The last straw? (Vehicle down for 3+ weeks, with no end in sight.)

[CurtisB]

Vehicle: 2023 Maverick Hybrid Lariat, purchased from Covert Ford in Austin, TX.

I went on a short trip (Cedar Park, TX to Sequin, TX - about 80 miles) in my Maverick, and stopped for lunch before going to my appointment. I finished lunch and was driving the approximately 1.5 miles to the appointment. About halfway there, I stopped for at red light at an intersection of a major road and an interstate highway. Just as I pulled to a stop, the Sync system went blank, followed by the main driver's display, then almost immediately both came back on, but with every single warning light illuminated, and pop-up messages from all of those systems coming up so fast that I lost track of how many messages I got. The gas engine, of course, was shut off (as always at a stop), but the transmission was now in "Park" (I didn't touch the shifter) and the parking brake was ON. I could not change into Neutral, nor release the parking brake. Turning the vehicle off (push-button) and back on did nothing. So I was just stuck in the middle of the intersection, with the noon "rush" flowing around me (lots of angry looks, honks, and raised middle fingers directed at me). I tried everything I could think of (including searching the Maverick Truck Club) for similar scenarios and how to resolve it) with no success.

I have a Ford extended warranty, so I called them to tow me to a dealership. But the local dealership said they had no one in their service department qualified to work on hybrid vehicles, and that I would have to have it towed to either San Antonio or Austin to get it worked on. Since my "home" dealer is in Austin, I decided to have it towed there. However, Ford's towing service will only pay for it to be towed to the nearest dealer, so I had to pay almost $300 to get it towed to Austin.

This post is already going to be long, so to shorten it somewhat, my service advisor told me the only thing wrong was that the 12V battery was absolutely dead - zero volts - and that it would not accept a charge. Something must have broken inside the disabled the entire battery. They replaced it under warranty, but the detailed explanation I got from the service manager and technician scared the hell out of me! If the 12V battery fails like this, the computer shuts down the engine (and electric power as well) and puts the transmission into Park, and applies the parking brake. Until the computer sees a normal 12V signal again, it will NOT allow the vehicle to be shifted out of Park, nor allow the parking brake to release. This seems absolutely crazy to me, given that the high-voltage battery was absolutely fine, and we all know that the HVB is what recharges the 12V battery, whose only purpose is the power the computer when the hybrid system is shut down Why the hell would Ford engineer the system such that a 12V battery (an accessory at best) would force a critical shutdown - as though it were a nuclear reactor performing an emergency shutdown? It's not only ridiculous, it's downright dangerous!

The truly scary part is that if the battery failure had occurred 2 miles prior or 2 miles after it did, I would have been on an Interstate highway, going 75 mph (speed limit in this area) when the computer decided to put the vehicle into Park and apply the parking brake. Whether it would have done so at 75 mph, I have no idea (nor did the tech), but even if it had just shut down the engine and hybrid power system and had me coast to a stop, then shifted to Park and applied the parking brake, I would have been in some seriously fast traffic with an immovable vehicle. What are the odds I might have been killed in the almost inevitable rear-end collision that would follow?

This seems like a MAJOR design flaw. My wife won't even set foot in the Maverick any longer, and doesn't want me to drive it either. We both believe this is a significant hazard - especially given the track record of the 12V battery failures that have been a chronic issue in the Maverick Hybrid, as you can definitely see from these forums... So I' will no longer drive on the freeway in my Maverick, nor take it on long trips, since it has stranded me three times now. I'm starting to investigate the Lemon Law in Texas...

To make matters even worse, I have also experienced three separate occurrences of "multiple sensor" warnings:

• Pre-Collision Assist not Availble
• Powertrain Malfunction / Reduced Power
• Blind Spot Detection with Cross traffic
• High-Voltage Battery Warning (detailed message says stop as soon as possible and contact authorized dealer)
• Service Engine Soon Warning

The first time, the dealership (280 miles from home) told me the Engine Control Module needed to have the software reloaded. Doing this seemed to return the vehicle to service. The out-of-town dealership put me at the head of the queue since I was on a trip, and got me going within a couple of hours. I was extremely grateful for their quick response.

The second time I got this rash of messages, I tried, but I could not clear the problem by shutting down and restarting. This time, the dealer reported they cleared the errors, but could find nothing wrong afterward, and the vehicle performed normally for them with no further errors. This was also at an out of town dealership. I mentioned it to my "local" dealer when I went in for an oil change, but there were no errors in the system for them to go on.

The third time it happened, I was here in town, and got the "High Voltage Warning" that basically means "park the vehicle." So I again had it towed to Covert Ford. It took two days for them to get it into the shop to actually work on it. After almost a full day of diagnostics, their tech found a "damaged" connector plug in the wiring harness where the ECM connects (apparently under the hood, in one of the back corners). When he jiggled that connector, the system threw all kinds of warning messages, including the ones above. They attempted to order a new connector, but apparently they aren't in Ford's ordering system - you can only order the complete engine wiring harness. My service advisor (good guy) told me he asked why the didn't just get a new connector from somewhere like Granger, cut the existing wires, and connect the new one... Seems the wires are short enough that if they cut them, the connector will no longer reach the plug where it needs to connect.

