The 2022 Consumer Reports (CR) reliability survey has cost the Ford Mustang Mach-E its coveted "recommended" rating. Moreover, Ford ranked 18th out of 24 brands, a four-place drop from last year. As you may have read in our earlier report, Lincoln climbed 14 places in a single year and was the only American brand to make it into the top 10, dominated by Asian brands.
The Mach-E is one of seven vehicles to lose its "recommended" rating. Other high-profile examples include the Hyundai Elantra and the Volvo XC60.
Ford will need to take action to restore the Mach-E to its former recommended status, as consumers who do their research properly rely on non-profit organizations like CR to tell them whether a car is reliable or not.
CR uses only surveys sent out to all of its members. These members report any problems they might have had in 17 different categories ranging from the brakes to the quality of the paint. The survey is not limited to a score, but members are encouraged to explain the problems they experienced. Once everything is read and calculated, CR ends up with data on more than 300,000 vehicles.
A vehicle has to hit several targets to get "recommended" status. It must do well in crash tests, which the Mach-E already has in the bag. The IIHS gave the 2022 model a Top Safety Pick award, the second-highest accolade a car can get.
That means the Mach-E fell short in the reliability department, which is a giant red flag to anyone in the market for a no-fuss EV driving experience.
According to Ford Authority, the reported issues range from minor to major. Owners reported the display screen freezing, which is annoying but not deal-breaking. Other owners reported problems with the charging system, electrical gremlins, and battery cell failure. These are deal breakers and enough reason for a customer to head straight to Hyundai to order the current World Car of the Year.
Ford released a statement following the 2022 Consumer Report Reliability Survey release and is blaming the issues on teething problems.
"We listen to all customer feedback, including Consumer Reports, and the concerns raised by customers. The survey results were from a population of vehicles early in the launch of these vehicles, and those concerns have since been addressed. For Mach-E, we issued a recall for certain 2021 and 2022 vehicles. [We] updated software to prevent any damage to the contactors. In July, we rolled out an OTA (over the air) update [that] included improvements to [the] plug and charge feature to increase successful charger activation rate," said the statement.
