Few EV readings are more important than the number showing how much battery remains. For 86 Ford Mustang Mach-E owners, however, that figure may be misleading in an especially unusual way. The issue affects vehicles that had already undergone repairs.
Ford is recalling certain 2023-2025 Mustang Mach-E models with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries because of a problem with replacement Battery Energy Control Modules, or BECMs. The automaker estimates that all 86 vehicles covered by the recall have the defect.
The issue occurs when a replacement BECM is installed. Instead of carrying over the battery’s actual State of Health, the module can initialize that value at 100 percent, as if the battery were new. The resulting error is more serious than a minor discrepancy in the displayed percentage.
Because the vehicle thinks the battery is in better condition than it is, it may also show an artificially high State of Charge on the instrument cluster. That can make the driver believe more energy remains than is actually available, eventually causing unexpected power limitation and a complete loss of motive power. A wrench or turtle warning light may appear as the Mach-E reduces power.
Ford also identified a potentially more serious consequence. The incorrect State of Health calculation may increase lithium plating in the battery cells over repeated DC fast-charging cycles. Severe lithium plating can raise the risk of thermal venting and possibly a vehicle fire. Ford said it was not aware of any crashes, injuries, or fires connected to the issue at the time of its filing, and had found no field reports specifically related to the State of Health overestimation.
A software update will fix the problem by allowing the BECM to identify and use the actual State of Health of the associated battery. Although the recall is small, it highlights how heavily modern EVs depend on software accurately monitoring battery conditions.
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