Two days later: Bad news, no wiring harnesses available anywhere in Ford's system, and they are back-ordered, but that Ford had agreed to upgrade the order to "Emergency - vehicle not on road" status, which should give us the highest priority when the harness became available... Two days later, I was contacted by someone in Customer Service at FoMoCo, telling me she would be following up with me, keeping me updated on all the effort FoMoCo was putting toward getting my vehicle repaired to my satisfaction, and promising the would be my primary point of contact until my vehicle was repaired and back in my hands. But basically, she told me nothing the service advisor had not already told me... Fast forward several more days, and today I was contacted by a different person at Ford Customer Service, letting me know that she had tried to contact the dealership, but wasn't able to get anyone, so she had no "dealer update" for me, but that my back-ordered part was showing "pending upgrade to emergency status". I asked why it wasn't already ON emergency status, and she said "well, they don't have any in stock, so they can't make it an emergency status until they do." (Seems to kind of defeat the purpose of allowing back-orders, doesn't it?) In any case, she was totally not helpful, except to ask if the dealership had given me a loaner car (they had not. - none available when I took it in).

So after I got off the phone with her, I immediately called the dealership (which she said she could not reach "anyone" in the service department, and would not try again until after the weekend - this at roughly 2PM on Friday). The phone was answered immediately, and I was able to get my service coordinator on the phone in less than 1 minute. (So she was full of you-know-what...) I expressed my frustration at being without my truck for 3+ weeks, and asked if there was any possibility of getting a loaner vehicle. He escalated the case to his management, who escalated it to the sales team, and got approval for a loaner. I just got back home from picking up a 2024 F-150 that will be my loaner until my truck is fixed. My thanks to Covert Ford (Austin, TX) and William Heinrich (service coordinator - who had been great to work with every time I've been in the shop).

When I first took delivery of the Maverick (July, 2023), the entire sound system was non-functional. All the features "worked" other than the fact that there was no sound at all from the Sync system (so no sound through Apple Car Play, either). The dealership diagnosed the issue within a couple of hours (a bad hardware module in the Sync system), and told me it was back-ordered with no estimate on when it would be delivered. They offered me the choice of leaving the vehicle with them until the repair part came in (with a loaner in the meantime), or just go ahead and keep the truck until the part came in, at which time they would contact me an schedule a repair. Since I had only JUST picked up (and paid for) the Maverick, I elected to keep it until the part came in... Glad I did, because the part didn't come in until late December, 2023 - that's 6 1/2 months after it was ordered! Because it came in just as the holidays hit, they gave me a Mach-E loaner for Christmas holidays. When I got back from my son's house after Christmas, my truck was finally ready, and I got to hear the sound system for the first time. So again, I feel like Covert Ford did their best to accommodate me, but the FoMoCo parts inventory system let both of us down pretty badly.

And Ford, you've got some serious 'spraining to do... Either A) Ford has the worst spare parts inventory management of any motor vehicle company I've ever dealt with, or B) there has been a massive run on replacement engine wiring harnesses. To me, it is totally unacceptable for a truck to be "down for parts" for more than three weeks (this time) because there are no repair parts available in the system. In any case, the Maverick Hybrid that I absolutely loved at first has proven to be completely unreliable.

At this point, I cannot recommend to anyone that they purchase a Maverick Hybrid.

First off, you are an excellent writer! You must have had the same english teacher I had! It appears you have done everything possible to remedy your situation. I don't know if it would be worth it to you to attempt to have the dealer you purchased your Maverick from trade it in for another one. Since yours is paid for, if they gave you another one, they could spend all the time needed to fix you old truck while going through it thoroughly to make sure all electrical issues are fixed and might be able to resell it.

As for parts, I really believe it will be another 3 to 5 years for parts in general to catch up. Covid caused the entire world to not produce anything for 12 months. So what you have is a priority on installations and manufacturing and not on stocking or replacement parts. Then you have manufacturing trying to supply the current demands PLUS supply overstock. They can't keep up or catch up. Not yet at least.

To give you an idea, I worked at a very large amusement park. After the park re-opened, all the rides, electronics and systems had to be tested. After sitting for a year, a LOT of parts needed replacing. But unfortunately, the companies that were used to buy parts from were out of business! So other manufacturers were sought. New specs had to be explained, new training for the new manufacturers had to happen. The result? a huge delay! So many attractions could not open right away and took nearly two years to get up and running.

I share all this to let you know that your situation is one that is a part of a larger problem. The rest of us Maverick owners will most likely suffer the same issue if the parts in question are not in stock. It's just the world we live in. Hopefully, in another 3 to 5 years things will be better. As for you and your wife, I sincerely hope you can get a different Maverick. But if you don't, I'm sure you make it work out some other way.

Sponsored

 

[JimParker256]

Longest thread starter I have seen....that was a lot or words!

Yeah - sorry about that... Hard to write it, and even harder to edit it down. So much spent energy! LOL

 

[Duke Nukm2001]

Vehicle: 2023 Maverick Hybrid Lariat, purchased from Covert Ford in Austin, TX.

I went on a short trip (Cedar Park, TX to Sequin, TX - about 80 miles) in my Maverick, and stopped for lunch before going to my appointment. I finished lunch and was driving the approximately 1.5 miles to the appointment. About halfway there, I stopped for at red light at an intersection of a major road and an interstate highway. Just as I pulled to a stop, the Sync system went blank, followed by the main driver's display, then almost immediately both came back on, but with every single warning light illuminated, and pop-up messages from all of those systems coming up so fast that I lost track of how many messages I got. The gas engine, of course, was shut off (as always at a stop), but the transmission was now in "Park" (I didn't touch the shifter) and the parking brake was ON. I could not change into Neutral, nor release the parking brake. Turning the vehicle off (push-button) and back on did nothing. So I was just stuck in the middle of the intersection, with the noon "rush" flowing around me (lots of angry looks, honks, and raised middle fingers directed at me). I tried everything I could think of (including searching the Maverick Truck Club) for similar scenarios and how to resolve it) with no success.

