Contacted Ford as suggested about and got into a chat. They gave me 3 suggestions that I'll look into. Hoping for the best.
Copied from the chat -
Here is how to disable the automatic AC and take full manual control:
Turn Off "Auto" Mode
The most common reason the AC stays on is that the...
I was curious about this also. IF one were to run out of gas, would the Maverick run a few miles w/out gas to get you to gas station? No, I don't want to test it, either.