:

Hi all, I have had the same issue. Main battery failure. On the dashboard, it said 12-volt failure, and the car stopped dead in traffic . Garage has said 2 /3 weeks for a replacement battery. Not happy even though it is under warranty. This seems to be a common issue, not just one-offs.

12V or traction battery? The 12V failure has been reasonably common, however the failure of the main traction battery far less so. THe 12V failure has been covered by a CSB, I had mine done in April, with no issues (before or after).

[blueg33]

Sheepshanks said:

Actual said:

In September 2024 we took delivery of our Ford Explorer EV and after 2 days and 155 miles it had a total failure. After 4 weeks at the dealership Ford UK purchased back the broken vehicle and provided an identical replacement. After a few months the replacement vehicle suffered a total dashboard failure but it could be driven to the dealership where is was for another 4 weeks.

Countless hours was spent in discussion with Ford and the dealer and although everyone was extremely helpful and sympathetic nothing could ever make the process easier or bring about a more rapid conclusion.

Goodwill payments of around £300 were paid by Ford but we were still out of pocket and the amount of compensation goes nowhere near the time, effort and inconvenience endured over many weeks.

From following FB groups it seems that any incident with the Ford Explorer EV faces weeks or even months even to be booked in at a Ford dealer while arrangements are made for a Ford specialist to get involved and then there is a similar wait for repairs.

To be honest none of that sounds unusual for an EV issue. We bought a Hyundai but I was still concerned enough that I kept the car it replaced, just in case. When Hyundai have to replace batteries the cars go back to their import centre.

This sort of thing happens with ICE cars too. My Audi A6 had a catastrophic failure on day 1 with 30 miles on the clock. Car was rejected as the failure let to significant water damage to the interior. Second car had numerous electronic issues especially with the infotainment. It took nearly a year until is was sorted.

The danger with these threads is that the faults are painted as EV issues, when in reality they are new car issues that can affect cars regardless of drivetrain and fuel.

[Mammasaid]

blueg33 said:

This sort of thing happens with ICE cars too. My Audi A6 had a catastrophic failure on day 1 with 30 miles on the clock. Car was rejected as the failure let to significant water damage to the interior. Second car had numerous electronic issues especially with the infotainment. It took nearly a year until is was sorted.

The danger with these threads is that the faults are painted as EV issues, when in reality they are new car issues that can affect cars regardless of drivetrain and fuel.

Exactly, if you went by the owner's forums for any car, you'd never buy anything, not even a Corolla!

[Actual]

Mammasaid said:

blueg33 said:

This sort of thing happens with ICE cars too. My Audi A6 had a catastrophic failure on day 1 with 30 miles on the clock. Car was rejected as the failure let to significant water damage to the interior. Second car had numerous electronic issues especially with the infotainment. It took nearly a year until is was sorted.

The danger with these threads is that the faults are painted as EV issues, when in reality they are new car issues that can affect cars regardless of drivetrain and fuel.

Exactly, if you went by the owner's forums for any car, you'd never buy anything, not even a Corolla!

I have owned 12 Ford cars from Fiesta to Mustang and Ford suits me.

I will continue to highlight my recent problems to everyone I can because when spending £53K on any any product I want seamless customer support direct from the manufacturer to maintain the style that I paid my money for. Although everyone was very pleasant having me manage for 8 weeks with dealer courtesy and hire cars just doesn't cut it.

The real concern is what to do when the 3 year warranty expires as a serious fault could render the vehicle into a completely worthless pile of junk.

[Sheepshanks]

blueg33 said:

This sort of thing happens with ICE cars too. My Audi A6 had a catastrophic failure on day 1 with 30 miles on the clock. Car was rejected as the failure let to significant water damage to the interior. Second car had numerous electronic issues especially with the infotainment. It took nearly a year until is was sorted.

The danger with these threads is that the faults are painted as EV issues, when in reality they are new car issues that can affect cars regardless of drivetrain and fuel.

That’s true, but it does seem to be common with EVs that when they develop an issue it takes considerable time to resolve. We’re hearing of far more EVs having batteries replaced than ICE cars having new engines.

[essayer]

It's not a difficult job to replace a failing module from an EV battery, but it is hazardous work and probably not one to do in a general workshop. So dealers prefer to swap the whole pack, especially when warranty is paying.