I have a Ford extended warranty, so I called them to tow me to a dealership. But the local dealership said they had no one in their service department qualified to work on hybrid vehicles, and that I would have to have it towed to either San Antonio or Austin to get it worked on. Since my "home" dealer is in Austin, I decided to have it towed there. However, Ford's towing service will only pay for it to be towed to the nearest dealer, so I had to pay almost $300 to get it towed to Austin.

This post is already going to be long, so to shorten it somewhat, my service advisor told me the only thing wrong was that the 12V battery was absolutely dead - zero volts - and that it would not accept a charge. Something must have broken inside the disabled the entire battery. They replaced it under warranty, but the detailed explanation I got from the service manager and technician scared the hell out of me! If the 12V battery fails like this, the computer shuts down the engine (and electric power as well) and puts the transmission into Park, and applies the parking brake. Until the computer sees a normal 12V signal again, it will NOT allow the vehicle to be shifted out of Park, nor allow the parking brake to release. This seems absolutely crazy to me, given that the high-voltage battery was absolutely fine, and we all know that the HVB is what recharges the 12V battery, whose only purpose is the power the computer when the hybrid system is shut down Why the hell would Ford engineer the system such that a 12V battery (an accessory at best) would force a critical shutdown - as though it were a nuclear reactor performing an emergency shutdown? It's not only ridiculous, it's downright dangerous!

The truly scary part is that if the battery failure had occurred 2 miles prior or 2 miles after it did, I would have been on an Interstate highway, going 75 mph (speed limit in this area) when the computer decided to put the vehicle into Park and apply the parking brake. Whether it would have done so at 75 mph, I have no idea (nor did the tech), but even if it had just shut down the engine and hybrid power system and had me coast to a stop, then shifted to Park and applied the parking brake, I would have been in some seriously fast traffic with an immovable vehicle. What are the odds I might have been killed in the almost inevitable rear-end collision that would follow?

This seems like a MAJOR design flaw. My wife won't even set foot in the Maverick any longer, and doesn't want me to drive it either. We both believe this is a significant hazard - especially given the track record of the 12V battery failures that have been a chronic issue in the Maverick Hybrid, as you can definitely see from these forums... So I' will no longer drive on the freeway in my Maverick, nor take it on long trips, since it has stranded me three times now. I'm starting to investigate the Lemon Law in Texas...

To make matters even worse, I have also experienced three separate occurrences of "multiple sensor" warnings:

• Pre-Collision Assist not Availble
• Powertrain Malfunction / Reduced Power
• Blind Spot Detection with Cross traffic
• High-Voltage Battery Warning (detailed message says stop as soon as possible and contact authorized dealer)
• Service Engine Soon Warning

The first time, the dealership (280 miles from home) told me the Engine Control Module needed to have the software reloaded. Doing this seemed to return the vehicle to service. The out-of-town dealership put me at the head of the queue since I was on a trip, and got me going within a couple of hours. I was extremely grateful for their quick response.

The second time I got this rash of messages, I tried, but I could not clear the problem by shutting down and restarting. This time, the dealer reported they cleared the errors, but could find nothing wrong afterward, and the vehicle performed normally for them with no further errors. This was also at an out of town dealership. I mentioned it to my "local" dealer when I went in for an oil change, but there were no errors in the system for them to go on.

The third time it happened, I was here in town, and got the "High Voltage Warning" that basically means "park the vehicle." So I again had it towed to Covert Ford. It took two days for them to get it into the shop to actually work on it. After almost a full day of diagnostics, their tech found a "damaged" connector plug in the wiring harness where the ECM connects (apparently under the hood, in one of the back corners). When he jiggled that connector, the system threw all kinds of warning messages, including the ones above. They attempted to order a new connector, but apparently they aren't in Ford's ordering system - you can only order the complete engine wiring harness. My service advisor (good guy) told me he asked why the didn't just get a new connector from somewhere like Granger, cut the existing wires, and connect the new one... Seems the wires are short enough that if they cut them, the connector will no longer reach the plug where it needs to connect.

Two days later: Bad news, no wiring harnesses available anywhere in Ford's system, and they are back-ordered, but that Ford had agreed to upgrade the order to "Emergency - vehicle not on road" status, which should give us the highest priority when the harness became available... Two days later, I was contacted by someone in Customer Service at FoMoCo, telling me she would be following up with me, keeping me updated on all the effort FoMoCo was putting toward getting my vehicle repaired to my satisfaction, and promising the would be my primary point of contact until my vehicle was repaired and back in my hands. But basically, she told me nothing the service advisor had not already told me... Fast forward several more days, and today I was contacted by a different person at Ford Customer Service, letting me know that she had tried to contact the dealership, but wasn't able to get anyone, so she had no "dealer update" for me, but that my back-ordered part was showing "pending upgrade to emergency status". I asked why it wasn't already ON emergency status, and she said "well, they don't have any in stock, so they can't make it an emergency status until they do." (Seems to kind of defeat the purpose of allowing back-orders, doesn't it?) In any case, she was totally not helpful, except to ask if the dealership had given me a loaner car (they had not. - none available when I took it in).

