2023 Ford F-150 LIGHTNING BEV: complaints, problems and recalls

I have a F150 Lightning being delivered ( expected 2/23 - 3/2 ). I’ve read about the fire on 2/5 almost exactly the date my truck was shipped. Ford says “should” be OK. Dealer says Ford problem. I don’t want a bomb in my garage. What should I do? Know you’re on it as I read a story today. You should know that Ford is basically telling me to take delivery “as is”. This hardly seems safe to me as well as others who have builds that coincide with this very dangerous issue. Thank you for any help.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11507655 at NHTSA ↗

The rear seats, which I put my grandchildren in, are at different angles. One sits about two inches below the other. The dealer said, "Sometimes they are just like that" and FORD said talk to the dealer. I have to believe this creates safety issues for my grandchildren, and I need your help in getting Ford to address the issue.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11524671 at NHTSA ↗

The 240V mobile charging cord that is sold with the vehicle repeatedly overheats and derates the charging speed once overheated. Problem has existed since the vehicle was brand new. Cord is used in a warm climate but not an abnormal temperature for a non-climate controlled garage. Overheating electrical equipment could result in a household electrical fire if the temperature sensors were to fail, which is a safety mechanism and shouldn’t be triggered in normal everyday operation. An alternate brand charging cord with similar capabilities works …

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11529480 at NHTSA ↗

The hood (frunk) on the F150 Lightning is stuck in a semi-latched position. It will not reset to release and will not latch completely. The truck does issue a visual and audible warning.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11533475 at NHTSA ↗

We were in a low speed situation. A car 2 cars in front of us was signaling a right hand turn. We began to slow down from approximately 25 mph to 5-7 mph. The car turning right stop short of completing their turn, the car immediately in front of us came to a complete stop. We were only traveling 5 - 7 mph behind and had plenty of room to stop. I depressed the brake further (we were already slowing due to turning vehicle) but the truck did not slow at which point I depressed the brake pedal as hard as I could. The truck did not slow at all…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11540824 at NHTSA ↗

• power train malfunction / reduced power • dealer sees the same problem / issue • I did get a "wrench" icon on my dashboard and a power train malfunction notice on my ford pass app

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11543071 at NHTSA ↗

The vehicle's message center reported multiple system failures while driving 70 MPH on a two lane Montana highway. The steering assist failure caused the wheel to jerk left/right before locking up. It took all the strength I had to keep the vehicle from exiting the roadway. If someone else was driving they would not have likely been as fortunate. The vehicle is now parked inside while I wait to hear from Ford. The local dealer won't look at the truck until the middle of next month. The truck has about 1500 miles.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11550318 at NHTSA ↗

When reversing, the center screen that contains the backup camera freezes, with no indication it has stopped functioning. This leads to a situation where you are seeing a camera image that is not related to the actual view behind you. This can cause crashes and pedestrian hazards if you do not realize the screen has broken. Attached photos show what the camera was showing and what the actual situation was. The only solution to getting the cameras to function again is by a full reset of the center screen.

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11552251 at NHTSA ↗

Reported: 2023-03-15 (March 15, 2023)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2023 F-150 Lightning pickup trucks. The high-voltage battery pack may experience an electrical short-circuit when the battery is fully charged or near fully charged.

Consequence: A battery short-circuit increases the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the high-voltage battery pack, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 31, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S15.

Reported: 2023-06-09 (June 9, 2023)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022-2023 F-150 BEV vehicles. The rear lightbar may have microcracks in the outer lens that allows moisture to accumulate, which can result in inoperative or flickering reverse lights.

Consequence: Inoperative or flickering reverse lights may not alert other driver's that the vehicle is reversing, increasing the risk of injury or crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the rear lightbar, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 9, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S30.

Reported: 2023-10-13 (October 13, 2023)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2023 F-150 Lightning pickup trucks. The electronic cabin coolant heater module may be missing a solder joint, which can cause intermittent or no cabin heat and result in an inoperative windshield defrosting and defogging system. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 103, "Windshield Defrosting and Defogging Systems."

Consequence: An inoperative windshield defrosting and defogging system may decrease the driver's visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the electronic cabin coolant heater, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 3, 2024. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23C32.

Reported: 2023-11-28 (November 28, 2023)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022-2023 F-150 Lightning vehicles. The SYNC software may fail to activate the electronic stability control (ESC) system at the beginning of each ignition cycle. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."

Consequence: Failure to reset the ESC to active may result in the driver unknowingly operating the vehicle without electronic stability control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: The Accessory Protocol Interface Module (APIM) software will be updated by a dealer or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 21, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23C38.

Reported: 2024-02-23 (February 23, 2024)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2023 F-150 Lightning vehicles. The fasteners that secure the junction box bus bars inside the high-voltage battery pack may not have been tightened securely, which can cause electrical arcing at the busbars.

Consequence: Electrical arcing increases the risk of a fire. In addition, a loss of drive power may occur, which can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and repair the busbar fasteners and replace any damaged components as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 31, 2024. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S11.

Reported: 2024-12-19 (December 19, 2024)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2023-2024 F-150 Lightning BEV vehicles. The front upper control arm ball joint nut may not have been tightened properly, allowing the front upper control arm to detach from the knuckle assembly.

Consequence: A detached control arm can cause a loss of vehicle steering and control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect the upper control arm ball joint nut, and replace the nut and/or knuckle assembly, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 10, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S76.

Reported: 2025-02-28 (February 28, 2025)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022-2024 F-150 Lightning battery electric vehicles. A manufacturing defect in the high voltage battery cells may result in an internal short circuit.

Consequence: A battery short circuit increases the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Owners are advised to only charge their vehicles to a maximum of 80% battery capacity until the repair has been completed. Dealers will inspect and replace the high voltage battery array as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 27, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S18.

Reported: 2025-04-23 (April 23, 2025)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2023 F-150 Lightning vehicles. The fasteners that secure the junction box bus bars inside the high-voltage battery pack may not have been tightened securely, which can cause electrical arcing at the busbars.

Consequence: Electrical arcing increases the risk of a fire. In addition, a loss of drive power may occur, which can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and repair the busbar fasteners and replace any damaged components as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 21, 2025. Owners may contact Ford Customer Service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S11. This recall expands previous recall number 24V-144.

Reported: 2025-05-09 (May 9, 2025)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022-2023 F-150 Lightning vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 23V801. The SYNC software may fail to activate the electronic stability control (ESC) system at the beginning of each ignition cycle. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."

Consequence: Failure to reset the ESC to active may result in the driver unknowingly operating the vehicle without electronic stability control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will update the Accessory Protocol Interface Module (APIM) software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 18, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25C15.

Reported: 2025-10-24 (October 24, 2025)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022-2023 F-150 Lightning BEV vehicles previously repaired under recall number 23V418. The rear lightbar may have microcracks in the outer lens that allows moisture to accumulate, which can result in inoperative or flickering reverse lights.

Consequence: Inoperative or flickering reverse lights may not alert other driver's that the vehicle is reversing, increasing the risk of injury or crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the rear lightbar and fasteners as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 3, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SB6. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on October 29, 2025.

Reported: 2025-12-12 (December 12, 2025)

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022-2026 F-150 Lightning BEV, 2024-2026 Mustang Mach-E, and 2025-2026 Maverick vehicles. The integrated park module may fail to lock into the park position when the driver shifts into park. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."

Consequence: A loss of park function can allow the vehicle to rollaway, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: The park module software will be updated over-the-air (OTA) or by a dealer, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 3, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25C69. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning January 26, 2026.