Ford and their executives have not been ones to shy away from criticizing Tesla. Late last year before deliveries of the new Mustang Mach-E began, the leader of their EV business in North America Darren Palmer said owners of the electric SUV won’t have to compromise on build quality.
“The doors fit properly, the plastics and other materials color-match, the bumpers don’t fall off, the roof doesn’t come off when you wash it, the door handles don’t get stuck in cold weather.”
The comments were all in reference to issues that Tesla has faced over the last few years. In particular the point about the roof was in reference to a single case a few months earlier where the glass roof of a Model Y came off soon after delivery.
It appears as though Palmer will have to retract his statement and eat a piece of humble pie.
The company has had to issue two separate recalls in Canada impacting nearly 5,000 Mach-E cars over build quality issues.
Ironically, one of the recalls is for the potential of the glass roof coming off.
According to Transport Canada Recall #2021-561, dated September 15 2021, the issue lies with the adhesive used to install the panoramic glass roof* in 1,812 Mach-E cars.
Issue:On certain vehicles, the glass panel of the panoramic sunroof may not be properly attached. Over time, the glass could become loose and separate from the vehicle.
Safety Risk: A glass roof panel that detaches from the vehicle could create a road hazard for others and increase the risk of a crash.
Corrective Actions:Ford will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a Ford dealer to clean and install additional adhesive to the panoramic roof glass.
A separate recall, #2021-560 impact 3,178 Mach-E cars and is over the possibility of the windshield detaching.
Issue: On certain vehicles, the windshield may not be properly attached. As a result, the glass can become loose and could separate from the vehicle in a crash.
Safety Risk: A windshield that detaches in a crash could create an increased risk of injury.
Corrective Action: Ford will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to remove and reinstall the windshield.
The recall only appears to be for Canadian Mach-E owners at the moment. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) database only lists an earlier recall for loose subframe bolts.
It will be interesting to see what, if anything, Ford and their executives have to say about the issues. There has been very little media coverage of this recall, with no mention of it on the company’s website. There has also only been one short article from Motor Illustrated on the topic.
While it would be nice to see Ford do a mea culpa, we aren’t holding our breath waiting for it to happen.
*Editor’s note: Recall 2021-561 actually says glass sunroof, but the Mach-E doesn’t come equipped with a sunroof, so we assume this to mean the panoramic glass roof.