So after I got off the phone with her, I immediately called the dealership (which she said she could not reach "anyone" in the service department, and would not try again until after the weekend - this at roughly 2PM on Friday). The phone was answered immediately, and I was able to get my service coordinator on the phone in less than 1 minute. (So she was full of you-know-what...) I expressed my frustration at being without my truck for 3+ weeks, and asked if there was any possibility of getting a loaner vehicle. He escalated the case to his management, who escalated it to the sales team, and got approval for a loaner. I just got back home from picking up a 2024 F-150 that will be my loaner until my truck is fixed. My thanks to Covert Ford (Austin, TX) and William Heinrich (service coordinator - who had been great to work with every time I've been in the shop).

When I first took delivery of the Maverick (July, 2023), the entire sound system was non-functional. All the features "worked" other than the fact that there was no sound at all from the Sync system (so no sound through Apple Car Play, either). The dealership diagnosed the issue within a couple of hours (a bad hardware module in the Sync system), and told me it was back-ordered with no estimate on when it would be delivered. They offered me the choice of leaving the vehicle with them until the repair part came in (with a loaner in the meantime), or just go ahead and keep the truck until the part came in, at which time they would contact me an schedule a repair. Since I had only JUST picked up (and paid for) the Maverick, I elected to keep it until the part came in... Glad I did, because the part didn't come in until late December, 2023 - that's 6 1/2 months after it was ordered! Because it came in just as the holidays hit, they gave me a Mach-E loaner for Christmas holidays. When I got back from my son's house after Christmas, my truck was finally ready, and I got to hear the sound system for the first time. So again, I feel like Covert Ford did their best to accommodate me, but the FoMoCo parts inventory system let both of us down pretty badly.

And Ford, you've got some serious 'spraining to do... Either A) Ford has the worst spare parts inventory management of any motor vehicle company I've ever dealt with, or B) there has been a massive run on replacement engine wiring harnesses. To me, it is totally unacceptable for a truck to be "down for parts" for more than three weeks (this time) because there are no repair parts available in the system. In any case, the Maverick Hybrid that I absolutely loved at first has proven to be completely unreliable.

At this point, I cannot recommend to anyone that they purchase a Maverick Hybrid.

Another reason not to purchase a Hybrid.

 

[JimParker256]

<snip>
When your vehicle died and then was stuck in park, my first thought was that you had a bad battery connection, even before I read about your battery. My Prius will not do a damn thing without the battery connected either. How can it. It needs the 12 volt battery to start the car. The hybrid battery is not part of that system. Once the vehicle is on, the alternator puts voltage to the battery so even if this ‘happened on the freeway’ the vehicle will run since alternator is charging that battery (even if it’s dead).

Bob

The Maverick has no starter, and no alternator. It uses the motor/generator for both functions, which is driven by the HVB, not the 12V battery.. The HVB supplies the voltage that spins the motor generator to start the gasoline engine. The hybrid battery (HVB) also supplies power to a converter that produces the 12V current to recharge the small 12V battery under the seat. The only reason for the 12V battery is to power the computer systems when the HVB is offline (vehicle is "off"). The computer has to have power to initiate the "ON" condition for the hybrid system. (This is true for the Toyota system as well.)

But in my case, the HVB was already engaged and online, because I was driving on electric/hybrid power. In a normal ICE vehicle, you can remove the battery while the engine is running and you wouldn't even notice until the engine stops. The same is true in the Toyota hybrid system (and every other one I've ever heard of) - the 12V system is only needed during the start-up process to energize the computer and the various relays that engage the hybrid system. According to the service coordinator and tech at Covert Ford, the Ford hybrid system is different, because when the 12V battery is "dead" even an fully functional, normally operating vehicle will shut down, engage the park setting, and activate the parking brake. That is NOT normal behavior for any other hybrid vehicle. It is a software programming choice that Ford engineers made. And in my opinion, it is a foolish - no, let's call it "downright dangerous" - design that offers zero benefit, while creating a significant danger to the driver and occupants of the vehicle.

 

[JimParker256]

Watch this Video on what this Mech found:

Yep, that was a problem with the early models, until Ford changed the way that connector was made. It's not what's wrong with my truck, however... (Checked this the first time I had the "deep sleep" mode.)

 

[Oscarcat]

Vehicle: 2023 Maverick Hybrid Lariat, purchased from Covert Ford in Austin, TX.

I went on a short trip (Cedar Park, TX to Sequin, TX - about 80 miles) in my Maverick, and stopped for lunch before going to my appointment. I finished lunch and was driving the approximately 1.5 miles to the appointment. About halfway there, I stopped for at red light at an intersection of a major road and an interstate highway. Just as I pulled to a stop, the Sync system went blank, followed by the main driver's display, then almost immediately both came back on, but with every single warning light illuminated, and pop-up messages from all of those systems coming up so fast that I lost track of how many messages I got. The gas engine, of course, was shut off (as always at a stop), but the transmission was now in "Park" (I didn't touch the shifter) and the parking brake was ON. I could not change into Neutral, nor release the parking brake. Turning the vehicle off (push-button) and back on did nothing. So I was just stuck in the middle of the intersection, with the noon "rush" flowing around me (lots of angry looks, honks, and raised middle fingers directed at me). I tried everything I could think of (including searching the Maverick Truck Club) for similar scenarios and how to resolve it) with no success.

