Ford Motor Company has made a massive safety recall of 197,432 US vehicles to fix a vital door latch failure that can potentially entrap individuals in the vehicle. The recall, correctly referred to as NHTSA campaign number 25V404 and Ford recall number 25S65, is among the most severe safety issues threatening owners of electric cars this year.
The affected vehicle: Ford Mustang Mach-E electric SUV
The recall targets the Ford Mustang Mach-E specifically, the automaker’s extremely well-liked all-electric SUV that began production in 2021. Every model year from 2021 to 2025 is included under the recall, which is roughly every year the vehicle has been made. Ford is recalling an additional 120,000 Mustang Mach-E vehicles in international markets outside of the United States, so the total number of cars recalled globally comes in at more than 316,000.
Mustang Mach-E also comes with electronic door latches, or popularly referred to as E-Latch technology, something that is different from the standard mechanical door handles of regular cars. While mechanical interior door handles can be tugged to release the door latches using cable, exterior door handles are actually electronic buttons that need power to operate optimally.
The safety flaw: Electronic door latch malfunction
The recall was triggered by a software flaw that includes the malfunction when the vehicle’s 12-volt battery charge drops below 8.4 volts. Under such low-battery states, the electronic door latches would jam after the driver or front passenger departs and closes the door, potentially locking rear-seat passengers who cannot open the interior door handles.
This condition represents a special danger to children or other vulnerable riders who lack the ability or physical strength to operate the mechanical door release handles on the vehicle. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has noted that this condition could have caused serious injury, particularly with warm weather when interior lights in an enclosed vehicle can be lethal.
Warning signs and symptoms
Ford has cited various signs that clients can identify as proof that the door latch issue is happening. When the car has been shut down, clients can see the SYNC infotainment display screen with a “system off to save power” message on it, or the screen might even be blank. When leaving the car through a front door, drivers might feel that the interior release handle has to be pulled harder than normal in order to open the door.
The recall notice alleges that Ford has experienced customer complaints of not being able to open Mustang Mach-E doors following their 12-volt battery expiration. In two cases known to Ford, customers had complained that they could not enter their vehicle with children trapped inside. Through May 2025, Ford had information on four warranty claims, three customer service reports, and three Vehicle Owner Questionnaires reporting the experience of vehicle lock-out events with children in the back seat.
The solution: Software update solution
Ford will correct this safety defect with a full software update that will be made available for free at Ford and Lincoln authorized dealerships. The solution is to install new software on the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) and the Secondary On-Board Diagnostic Control Module C (SOBDMC).
The new software adds 12-volt battery support for 12 minutes of key-off through the extended DC/DC converter life. The update avoids battery-lockout modes over the extended time period and keeps front doors unlocked if inside release handles are accessed during the post-key-off time when the DC/DC converter is passing current. The doors won’t relock until the customer manually engages them.
Owner notification and what’s next
Ford started notifying affected car owners by mail as of June 23, 2025, with the software update being made available by the end of September 2025. In the meantime, Ford has issued a stop-sale order on Mustang Mach-E vehicles at dealerships.
The vehicle owners can contact Ford Customer Service at 1-866-436-7332 and use recall number 25S65 for help. They can call the NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 or check www.nhtsa.gov for additional information.
