Stop Safely Now Warning

[togneter]

Some of the vehicles have seen issues, but most have not. I have not had any real issue with my car and it has over 6000 miles on it now. You will see here that most people that have had a problem with the car that it showed up in the first 90 days of ownership. I would estimate that as much as 25% of the FFE owner will or have visited this site. Most EV owners are enthusiast, and like to share their experiences. That is why this website is here. The real problem is lack of experience the mechanics have. It’s true they have had some training on how to service the car. But there is good chance that when you do bring your car in for service it will be the first time the mechanics will have worked on one. Ford maintains a data base of problems. This information is used to issue a service bulletin it Ford deems it note worthy.

The idea that "You will see here that most people that have had a problem with the car that it showed up in the first 90 days of ownership" is somehow supposed to be comforting is a little ridiculous. Most people haven't had their cars AT ALL for much more than 90 days. There are all sorts of correlations being identified here: going over bumps, coming to a stop, etc., etc. But we all know that correlation doesn't equal causation. We all want to find the easy answer, but the answer here doesn't seem to be easy and, reading through all of these posts, there is no clear pattern.

In our case, my wife has had her car for seven months (that's a lot more than 90 days) and it has close to 4000 miles on it. She had the SSN warning once in a parking lot after about a month of ownership, but it started after a couple of minutes. I then experienced the SSN while driving in traffic on Interstate 5 and was lucky that I was in the right lane and could get to the shoulder with momentum.

Just now, my wife called me from the middle of a moderately busy arterial and she was stuck in the middle of the road with cars honking at her. It took her fifteen minutes before it would start again (of course, just as roadside assistance called to tell her it would take an hour to get a tow truck there). That's three times spread over seven months. The car is a dream 99.9% of the time, but I promise that this will happen again, and that is not acceptable.

It really is more like the Blue Screen of Death than anything, and Ford needs to make this their top priority for this vehicle. This is a very real safety problem. I don't need a software update that gives me new colors for my trunk light. I need a car that I don't have to worry about having shut down in the middle of traffic.

 

[Sgililland]

I completely agree with your assessment. My FFE has 9000 mi and didn't have any problems until a month ago. I love my car ,but as you said this is a real safety issue. Ford has had my car for over two weeks now and although they were able to down load fault codes, they can't seem to pinpoint the root cause!

I was asked by the dealership to setup a case file, but this hasn't helped due to them not returning my calls. I called twice this past week and was told there system was down. Micro soft must run there entire network!

I have decided to withhold any further lease payments until they solve this problem or replace this car! Ford will loose market share in a big way if they don't get off top dead center and put this to bed......

Scott

 

[Bill]

{Post deleted by User}

 

[togneter]

I think I'll hold off a year hoping that Ford eliminates the "blue screen of death" (SSN) issue. It very much sounds like a programming problem where the system is a bit too sensitive to issues that shouldn't shut the whole car down. Ford needs to install a "hard reboot/reset" button, I guess, until they solve this problem. I really did like what I saw in this car.

This gives me a year to work on my infrastructure. I looked at my breaker box and I only have one slot available, so maybe I need to look at a new and improved and bigger one (this one is from 1979). I'd like to run service to my garage for both 120 and 240 (I've read the arguments that 120 is gentler on the batteries than 240), so that way I have a choice. Also, having read about the possibility that the 240 charging station might be a bit noisy, this will give me time to have noise dampening added (I'm guessing a nice chunk of rubber). Also, I've been looking at installing some solar panels in my backyard. Panel prices are as cheap as they've ever been, there is a 30% federal credit, a 15% state of Iowa credit (though there is a total state spending cap), and my utility company will offer incentives that seem to equal the cost of most of the efficiency spending (insulation, etc.) that I would be required to install to get their credits. Also, my utility offers "Time of Day" pricing. A bit pricey during the day (solar panels would offset that), but very inexpensive at night (a great time to charge an electric car). I hope Ford gets this SSN issue figured out soon.

Not sure what charger you're talking about, but ours makes really no noise at all except a satisfying click when the charging starts.