I have a Ford extended warranty, so I called them to tow me to a dealership. But the local dealership said they had no one in their service department qualified to work on hybrid vehicles, and that I would have to have it towed to either San Antonio or Austin to get it worked on. Since my "home" dealer is in Austin, I decided to have it towed there. However, Ford's towing service will only pay for it to be towed to the nearest dealer, so I had to pay almost $300 to get it towed to Austin.

This post is already going to be long, so to shorten it somewhat, my service advisor told me the only thing wrong was that the 12V battery was absolutely dead - zero volts - and that it would not accept a charge. Something must have broken inside the disabled the entire battery. They replaced it under warranty, but the detailed explanation I got from the service manager and technician scared the hell out of me! If the 12V battery fails like this, the computer shuts down the engine (and electric power as well) and puts the transmission into Park, and applies the parking brake. Until the computer sees a normal 12V signal again, it will NOT allow the vehicle to be shifted out of Park, nor allow the parking brake to release. This seems absolutely crazy to me, given that the high-voltage battery was absolutely fine, and we all know that the HVB is what recharges the 12V battery, whose only purpose is the power the computer when the hybrid system is shut down Why the hell would Ford engineer the system such that a 12V battery (an accessory at best) would force a critical shutdown - as though it were a nuclear reactor performing an emergency shutdown? It's not only ridiculous, it's downright dangerous!

The truly scary part is that if the battery failure had occurred 2 miles prior or 2 miles after it did, I would have been on an Interstate highway, going 75 mph (speed limit in this area) when the computer decided to put the vehicle into Park and apply the parking brake. Whether it would have done so at 75 mph, I have no idea (nor did the tech), but even if it had just shut down the engine and hybrid power system and had me coast to a stop, then shifted to Park and applied the parking brake, I would have been in some seriously fast traffic with an immovable vehicle. What are the odds I might have been killed in the almost inevitable rear-end collision that would follow?

This seems like a MAJOR design flaw. My wife won't even set foot in the Maverick any longer, and doesn't want me to drive it either. We both believe this is a significant hazard - especially given the track record of the 12V battery failures that have been a chronic issue in the Maverick Hybrid, as you can definitely see from these forums... So I' will no longer drive on the freeway in my Maverick, nor take it on long trips, since it has stranded me three times now. I'm starting to investigate the Lemon Law in Texas...

To make matters even worse, I have also experienced three separate occurrences of "multiple sensor" warnings:

• Pre-Collision Assist not Availble
• Powertrain Malfunction / Reduced Power
• Blind Spot Detection with Cross traffic
• High-Voltage Battery Warning (detailed message says stop as soon as possible and contact authorized dealer)
• Service Engine Soon Warning

The first time, the dealership (280 miles from home) told me the Engine Control Module needed to have the software reloaded. Doing this seemed to return the vehicle to service. The out-of-town dealership put me at the head of the queue since I was on a trip, and got me going within a couple of hours. I was extremely grateful for their quick response.

The second time I got this rash of messages, I tried, but I could not clear the problem by shutting down and restarting. This time, the dealer reported they cleared the errors, but could find nothing wrong afterward, and the vehicle performed normally for them with no further errors. This was also at an out of town dealership. I mentioned it to my "local" dealer when I went in for an oil change, but there were no errors in the system for them to go on.

The third time it happened, I was here in town, and got the "High Voltage Warning" that basically means "park the vehicle." So I again had it towed to Covert Ford. It took two days for them to get it into the shop to actually work on it. After almost a full day of diagnostics, their tech found a "damaged" connector plug in the wiring harness where the ECM connects (apparently under the hood, in one of the back corners). When he jiggled that connector, the system threw all kinds of warning messages, including the ones above. They attempted to order a new connector, but apparently they aren't in Ford's ordering system - you can only order the complete engine wiring harness. My service advisor (good guy) told me he asked why the didn't just get a new connector from somewhere like Granger, cut the existing wires, and connect the new one... Seems the wires are short enough that if they cut them, the connector will no longer reach the plug where it needs to connect.

Two days later: Bad news, no wiring harnesses available anywhere in Ford's system, and they are back-ordered, but that Ford had agreed to upgrade the order to "Emergency - vehicle not on road" status, which should give us the highest priority when the harness became available... Two days later, I was contacted by someone in Customer Service at FoMoCo, telling me she would be following up with me, keeping me updated on all the effort FoMoCo was putting toward getting my vehicle repaired to my satisfaction, and promising the would be my primary point of contact until my vehicle was repaired and back in my hands. But basically, she told me nothing the service advisor had not already told me... Fast forward several more days, and today I was contacted by a different person at Ford Customer Service, letting me know that she had tried to contact the dealership, but wasn't able to get anyone, so she had no "dealer update" for me, but that my back-ordered part was showing "pending upgrade to emergency status". I asked why it wasn't already ON emergency status, and she said "well, they don't have any in stock, so they can't make it an emergency status until they do." (Seems to kind of defeat the purpose of allowing back-orders, doesn't it?) In any case, she was totally not helpful, except to ask if the dealership had given me a loaner car (they had not. - none available when I took it in).

