2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E problems, complaints & recalls
NHTSA has received 351 owner complaints about the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E, or 60.6 per year on the road — more complaints than typical (complaint index 1.50, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 85 model-year 2021 vehicles we track, it ranks #66 of 85 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest). Against other Ford models its rate is 20% higher; against other Electric vehicles it is 19% higher.
Counts are normalized by time on the road, not by sales volume: a popular model generates more reports than a rare one, and complaints are not verified individually. How we count
Complaints filed between 2021-03-24 and 2026-10-11. Median delay from incident to filing: 11 days.
Analysis
The following model year (2022) drew 29.0 per year, fewer than this one. In its first two years on the road the 2021 model collected 119 complaints, 95% higher than the average vehicle of the same model year.
The most common problem area is Electrical (35.9% of complaints), followed by Driver-assist systems (20.8%) and Transmission / powertrain (13.1%). Electrical complaints are 2.3 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. 16 reports (4.6%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 9 injuries and 0 deaths.
Half of the reported incidents happened within 32 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was years three to five (33% of incidents). In the last 12 months 36 new complaints were filed, versus 62 in the 12 months before — down 42%.
NHTSA lists no safety recalls for this model year. 4 NHTSA investigations cover this model year; the most recent is “Collisions Involving Ford BlueCruise” (engineering analysis, opened 2025-01-17, still open).
Complaint index
- vs. all tracked vehicles1.5
- vs. other Ford models1.2
- vs. other 2021 models1.56
- vs. other Electric vehicles1.19
- Complaints in first 2 years on the road · vs. same-year average (119)1.95
- #66 of 85 · 2021Rankings ›
1.00 means the same rate as the comparison group. 2.00 means twice as many complaints per year on the road.
What owners complain about
vs. all vehicles: 1.00 = All-vehicle average
Problem areas: Electrical · Transmission / powertrain · Driver-assist systems · Brakes · Unspecified or other · Engine
When complaints were filed
- Crashes reported: 15
- Fires reported: 1
- Injuries: 9
- Deaths: 0
Vehicle age at incident
Median age at incident: 32 months
What owners report
I was involved in a car accident on the XXX I was in the turn lane and a second vehicle hit my driver side, spun me around, and I ended up facing the opposite direction. What occurred next is my safety complaint.
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.
2021 model mustang Mache got a new High Voltage Battery Warning on the dashboard and asked to stop the vehicle. My car is Premium trim standard range, but other trims and extended range battery models were recalled for this exact issue earlier, but the…
The Pre-Collision Assist becomes suddenly unavailable when driving over uneven surfaces, including bumps and rumble strips.
This is linked to tracking case 11768528. I wanted to provide the tsb: 23-2040. The fault causes the pre-collision assist to become disabled.
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Segment peers · 2021 · Electric vehicles
| Models | Complaints | Complaints per year on the road | Complaint index |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 Tesla Model X | 41 | 7.1 | 0.18 |
| 2021 Chevrolet Bolt EV | 67 | 11.6 | 0.29 |
| 2021 Tesla Model S | 179 | 30.9 | 0.77 |
| 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 | 336 | 58.1 | 1.44 |
| 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E | 351 | 60.6 | 1.5 |
| 2021 Tesla Model 3 | 669 | 115.6 | 2.86 |
| 2021 Tesla Model Y | 1,089 | 188.2 | 4.66 |
Safety recalls (0)
No recalls on record for this model year.
Investigations
- Collisions Involving Ford BlueCruise Open
On April 25, 2024, NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE24012) to assess BlueCruise, a partial driving automation system available on certain vehicles manufactured by Ford Motor Company (Ford). NHTSA opened the investigation after the agency received notice of two fatal collisions involving BlueCruise-equipped Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles. Based on the i…
- Collisions Involving Ford BlueCruise Closed
On April 25, 2024, NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE24012) to assess BlueCruise, a partial driving automation system available on certain vehicles manufactured by Ford Motor Company (Ford). NHTSA opened the investigation after the agency received notice of two fatal collisions involving BlueCruise-equipped Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles. Based on the i…
- High Voltage Battery Contactor Failure Closed
On August 17, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened RQ23-004 to investigate instances of loss of motor power due to overheating high voltage battery contactors in model year (MY) 2021-2022 Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles (subject vehicles). This Recall Query (RQ) was opened after receiving 12 consumer complaints alleging a high voltage battery main contactor failure in subject vehic…
- Pedestrian alert sounds Closed
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and ele…