As for room in your box, you can probably put some "peanut" breakers in to make room. Those are the half-size ones that only take up half a slot. You can convert one of the full-size breakers that are used for low-load stuff into the half-size and get two in one spot usually. A LOT cheaper than adding an extra panel.

 

[WattsUp]

Also, having read about the possibility that the 240 charging station might be a bit noisy, this will give me time to have noise dampening added (I'm guessing a nice chunk of rubber).

Not sure what charger you're talking about, but ours makes really no noise at all except a satisfying click when the charging starts.

I agree, almost any EVSE should be silent. Perhaps a very low transformer hum, probably only audible when you are standing very close to it, or with your ear on it.

I have the ClipperCreek LCS-25 and, aside from a relay click when it first engages, it is totally silent.

 

[Chris_A]

Guys,

I just had my 3rd SSN failure, this time the police had to come as I was in the highway and it stopped to quickly for me to pull off. The dealer had my car for 5 days but still said everything checked out OK after resetting error codes.

Has anyone had these resolved?

WAITING for my regional customer rep to call me back with a more detailed update and considering Lemon law action.

 

[ashuri]

Lemon time..this is ridiculous!!!!

I pray no one gets hurt Ford are you listening???

 

[nallgaier]

Hi all,

I started my 3-year lease in the Burlington, VT area just a week ago... love the car, but already had my first SSN failure yesterday (approx 300 miles on the odometer). I knew this was a possibility beforehand, so I wasn't caught off guard, and fortunately it wasn't a big deal (this time), since I was just turning into a parking lot when it happened. I think I may have been lightly tapping the breaks when it occurred, which seems to have been the case for some other folks... regen related maybe? I posted an official complaint on safercar.gov (same as the nhtsa), and second the suggestion that we all file such a complaint for each SSN failure that we experience. Can't hurt. While filing the complaint, I noticed that the other folks who filed also had a VIN starting with 1FADP3R4. Do all Focus Electrics have such VIN's? I know that a month or so ago firewired was collecting VIN's and info on affected cars and SSN incidents to pass along to Inside EV editors for review... anyone know if that collection is still going on, or if anything has come of it?

Nick

 

[timf]

The first 8 digits of all Focus Electric VINs will be the same. They indicate country of origin, make, model, trim, and engine type. Most of the remaining digits will vary and are for check sum, model year, plant, and unique vehicle identifier.

 

[Rudy]

I was checking out for a vin decoder that was recent and stumbled upon this: http://www.fleet.ford.com/ngtemplates/downloads/maintenance/VIN2013.pdf

My vin starts with 1FAHP3R4 (it's a 2012)
I think the difference is the 2013's come with knee pad airbags and the 2012's don't, that was all I could figure out.
I have not had the problem yet. Does anyone with a 2012 have this issue?

Rudy

 

[WindPowered]

I was checking out for a vin decoder that was recent and stumbled upon this: http://www.fleet.ford.com/ngtemplates/downloads/maintenance/VIN2013.pdf

The VIN decoder has been posted here before. It's located here.

And gives you results like this:

VIN: [your VIN number]
World Manufacturer Identifier - 1st, 2nd, 3rd Positions
VIN Code:            1FA
Assembly Country:    United States
Make:                Ford
Body Style:          Hatchback
Restraint System Type (Passenger Cars) or Brake Type and GVWR Class (Trucks and Vans) - 4th Position
VIN Code:            D
Brake System:        Standard
Restraint:           Du Ar Bgs Frnt Hd and Sd/Act Blts/ w/Ato Pss Snsr

etc.

The webpage also has links at the bottom to PDF's of the same information for the various model years. i.e. You do the decoding yourself.


WP

 

[SParki]

Add me to the Stop Safely Now list.

I was driving down a bumpy road at 60kph (40mph) this morning (26C, 79F outside temp), came to a stop at a stop sign, attempted to turn right and merge onto a busy highway with an 80kph (50mph) speed limit, the car started to go and then all power cut out without warning and the Stop Safely Now and Refer To Owners Manual warnings came up on the left screen! Luckily, I was not fully into the traffic yet as there were several semis coming. I veered to the shoulder and stopped. It scared the tar out of me becuase if I had got going even for a second more I would have been out in traffic in the path of a semi coming at over 80kph (50mph).