So after I got off the phone with her, I immediately called the dealership (which she said she could not reach "anyone" in the service department, and would not try again until after the weekend - this at roughly 2PM on Friday). The phone was answered immediately, and I was able to get my service coordinator on the phone in less than 1 minute. (So she was full of you-know-what...) I expressed my frustration at being without my truck for 3+ weeks, and asked if there was any possibility of getting a loaner vehicle. He escalated the case to his management, who escalated it to the sales team, and got approval for a loaner. I just got back home from picking up a 2024 F-150 that will be my loaner until my truck is fixed. My thanks to Covert Ford (Austin, TX) and William Heinrich (service coordinator - who had been great to work with every time I've been in the shop).

When I first took delivery of the Maverick (July, 2023), the entire sound system was non-functional. All the features "worked" other than the fact that there was no sound at all from the Sync system (so no sound through Apple Car Play, either). The dealership diagnosed the issue within a couple of hours (a bad hardware module in the Sync system), and told me it was back-ordered with no estimate on when it would be delivered. They offered me the choice of leaving the vehicle with them until the repair part came in (with a loaner in the meantime), or just go ahead and keep the truck until the part came in, at which time they would contact me an schedule a repair. Since I had only JUST picked up (and paid for) the Maverick, I elected to keep it until the part came in... Glad I did, because the part didn't come in until late December, 2023 - that's 6 1/2 months after it was ordered! Because it came in just as the holidays hit, they gave me a Mach-E loaner for Christmas holidays. When I got back from my son's house after Christmas, my truck was finally ready, and I got to hear the sound system for the first time. So again, I feel like Covert Ford did their best to accommodate me, but the FoMoCo parts inventory system let both of us down pretty badly.

And Ford, you've got some serious 'spraining to do... Either A) Ford has the worst spare parts inventory management of any motor vehicle company I've ever dealt with, or B) there has been a massive run on replacement engine wiring harnesses. To me, it is totally unacceptable for a truck to be "down for parts" for more than three weeks (this time) because there are no repair parts available in the system. In any case, the Maverick Hybrid that I absolutely loved at first has proven to be completely unreliable.

At this point, I cannot recommend to anyone that they purchase a Maverick Hybrid.

I don't blame you one bit for being peeved and having no confidence in your hybrid Mav after what you have been through.

I am about to go on my first road trip [800 mi R/T] in my 2024 Lariat hybrid, 5k miles on the odo, and after reading what you wrote, think maybe we should take my wife's car.

One thing I hope you do is report your incident to NHTSA on their website. The more people that do, the more likely there will be pressure on FoMoCo to do something.

 

[Scott Asheville]

OP, feel your pain. It reminds me of the old adage, "A recession is when your neighbor loses his job. A depression is when you lose yours.". The same holds true for a vehicle - which is a big part of our lives. It's the tool most of us need every day to live our lives. When a make lets you down, you can easily psychologically sour on the whole brand.

That's why I irrationally won't ever step foot in a Toyota sales dealership again, and haven't for 25 years. Genuinely abusive sales experience at one dealership. Followed by a a demonstrably incompetent and expensive service experience at another dealership. Those two experiences soured me on the Toyota brand for life, even though my rational brain told me that I was making an irrational decision (I was throwing out the whole brand because of bad experiences at two MA dealerships).

Trust and reputation are earned with lots of effort, and are very easily lost.

 

[boxster03]

Lake Austin

"Last time I saw my vehicle Mr. Insurance it was parked in my driveway"

 

[Blitz-Hacker]

Vehicle: 2023 Maverick Hybrid Lariat, purchased from Covert Ford in Austin, TX.

I went on a short trip (Cedar Park, TX to Sequin, TX - about 80 miles) in my Maverick, and stopped for lunch before going to my appointment. I finished lunch and was driving the approximately 1.5 miles to the appointment. About halfway there, I stopped for at red light at an intersection of a major road and an interstate highway. Just as I pulled to a stop, the Sync system went blank, followed by the main driver's display, then almost immediately both came back on, but with every single warning light illuminated, and pop-up messages from all of those systems coming up so fast that I lost track of how many messages I got. The gas engine, of course, was shut off (as always at a stop), but the transmission was now in "Park" (I didn't touch the shifter) and the parking brake was ON. I could not change into Neutral, nor release the parking brake. Turning the vehicle off (push-button) and back on did nothing. So I was just stuck in the middle of the intersection, with the noon "rush" flowing around me (lots of angry looks, honks, and raised middle fingers directed at me). I tried everything I could think of (including searching the Maverick Truck Club) for similar scenarios and how to resolve it) with no success.

I have a Ford extended warranty, so I called them to tow me to a dealership. But the local dealership said they had no one in their service department qualified to work on hybrid vehicles, and that I would have to have it towed to either San Antonio or Austin to get it worked on. Since my "home" dealer is in Austin, I decided to have it towed there. However, Ford's towing service will only pay for it to be towed to the nearest dealer, so I had to pay almost $300 to get it towed to Austin.

This post is already going to be long, so to shorten it somewhat, my service advisor told me the only thing wrong was that the 12V battery was absolutely dead - zero volts - and that it would not accept a charge. Something must have broken inside the disabled the entire battery. They replaced it under warranty, but the detailed explanation I got from the service manager and technician scared the hell out of me! If the 12V battery fails like this, the computer shuts down the engine (and electric power as well) and puts the transmission into Park, and applies the parking brake. Until the computer sees a normal 12V signal again, it will NOT allow the vehicle to be shifted out of Park, nor allow the parking brake to release. This seems absolutely crazy to me, given that the high-voltage battery was absolutely fine, and we all know that the HVB is what recharges the 12V battery, whose only purpose is the power the computer when the hybrid system is shut down Why the hell would Ford engineer the system such that a 12V battery (an accessory at best) would force a critical shutdown - as though it were a nuclear reactor performing an emergency shutdown? It's not only ridiculous, it's downright dangerous!

