Ford Recalls 43,000 Mustang Mach-E EVs Over Diffs That May Go ‘Bang’

The root cause hasn’t been determined yet.

2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E at Model T factory

Iulian Dnistran

By: Iulian Dnistran

Jul 8, at 5:20am ET

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Ford has issued a recall for nearly 43,000 Mustang Mach-E electric crossovers sold in the U.S.
The vehicles included in the recall have a rear differential pinion shaft that may fracture, potentially resulting in a loss of power or unintended movement.
The automaker hasn’t determined the root cause of the issue yet, but is doing the right thing by fixing the cars for free.

Nearly 43,000 Ford Mustang Mach-E electric crossovers sold in the United States are being recalled over a potentially dangerous issue with the rear differential. According to official documents published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the affected vehicles’ differential pinion shaft may fracture due to bending fatigue.

This leads to a loss of driving power or unintended vehicle movement if the parking brake is not applied. The pinion shaft is the one responsible for taking power from the electric motor and sending it down the line to the wheels, so if it breaks, the driver will be stranded.

2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E

All the cars included in this recall, totaling 42,784 units sold stateside, have a rear-wheel-drive drivetrain, so there’s no front motor that can keep the car moving if the rear diff breaks.

Ford has included certain 2021, 2022, and 2023 Mustang Mach-Es in this recall, but the ones with the faulty pinion shaft were not assembled in VIN order. The company first discovered the problem on a 2023 crossover from Europe and opened an internal investigation to find out what was going on. Since then, Ford has become aware of 82 cases related to this problem globally, but the American automaker is not aware of any reports of accidents, injuries, or fires.

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The blue oval brand is still looking into what is causing the pinion shaft to fracture, but until it finds the root cause, it’s instructing owners of affected vehicles to head to a Ford or Lincoln Dealer to have their cars inspected and repaired free of charge. Depending on the condition, the rear differential assembly will be repaired or replaced, with a more robust differential pinion being installed.

Dealers have already been notified of the recall on July 1, while owners will start receiving notification letters on July 13.

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