2023 FORD MUSTANG MACH E Forward Collision Avoidance Problems

Vehicle: 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E (leased) The issue involves the cruise control system and steering wheel control layout (human-machine interface). Cruise control is unintentionally activated when attempting to use the turn signal due to the placement of the cruise control buttons. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. On two separate occasions while using one-pedal driving, unintended cruise control activation caused sudden acceleration during low-speed turning maneuvers. The first incident occurred while signaling to turn into a parking spot. The second occurred while entering a left-turn pocket. In both cases, the unexpected acceleration created an immediate risk of collision with surrounding vehicles and required sudden panic braking to avoid an accident. The issue has occurred multiple times during normal driving but has not yet been formally reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center, and the vehicle has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer or other parties regarding this issue. No warning lamps, alerts, or messages appeared prior to the unintended acceleration. Cruise control engaged without driver intent and without advance warning.

Dear NHTSA Team, I am writing to urgently raise concern and seek answers regarding what appears to be a systemic safety issue affecting vehicles equipped with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and self-driving technologies. I have personally experienced repeated and dangerous incidents of phantom braking, overcorrection, and loss of control while driving a 2019 Toyota Prius. The car suddenly brakes, swerves, or pulls sharply when it detects shadows, road inclinations, or mild curves — making it unsafe to drive, especially at highway speeds. These events occur without any driver error. To make things worse, this issue is not limited to one brand or vehicle. Over the past year, I have driven and rented multiple cars from different brands and models through rental companies, and many of them presented the exact same unsafe behavior — unpredictable braking, steering correction, and traction instability. This clearly indicates that the issue is industry-wide, not isolated to a single manufacturer. I have been a professional rideshare driver for over five years, completing more than 500,000 miles without a single accident or ticket. Since October 2023, these vehicle behaviors have made it nearly impossible for me to continue working safely. This situation has destroyed my livelihood — I am now three months behind on rent, my mental health has been severely impacted, and I am facing homelessness for the second time in two years. All of this has happened because of unsafe technology that drivers cannot fully disable, even when it is clearly malfunctioning. I respectfully ask NHTSA: Why are automakers allowed to release and maintain these unsafe systems on public roads? Why do drivers not have the right to safely disable malfunctioning ADAS or self-driving features, like any other electronic system that can be shut down in an emergency? When will NHTSA take meaningful action to stop these dangerous practices before more lives are affected?

I’m writing this message out of frustration, exhaustion, and genuine concern for public safety. Over the past months, I’ve been renting and driving multiple cars from different brands and models — Toyota, Subaru, Nissan, and now a 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E — and all of them show the same dangerous behavior: •sudden phantom braking for no reason, •traction control malfunctioning, throwing the car from side to side, •unstable handling, especially on highways or during light rain. This is not an isolated case — it’s happening across several brands and systems, which makes me question what is really going on. Why are drivers being forced to deal with unreliable technology that clearly isn’t ready for real-world conditions? Are these systems being tested using real drivers as data sources to “teach” self-driving cars how to handle special situations? Because that’s what it feels like — we are being used without consent, forced to correct constant software mistakes that could cost lives. This situation has destroyed my professional and financial stability. I work as a rideshare driver (Uber and Lyft), and passengers have reported me as “unsafe” because the car suddenly brakes or moves erratically — something completely out of my control. I’ve lost access to stable work, fell behind on my car payments, and ended up returning my own vehicle because of all the expenses and stress trying to fix something that was never broken in the first place. And I have to ask: Why did NHTSA approve a regulation that prevents drivers from fully turning off these driver assistance systems? In what world does it make sense for a safety-critical technology to have no emergency off switch? In any other context — like electricity — we have breakers to stop the system when it becomes unsafe. Cars should be no different. I’ve lost almost everything I worked for because of this. Please, take this seriously. People’s lives, jobs, and mental health are being destroyed by this technology.

I’m writing this message out of frustration, exhaustion, and genuine concern for public safety. Over the past months, I’ve been renting and driving multiple cars from different brands and models — Toyota, Subaru, Nissan, and now a 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E and all of them show the same dangerous behavior: sudden phantom braking for no reason, traction control malfunctioning, throwing the car from side to side, unstable handling, especially on highways or during light rain. This is not an isolated case it’s happening across several brands and systems, which makes me question what is really going on. Why are drivers being forced to deal with unreliable technology that clearly isn’t ready for real-world conditions? Are these systems being tested using real drivers as data sources to “teach” self-driving cars how to handle special situations? Because that’s what it feels like we are being used without consent, forced to correct constant software mistakes that could cost lives. This situation has destroyed my professional and financial stability. I work as a rideshare driver (Uber and Lyft), and passengers have reported me as “unsafe” because the car suddenly brakes or moves erratically something completely out of my control. I’ve lost access to stable work, fell behind on my car payments, and ended up returning my own vehicle because of all the expenses and stress trying to fix something that was never broken in the first place. And I have to ask: Why did NHTSA approve a regulation that prevents drivers from fully turning off these driver assistance systems? In what world does it make sense for a safety-critical technology to have no emergency off switch? In any other context like electricity we have breakers to stop the system when it becomes unsafe. Cars should be no different. I’ve lost almost everything I worked for because of this. Please, take this seriously. People’s lives, jobs, and mental health are being destroyed by technology that we can’t control.