The truly scary part is that if the battery failure had occurred 2 miles prior or 2 miles after it did, I would have been on an Interstate highway, going 75 mph (speed limit in this area) when the computer decided to put the vehicle into Park and apply the parking brake. Whether it would have done so at 75 mph, I have no idea (nor did the tech), but even if it had just shut down the engine and hybrid power system and had me coast to a stop, then shifted to Park and applied the parking brake, I would have been in some seriously fast traffic with an immovable vehicle. What are the odds I might have been killed in the almost inevitable rear-end collision that would follow?

This seems like a MAJOR design flaw. My wife won't even set foot in the Maverick any longer, and doesn't want me to drive it either. We both believe this is a significant hazard - especially given the track record of the 12V battery failures that have been a chronic issue in the Maverick Hybrid, as you can definitely see from these forums... So I' will no longer drive on the freeway in my Maverick, nor take it on long trips, since it has stranded me three times now. I'm starting to investigate the Lemon Law in Texas...

To make matters even worse, I have also experienced three separate occurrences of "multiple sensor" warnings:

• Pre-Collision Assist not Availble
• Powertrain Malfunction / Reduced Power
• Blind Spot Detection with Cross traffic
• High-Voltage Battery Warning (detailed message says stop as soon as possible and contact authorized dealer)
• Service Engine Soon Warning

The first time, the dealership (280 miles from home) told me the Engine Control Module needed to have the software reloaded. Doing this seemed to return the vehicle to service. The out-of-town dealership put me at the head of the queue since I was on a trip, and got me going within a couple of hours. I was extremely grateful for their quick response.

The second time I got this rash of messages, I tried, but I could not clear the problem by shutting down and restarting. This time, the dealer reported they cleared the errors, but could find nothing wrong afterward, and the vehicle performed normally for them with no further errors. This was also at an out of town dealership. I mentioned it to my "local" dealer when I went in for an oil change, but there were no errors in the system for them to go on.

The third time it happened, I was here in town, and got the "High Voltage Warning" that basically means "park the vehicle." So I again had it towed to Covert Ford. It took two days for them to get it into the shop to actually work on it. After almost a full day of diagnostics, their tech found a "damaged" connector plug in the wiring harness where the ECM connects (apparently under the hood, in one of the back corners). When he jiggled that connector, the system threw all kinds of warning messages, including the ones above. They attempted to order a new connector, but apparently they aren't in Ford's ordering system - you can only order the complete engine wiring harness. My service advisor (good guy) told me he asked why the didn't just get a new connector from somewhere like Granger, cut the existing wires, and connect the new one... Seems the wires are short enough that if they cut them, the connector will no longer reach the plug where it needs to connect.

Two days later: Bad news, no wiring harnesses available anywhere in Ford's system, and they are back-ordered, but that Ford had agreed to upgrade the order to "Emergency - vehicle not on road" status, which should give us the highest priority when the harness became available... Two days later, I was contacted by someone in Customer Service at FoMoCo, telling me she would be following up with me, keeping me updated on all the effort FoMoCo was putting toward getting my vehicle repaired to my satisfaction, and promising the would be my primary point of contact until my vehicle was repaired and back in my hands. But basically, she told me nothing the service advisor had not already told me... Fast forward several more days, and today I was contacted by a different person at Ford Customer Service, letting me know that she had tried to contact the dealership, but wasn't able to get anyone, so she had no "dealer update" for me, but that my back-ordered part was showing "pending upgrade to emergency status". I asked why it wasn't already ON emergency status, and she said "well, they don't have any in stock, so they can't make it an emergency status until they do." (Seems to kind of defeat the purpose of allowing back-orders, doesn't it?) In any case, she was totally not helpful, except to ask if the dealership had given me a loaner car (they had not. - none available when I took it in).

So after I got off the phone with her, I immediately called the dealership (which she said she could not reach "anyone" in the service department, and would not try again until after the weekend - this at roughly 2PM on Friday). The phone was answered immediately, and I was able to get my service coordinator on the phone in less than 1 minute. (So she was full of you-know-what...) I expressed my frustration at being without my truck for 3+ weeks, and asked if there was any possibility of getting a loaner vehicle. He escalated the case to his management, who escalated it to the sales team, and got approval for a loaner. I just got back home from picking up a 2024 F-150 that will be my loaner until my truck is fixed. My thanks to Covert Ford (Austin, TX) and William Heinrich (service coordinator - who had been great to work with every time I've been in the shop).

When I first took delivery of the Maverick (July, 2023), the entire sound system was non-functional. All the features "worked" other than the fact that there was no sound at all from the Sync system (so no sound through Apple Car Play, either). The dealership diagnosed the issue within a couple of hours (a bad hardware module in the Sync system), and told me it was back-ordered with no estimate on when it would be delivered. They offered me the choice of leaving the vehicle with them until the repair part came in (with a loaner in the meantime), or just go ahead and keep the truck until the part came in, at which time they would contact me an schedule a repair. Since I had only JUST picked up (and paid for) the Maverick, I elected to keep it until the part came in... Glad I did, because the part didn't come in until late December, 2023 - that's 6 1/2 months after it was ordered! Because it came in just as the holidays hit, they gave me a Mach-E loaner for Christmas holidays. When I got back from my son's house after Christmas, my truck was finally ready, and I got to hear the sound system for the first time. So again, I feel like Covert Ford did their best to accommodate me, but the FoMoCo parts inventory system let both of us down pretty badly.