It took a few minutes of trying to turn it off. Eventually I opened the drivers door and that seemed to free it up to turn it off. I was then able to start it back up again and carry on with my day.

I just had the 3.5.1 update done 1 week prior and they had troubles with the update. It took 5 attempts and required a reinstall of 3.1.1 before the 3.5.1 update would take. I am confident that my case is not 12V battery related. I suspect it may have been the bumpy road as several others have had similar driving conditions prior to the SSN.

Interestingly, the trip ending in the Stop Safely Now did not record a mileage driven (it should have been 6 km) on MyFord Mobile.

It is now at the dealership. Hopefully there is a code that will give the dealership something to go on.

This is a 2012 FFE in Canada with 2900 kms on the odometer (about 2000 miles).

 

[philly_ev]

I was just on the NHTSA website and its amazing that there are only 5 people who reported this. On this forum and the spreadsheet there are atleast 25 people that have had this issue. Ford isn't going to look at anything that hasn't been officially reported, so for all they 'know' there are only 5 instances of this over the last 18 months.

 

[SParki]

I reported mine yesterday on NHTSA website, but it may not get posted because I actually live in Canada. The car is the same though and as far as I know is made on the same assembly line.

 

[SParki]

I got my FFE back from the dealership. They said that the car had codes for a loose connection. They contacted Ford EV tech hotline and were instructed to unplug and reconnect all the hi voltage connections. I hope that this is a permanent fix, but I am only mildly optimistic. Until I have driven for a while without issue, I suspect my wife will not want to drive it. She is pretty freaked out about the idea of losing all power at an in opportune time and I don't blame her. I still absolutely love the car, but this incident has taken some of the sheen off.

 

[nallgaier]

Got mine back yesterday. Boy did I miss it those few days it was gone! Dealer said the error code thrown was for a loose pin in the wiring harness, which they apparently addressed. No issues so far... will report any that arise.

Nick

 

[pear]

error code table: http://www.spobd2.com/service/diagnostic-trouble-code-dtc-table-free-download-38.html

 

[ashuri]

3rd times the charm! Mileage 5396, coming down a hill with child in tow....Stop Safely Now...no power! Had to be towed to dealer again. This is the 3rd time, just picked up the car on Friday after "all wiring harnesses were replaced", car was in the shop close to 2 weeks.
Good luck everyone...

 

[WattsUp]

error code table: http://www.spobd2.com/service/diagnostic-trouble-code-dtc-table-free-download-38.html

Thanks for the link. However, while this table may be generally useful, it doesn't actually list any of the custom codes for Ford's electrified vehicle problems.

Manufacturers have agreed on many standardized diagnostic codes, many of which are listed in the table you reference, and that largely describe only ICE-related problems, but they are also able to define and throw their own custom codes. The latter is what Ford has done for many of the important codes for their "electrified vehicle" problems (such as might occur with the FFE, C-MAX, etc.)

For those, this table might be useful as it seems to contain some:
http://www.edgeproducts.com/product_images/customer_support_article-pdf-41.pdf

 

[mabock]

Had vehicle for about 11mo/11k miles and then took it in for service and tire rotation. They also applied the new 3.5 update, which took them mutiple tries to get the update to take. I had not had an issue with the car prior. After the update I got SSN with exclamation twice in the first 5 days - once while breaking to a stoplight and once while accelerating on freeway taking kids to school (luckily was able to pull over easily). Took car back to dealer and they pulled off a bunch of error codes and brought out a Ford engineer. They are supposedly replacing 2 modules inside the car but now going on week 4 of not having the car and they still don't have the replacement parts. Really frustrated at this point.
They seem to think it isn't the software upgrade but I am very suspicious. I am an engineer and troubleshoot equipment in semis and my first check would be the software upgrade. The upgrade should be guilty until proven otherwise and I want them to back out the upgrade to old revision but they said they can't which is ridiculous.

I am starting a log book to track the details as I will have to consider lemon law action.

I will also submit my complaint to NHTSA
https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint/index.xhtml