My car displayed a warning that the pre-collision assist was not available. This caused all of the safety features not to work (collision warning; lane departure warning; parking collision warning etc.) The car has been in and out of the dealership since Aug. 6th to repair this but Ford has not corrected the problem. We have not been told what is wrong with the car or any estimation on if or when it will be repaired. I requested the service documents for all of the records of when my car has been in the shop for this issue. I received the document but it has incorrect and missing information which causes me to be concerned that the issue is not being address but instead my car is being held with no efforts of a remedy. My car has not operated correctly for almost 2 months but the only service recorded was a replacement of a coaxial cable which did not fix the car.

The contact's husband owns a 2023 Ford Mustang Mach E. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle that was in front of the vehicle stopped abruptly. The contact stated that the driver depressed the brake pedal, and the vehicle started decelerating. The contact stated that Automatic Emergency Braking system then engaged, and the vehicle stop decelerating and crashed into the rear end of the other vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle sustained severe front end damage, but no air bags deployed. No injuries were reported. The other driver exited the vehicle, returned inside the vehicle and drove away from the scene. A police report was filed, but the police report number was not available. The vehicle was able to be driven away from the scene. The vehicle was taken to an autobody repair shop to be repaired. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the incident. The failure mileage was approximately 12,000.

Mileage: 12,000

While using ford Blue cruise I have found a major major safety flaw. While using blue cruise hands free driving over a major bridge in the middle of the day the car swerved a very hard left. Almost forcing me off the bridge. I believe the shadows that were cast on the bridge made the cars system malfunction. The incident has happened twice now and also someone else who has the same car in another state on a similar style brige with similar shadows while using blue cruise said the same thing has happened to them.

The contact owns a 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the safety features were independently deactivated. The contact stated that the message Forward Collision Avoidance brake assist unavailable was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed radar and front camera system. The contact was informed that the radar and front camera systems needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.

Mileage: 15,000

The contact owns a 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the safety features were independently deactivated. The contact stated that the message Forward Collision Avoidance brake assist unavailable was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed radar and front camera system. The contact was informed that the radar and front camera systems needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.

Mileage: 15,000

The contact owns a 2023 Ford Mustang Mach-E. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the safety features independently deactivated. In addition, the message “Forward Collision Avoidance Brake Assist Unavailable” was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed radar and front camera system. The contact was informed that the radar and front camera systems needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.

Mileage: 15,000

I have a 2023 Mach e premium on lease.  
I drive using single pedal mode. 
Three days ago I pulled into a parking spot in front of a restaurant in a plaza. When I took my foot off the accelerator the car came to a complete stop (as it should have ) … about a half a second later, before I could put the transmission into park, the vehicle went full throttle and jolted forward up over the curb onto the plaza sidewalk and crashed into a full brick column. I slammed on the breaks as fast as I could, but if the brick column was not there, we would have crashed into the restaurant. There is damage to the front drivers side of the vehicle. The airbags did not deploy. The beeping sensors never went off. Honestly, the experience scared the crap out of me. We’re lucky no one was injured. 
Ford has the car at the dealership now. 
they told me that something seems to have malfunctioned. They told me that the car should have deployed the airbags, the sensors should have went off, a deceleration stamp should be logged in the vehicle data and it should be telling ford that the car experienced a collision. None of that happened. 
needless to say, they are now telling me that because they can’t mimic the problem, Ford is instructing them to return the vehicle to me. 
they have nothing to repair, and are not taking ownership for the damage. I honestly don’t want to take the car back. 
my wife isn’t comfortable driving it anymore as she feels it’s a safety risk.