And Ford, you've got some serious 'spraining to do... Either A) Ford has the worst spare parts inventory management of any motor vehicle company I've ever dealt with, or B) there has been a massive run on replacement engine wiring harnesses. To me, it is totally unacceptable for a truck to be "down for parts" for more than three weeks (this time) because there are no repair parts available in the system. In any case, the Maverick Hybrid that I absolutely loved at first has proven to be completely unreliable.

At this point, I cannot recommend to anyone that they purchase a Maverick Hybrid.

Since you like everything else about the Maverick why not trade for a ICE version. I have 13,000 miles on my Lariat AWD 4K tow with no issues and averaging 29mpg for the whole 13K. Only on recall and it was update on software.

 

[huunvubu]

Watch this Video on what this Mech found:

OP has a 2023 Maverick.

This issue was from the early 2022 Mavericks and not relevant to the 2023's.

 

[The Real Maverick]

The Maverick has no starter, and no alternator. It uses the motor/generator for both functions, which is driven by the HVB, not the 12V battery.. The HVB supplies the voltage that spins the motor generator to start the gasoline engine. The hybrid battery (HVB) also supplies power to a converter that produces the 12V current to recharge the small 12V battery under the seat. The only reason for the 12V battery is to power the computer systems when the HVB is offline (vehicle is "off"). The computer has to have power to initiate the "ON" condition for the hybrid system. (This is true for the Toyota system as well.)

But in my case, the HVB was already engaged and online, because I was driving on electric/hybrid power. In a normal ICE vehicle, you can remove the battery while the engine is running and you wouldn't even notice until the engine stops. The same is true in the Toyota hybrid system (and every other one I've ever heard of) - the 12V system is only needed during the start-up process to energize the computer and the various relays that engage the hybrid system. According to the service coordinator and tech at Covert Ford, the Ford hybrid system is different, because when the 12V battery is "dead" even an fully functional, normally operating vehicle will shut down, engage the park setting, and activate the parking brake. That is NOT normal behavior for any other hybrid vehicle. It is a software programming choice that Ford engineers made. And in my opinion, it is a foolish - no, let's call it "downright dangerous" - design that offers zero benefit, while creating a significant danger to the driver and occupants of the vehicle.

If it makes you feel any better, (prob not) other hybrids DO behave like this, other EV's behave like this. It is rare but there are videos of Fords, Chevys, Teslas and more completely shutting down, and then going into park with a bad 12v battery, or a 12v connection that came loose after hitting a bump.

Probably deemed the lesser of two evils vs a runaway vehicle not able to stop or something. May be due to some regulation as well. Speculation.

 

[Random]

My battery seems to have just died this morning when I went to start it. It is on the charger now but we'll see what happens. I've been dealing with Deep Sleep since 6 months into ownership and zero modifications. It has been looked at three times and no problem found.

 

[HeyBales]

From having a '98 Ford and '05 Rav4 where the battery went way low or bad (and regulator), and the resulting computer monitored systems going completely wonky - shifting points, display, brake lights, engine running, ect - I can totally understand how many of the modern cars that use so much data to actually control vehicle systems now - would need to turn off instead of allowing to run with bad data and bad controls.
Shifting points and poor running engine are one thing - e-brakes and e-gears and e-steering are very much another.
Let alone the potential for some real system damage when actions are done wrong.

I do agree that if it's running already, keep the 12V output going from the HVB - though there is a very real danger in that too in that the HVB could be run down, and if the sensors dealing with it and modules are already on 12V systems - how do you trust what they are saying.

I guess the HVB actually was supplying some 12V to the right modules for the decision to be made to shutdown and other modules to have a final action. Just too bad it couldn't give a warning like in 5 min or 1 mile shutdown will occur.

 

[OleFordGuy]

Wow, know that’s frustrating and unnerving. I don’t tolerate unreliable/troublesome vehicles well, never have in all my long years of driving. Based on yours and your wife’s feelings, not to mention the troubles I would trade it once they get you on the road again. Life to short to live with the stress of any vehicle you don’t feel you can trust. Maybe a EB version, a Ranger or something else along those lines? I wish you luck and happiness in whatever turns out best for you and the wife!

 

[boe757]

OP, feel your pain. It reminds me of the old adage, "A recession is when your neighbor loses his job. A depression is when you lose yours.". The same holds true for a vehicle - which is a big part of our lives. It's the tool most of us need every day to live our lives. When a make lets you down, you can easily psychologically sour on the whole brand.

That's why I irrationally won't ever step foot in a Toyota sales dealership again, and haven't for 25 years. Genuinely abusive sales experience at one dealership. Followed by a a demonstrably incompetent and expensive service experience at another dealership. Those two experiences soured me on the Toyota brand for life, even though my rational brain told me that I was making an irrational decision (I was throwing out the whole brand because of bad experiences at two MA dealerships).

Trust and reputation are earned with lots of effort, and are very easily lost.

exactly my experience at Mazda after 3 purchases - never again

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