Stop Safely Now Warning

[unplugged]

The most annoying thing about this car is that I can place calls with my cell phone thru the car, but it will not accept calls. The phone rings but I can't pick up. The dealer said it's a problem with My Ford Touch.

I would try another phone in your FFE and see if it also does not accept calls. (It might be a problem with your phone communicating with MFT.) If another phone doesn't work either, then I would take it back to the dealer and say, "FIX IT." This is not how MFT works and the dealer needs to correct the problem.

 

[Dave]

Berge Ford in Mesa, AZ is releasing my FFE after a day and a half upgrading the software, doing the light recall and testing for SSN problems. They say it has no codes and everything checks out fine. There has been nothing done to resolve the SSN I had in the first 300 miles.

Hope nothing else happens!!!!

For the record: those trying to blame the L1 charger, my scenario could hold true. I fully charged the vehicle with the L1 charger that came with the car just before leaving on a hot day and I also cooled the car before leaving while on the charger.

I just got my L2 Blink home charger and will install it ASAP. I have been primarily using the L1 charger and a few 1 hour sips off of public L2 chargers.

Ford did pay for my Focus GAS rental and paid for the gas in the rental.

 

[MGFFE2013]

San Leandro Ford called, gave me the standard line that I think we're hearing now...followed diagnostics from Ford engineers, everything checked out OK, release vehicle. He did add that "they" are aware of the issue, they suspect it has something to do with the A01 update (or something like that - my car came already installed with it - July 2013) as it started after that update.

Basically told me come get your car and bring it back if it happens again. They have no ETA on when a fix will be available.

I plan on using my GoPro for internal video recording my commutes until then to capture the event should it occur again vs. a still picture after the fact.

 

[jeffand]

It could be possible that the L1 charger can't supply enough power to cool the batteries and electronics while charging. This is just a guess that you may have a hot battery. It could also be that the individual cells are not being equalized properly. And what is possibly causing the SSN is the battery management detecting an imbalance in the battery cells. For this to happen it may require repeated L1 charging without any L2 charging.
You could use your cell phone and check the status via MyFord Mobil. It may show a red colored battery when it finds an issue. If you have SSN try sending a vehicle heath report. Then check on line to see what it thinks is the problem.

As a side note, cell equalizing occurs near the end of the charging cycle.

 

[Dave]

I will only continue the subject here. Sorry for duplicates in the 12v battery thread.

Again, I have only used the L1 that came with the car while charging at home.

Within 300 miles I had a SSN. I live in the PHX area and it's hot here now.

According to the MyFordMobile app, about 15 minutes before the SSN I had the vehicle plugged in and the limited performance please plug in message was logged (2:32 PM). I had also been working in the car and had the AC running to cool me down for a while. About two hours earlier the car was fully charged via the L1 and it was logged at (12:21 PM). The L1 was plugged in until about 2:40 PM or about 5 minutes before the SSN.

This certainly could have been a heat related issue and/or a L1 related issue.
I don't believe there was a 12v battery issue in this instance.

Hoping to get my L2 in ASAP.

Another Note: I have seen a couple times in the MFM app where the Battery Performance was listed as Poor.
I now have the software update, the car is in a hot parking lot unplugged and the battery is listed as "Good".

 

[dmen]

Some of these recent SSN incidents may have been triggered by hot batteries as recent posters have proposed. But the issue has been happening since before December 2012, I think, as there were at least a few reports here and on MFM when I bought mine. My incidents occurred in April 2013, with weather in the 40s to 60s. So hot batteries aren't necessarily the problem. And the software/firmware updates can't completely explain things either since many of us had this issue pre-update.
I believe SSN can be triggered by any of a number of system problems. I agree with other posters that part of the problem may well be the car "overreacting" to minor issues and causing a much more serious issue by the response. I am not entirely convinced that the suspected reason for my incidents (loose wire harness connections) was correctly diagnosed, but I'm 4000 miles out from the last occurrence so who knows?
I'm certainly hopeful that the "upcoming fix" some of you have heard about is real.

 

[Jasper7821]

After getting my car back from the dealer last week I've had two SSN events. The last one yesterday left me stuck in the desert by my work for 25 minutes. I was in a hurry to get home and get to a very important meeting that I missed. It was 104 outside and as you know when you get the SSN, the AC won't work either.
I was going to have it towed but I was trying to make my appointment so I drove it home after I get the car going again.
I was livid, I called the dealer and got put on hold for 10 minutes until I finally hung up. I called the other ford dealer and told them I want to turn my car in. A much as I love my little FFE and love not paying for gas I'm going to go back to a gas car for now.
I left a message with Ford corporate who I was working with on the SSN issue from before and told them I want to return the car.
I talked to my salesman and he said he would help me try and get out of it with the Lemon Law.

I got such a great deal deal on the car with 15k miles on a year 36 month lease for $500 down and $340 a month and I have white platinum and leather.
But with so many SSN's (15-20) its just not worth it anymore.