I have a 2023 Mach e premium on lease.  
I drive using single pedal mode. 
Three days ago I pulled into a parking spot in front of a restaurant in a plaza. When I took my foot off the accelerator the car came to a complete stop (as it should have ) … about a half a second later, before I could put the transmission into park, the vehicle went full throttle and jolted forward up over the curb onto the plaza sidewalk and crashed into a full brick column. I slammed on the breaks as fast as I could, but if the brick column was not there, we would have crashed into the restaurant. There is damage to the front drivers side of the vehicle. The airbags did not deploy. The beeping sensors never went off. Honestly, the experience scared the crap out of me. We’re lucky no one was injured. 
Ford has the car at the dealership now. 
they told me that something seems to have malfunctioned. They told me that the car should have deployed the airbags, the sensors should have went off, a deceleration stamp should be logged in the vehicle data and it should be telling ford that the car experienced a collision. None of that happened. 
needless to say, they are now telling me that because they can’t mimic the problem, Ford is instructing them to return the vehicle to me. 
they have nothing to repair, and are not taking ownership for the damage. I honestly don’t want to take the car back. 
my wife isn’t comfortable driving it anymore as she feels it’s a safety risk.

Was driving on hightway another vehicle was hit by a truck and sent ti my lane. Y hit it almost head on. My vehicle tire and front axle was ripted off. My side or car also damaged. Cas was total loss. No collision light and no air bags deployed

The Mach-E alert systems does not alert the driver if there's a pedestrian close by. The alert system alerts for vehicles only not pedestrians. I would like to see the car have same alert sensitivity for pedestrians as it does for vehicles. Also, when changing lanes lights on the side mirrors have warnings that a vehicle is close by. Ford should add an audible warning like beeping or ringing sound along with the lighted icons on mirrors.

While driving the 2023 Ford MachE in 1 Peddle mode Friday 12 July 2024. I had to suddenly brake due to a car cutting of the car in front of me to make an illegal turn. I applied the brakes (HARD) and my car came to a complete stop. Just as I was breathing a sigh of relief, and waiting for the still parked car in front of me to move. On I released my foot of the brake (the car should have held in place). However, warning lights sensors started beeping going crazy as the car lunged forward. It caused me to hit the car in front of me. The lunge was so forceful that for a moment I thought another car had rear-ended me and pushed me into the stopped car in front of me. I did not have time to see all of the alerts flashing on the dash as they were flashing as the car was propelled forward. The other car did not sustain any damage. However my car car did. While waiting on the Police to come make a report I did use the in car engineer feedback and recorded a message notifying Ford that my car had lunged forward. On Monday 15 July I called the Ford BEV team to tell them what happened. Was advised to take it to a dealership to be checked out. The dealership ran diagnostics and updated the car via a technical service bulletin. 24-2187 issued on 07 June 2024. Prior to me taking my car to the dealership I also came to your website and there were no active recalls and no mention of this bulletin. The bulletin address the 1 pedal drive fault. I was not aware of this TSB. I have documented over 50 posts related to this error and fail.

I just bought mach E. [XXX] I was in car line at Macdonalds to get food for my 14 year old son. The speeded itself to full speed. I luckily had both hands on wheel. I turned car to left away from car in front of me. Luckily I was able to put my foot on brakes and able to stop the car but not before killing couple of plants on curb. I manage to stop car just couple of feet away from building. In process I burst my front left tire and had to tow the car to nearest shop to get tire replacement. I complaint to Ford. Made sure they document everything. They haven't paid any attention to my calls and want me to pick car from dealership without getting into why it happened. Before this happened I noticed at least four times the car speeds up when you press cruise control button even without setting the set up button. Ford is not willing to do anything about it and I am scared to drive that car the way it shot at me and itself speeded while I was in car line. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

While driving the vehicle came to an abrupt stop in the middle of traffic. The vehicle had to be changed to a tow mode as it was stuck in park. The vehicle had not been driven more than 3days at this point. The vehicle was towed to a nearby dealer who found no issue and gave the vehicle back with errors still in the dash. The vehicle was then brought to a second dealer who found no issues after 5days of inspection. They advised all codes see cleared by the previous dealer. Vehicle then stopped again in the middle of traffic with no warning and was towed again. This was he 3rd attempt at accessing the issue on a 2week old purchase of which I had driven at most 1week. The vehicle abruptly stops while driving, displays a battery icon, a car icon with and exclamation, and a turtle icon. To which it has each time this has happened and the dealer seems to find no issue with this and sends me out to drive in safely again.

The car is accelerating by his own, without having the cruise control on and this happened a couple times, mostly after a full stop on a red light, until you don’t make a manual full emergency break it won’t stop. It can cause death if it accelerate it by his own, also couple times the front camera has a fall out and he’s warning the pre collision even no car is in front of you

The car is accelerating by his own, without having the cruise control on and this happened a couple times, mostly after a full stop on a red light, until you don’t make a manual full emergency break it won’t stop. It can cause death if it accelerate it by his own, also couple times the front camera has a fall out and he’s warning the pre collision even no car is in front of you