[RotorRambler]

Sheepshanks said:

blueg33 said:

This sort of thing happens with ICE cars too. My Audi A6 had a catastrophic failure on day 1 with 30 miles on the clock. Car was rejected as the failure let to significant water damage to the interior. Second car had numerous electronic issues especially with the infotainment. It took nearly a year until is was sorted.

The danger with these threads is that the faults are painted as EV issues, when in reality they are new car issues that can affect cars regardless of drivetrain and fuel.

That s true, but it does seem to be common with EVs that when they develop an issue it takes considerable time to resolve. We re hearing of far more EVs having batteries replaced than ICE cars having new engines.

It is false to say that far more EVs are having battery replacements than ICE cars are having engine replacements. The evidence is that battery replacement in EVs is quite rare (especially for newer models), and engine replacement in ICE cars is also rare—but both are exceptional rather than routine.
It is true that serious repairs (especially non-routine, collision damage etc.) tend to take longer and cost more for EVs in many cases (due to newer tech, parts, safety protocols). But for routine maintenance & wear-and-tear, EVs are often cheaper and simpler”

“ For model years more recent (2016+), battery replacement rates due to failure are well under 1%”

[sam.rog]

Sheepshanks said:

That s true, but it does seem to be common with EVs that when they develop an issue it takes considerable time to resolve. We re hearing of far more EVs having batteries replaced than ICE cars having new engines.

What nonsense.
As with any new technology. It takes time to get staff trained. EV battery failure is so uncommon there isn’t a large pool of people who can work on them. Unlike ICE.

Engine failures are a daily occurrence for any workshop. They are fixed relatively quickly due to years and years of doing it. Every tech in the workshop will be able to replace an engine.

Complete EV battery failure are magnitudes less common than ICE failures.

[blueg33]

sam.rog said:

Sheepshanks said:

That s true, but it does seem to be common with EVs that when they develop an issue it takes considerable time to resolve. We re hearing of far more EVs having batteries replaced than ICE cars having new engines.

What nonsense.
As with any new technology. It takes time to get staff trained. EV battery failure is so uncommon there isn t a large pool of people who can work on them. Unlike ICE.

Engine failures are a daily occurrence for any workshop. They are fixed relatively quickly due to years and years of doing it. Every tech in the workshop will be able to replace an engine.

Complete EV battery failure are magnitudes less common than ICE failures.

It took Alfa 18 months to fix a misfire on my Giulia Veloce

[plfrench]

blueg33 said:

sam.rog said:

Sheepshanks said:

That s true, but it does seem to be common with EVs that when they develop an issue it takes considerable time to resolve. We re hearing of far more EVs having batteries replaced than ICE cars having new engines.

What nonsense.
As with any new technology. It takes time to get staff trained. EV battery failure is so uncommon there isn t a large pool of people who can work on them. Unlike ICE.

Engine failures are a daily occurrence for any workshop. They are fixed relatively quickly due to years and years of doing it. Every tech in the workshop will be able to replace an engine.

Complete EV battery failure are magnitudes less common than ICE failures.

It took Alfa 18 months to fix a misfire on my Giulia Veloce

Audi had my Diesel A3 for two years and still couldn't resolve it continually going into limp mode with the occasional hydraulic brake servo issue thrown in to spice things up a bit. New turbo, new ECU, new every sensor they could think of, every hose they could replace, and still no luck. Just hopeless.

[blueg33]

plfrench said:

blueg33 said:

sam.rog said:

Sheepshanks said:

That s true, but it does seem to be common with EVs that when they develop an issue it takes considerable time to resolve. We re hearing of far more EVs having batteries replaced than ICE cars having new engines.

What nonsense.
As with any new technology. It takes time to get staff trained. EV battery failure is so uncommon there isn t a large pool of people who can work on them. Unlike ICE.

Engine failures are a daily occurrence for any workshop. They are fixed relatively quickly due to years and years of doing it. Every tech in the workshop will be able to replace an engine.

Complete EV battery failure are magnitudes less common than ICE failures.

It took Alfa 18 months to fix a misfire on my Giulia Veloce

Audi had my Diesel A3 for two years and still couldn't resolve it continually going into limp mode with the occasional hydraulic brake servo issue thrown in to spice things up a bit. New turbo, new ECU, new every sensor they could think of, every hose they could replace, and still no luck. Just hopeless.

I think the problem is usually down to computers and software which are out of scope for many technicians, if the laptop can't diagnose a problem they are stuck. Carburettors and brakes connected by a pipe and a piston are fixable by a man with a spanner, driver by wire, adaptive fuel injection etc etc are not.