 

[Hugh]

I am not a quick-draw complainer. But I am beginning to get annoyed at this issue and at Ford. Apparently, from reading the threads, a fair number of complaints are beginning to show up about the dreaded orange triangle. I was sitting in my car, waiting to enter a traffic rotary and nothing happened when I stepped on the accelerator. I looked down and saw the triangle. In heavy traffic, I pushed it off the road, one foot on the road, one on the driver's floor. Had a flat bed come and take me to the dealer. The dealer has now had my car for a month, and still doesn't get info from Ford about fixing the problem. I suggested that I might take the car and see if the triangle appeared again. They thought that wasn't a good idea, because they thought it would probably happen again. They nicely are renting a car for my use, and Ford has mailed me a car payment to help with the pain. I suggest everyone encourage them to do that. I have been in communication with Ford's trouble phone line. They will call me on Monday after this weekend, but I don't hope for great news. I live in Massachusetts, and we have what is called "the Lemon law". That law allows replacement of a new or used car, if it cannot be made serviceable within a reasonable amount of time. If this goes for two more weeks I may call the Attorney General. I sincerely hope this software problem is resolved (the dealer found at least 7 trouble codes), because despite the hassle, what I want back is my wonderful FFE. I will post the results of my expected call on Monday, and what the final disposition is. Please Ford, Fix It!

 

[Hugh]

Thanks for suggesting posting of the complaint with NHSTA. I have now done that, and think this kind of banding together might make Ford sit up and take notice. I note that there are two different topics under technical issues that have almost the same name. Stop Safely Now and Stop Safely Now Warning. Can these be put under the same topic heading?

 

[user 3729]

I've thought about merging the topics, but that might be confusing. Maybe lock one thread with a link to the other? What do you think?

 

[TedMH]

Question for Hugh and Jasper7821

Sorry you’re experiencing the dreaded SSN problem. Are you guys using 240v charge stations? Someone has suggested a possible connection between L1 charging and SSN problems.

 

[firewired]

I have only had one (knock on wood) SSN, but I have 240v via a GEwatt station.

 

[Jasper7821]

Question for Hugh and Jasper7821

Sorry you’re experiencing the dreaded SSN problem. Are you guys using 240v charge stations? Someone has suggested a possible connection between L1 charging and SSN problems.

I have a level 2 Clipper Creek LCS-25 charging station. It's not the station causing the problem. Sometimes I go a few days without charging like when I charge at work on Friday and get home and I don't usually plug my car in until Sunday night if I only use the car just a little over the weekend.

 

[HeavyAaron]

Software fix for SSN installed.

The dealership has had our car for about 3 weeks now, I believe. We have had 2 SSN messages after the 3.5.1 upgrade, and I told them I didn't want the car back until they had the issue addressed. Most of the time they've been telling me they were waiting for the engineers to finish coding the fix. But now they say they received the software update and have installed the fix.

I'm getting the car back today (and giving them back their rental.)

My fingers are crossed, but I'm looking forward to having the Focus back.

 

[Hugh]

I received a call from Ford today as promised. But got no info other than that they are concerned about it. I asked if they were aware of this forum and she said they never look at these forums. She said she would call tomorrow. So that, our recourse is to, as suggested previously, call or email the NHTSA NOW!






2013 ice green FFE, about 3800 miles.

 

[Jasper7821]

Ford just called me and said the flash update just came out today but is not released yet but they were instructed to do install it on my car today.
Picking it up after work.
There is not a TSB for it yet so there's no paperwork or no receipt since there's no code yet to bill Ford.

We'll see what happens

 

[Specialnterrogatory]

Just got our first SSN light after 1800 miles tonight. Very dangerous! Planning to take it in the morning to the dealer. I can't believe this isn't a recall at this point.

 

[firewired]

Just got our first SSN light after 1800 miles tonight. Very dangerous! Planning to take it in the morning to the dealer. I can't believe this isn't a recall at this point.

Many of us have felt similarly that SSN could be a potentially tragic safety issue. My own experience was once my dealer couldn't find a error code my dealer and Ford corporate just said bring it back of it happened again.

Reality is it is a low volume vehicle with total sales of what? Less than 2000 total to date? So even if 100% had the problem it is still a relatively low number. Even with many of us speaking out about our experiences there are still only 12 people reporting it on the NHTSA website:

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchResultsByUrlCode.action?referenceSearch.requestId=9817&referenceSearch.urlCode=J51SRMI96NXPX5V

 

[jmueller065]

Looks like all your entries to the NHTSA site have been noticed:

Ford Focus Electric car probed for stalling while driving

 

[firewired]

Finally! I have felt very conflicted. I believe in the technology and don't want them to have bad PR, on the other hand if someone got injured or even killed that by an SSN malfunction that could seriously be bad PR for the EVs.

So hopefully this will be the impetus that the small number of us owners need for Ford to make it a "high" priority to get to the bottom of it.