2023 Ford F-150 Lightning Bev complaints

On my new Ford F-150 Lightning, five out of the six studs on the right front wheel sheared off, leaving just one lug nut and stud holding the wheel on. I took my truck into the Ford dealership who repaired the vehicle and it was returned to me. They did not appear to be escalating the dangerous situation to Ford. The dealership kept the removed parts for warranty submission.

The instrument cluster failed to present information upon start up. Multiple restarts did not resolve the issue.

Using the 1 pedal drive mode, I was entering my driveway, which is 90 degrees adjacent to the street I was on. My approximate speed entering the driveway was 2 MPH. As I was finishing the turn and almost straightened out, my hand accidently glazed over and engaged the cruise control button. My truck lurched forward and started to accelerate towards the garage door. I quickly stepped on the brake and the truck came to rest mere inches from the garage door. I believe the speed it was trying to accelerate to was 15 MPH when I had looked down at the dash. This is a big safety hazard. I have tried to recreate it and cruise control wont engage on slow speeds. I'm not sure why this occasion was different.

Instrument cluster went completely black. No speedometer or other vehicle information available.

Bought an electric truck in May of 2023 that is frequently malfunctioning while on the road. Turn signals and hazard lights becoming unusable. Gauges w/ speed are turning off and on while driving. All safety features become disabled. Video of multiple occurrences are available and have been submitted to ford. Would someone please help me and atleast reach out to see the videos of what this truck is doing. I have extensive documentation of my attempts to get this vehicle repaired or off the roads through the BEV specialist. My emails are ignored and my phone calls are put in endless loops before being hung up on. I have been trying for 6 months to get them to make my truck safe. I’m scared me and my family or possibly other motorist are going to be hurt if this situation is not fixed. I know I shouldn’t keep driving it but I have to get to work. Purchased an extended warranty for thousands of dollars but after taking to 3 dealerships multiple times a piece no repairs to the computer have been made and they literally have documented they are trying a temporary method for “testing” out unproven “wire overlayment” to bypass an issue with a harness bc they dont want to “condemn” an expensive module on the truck. The computers that control this electric vehicle are failing and I’m scared what is going to happen when if completely goes out while I’m driving at 70 on the interstate. If someone would please look at the service transcripts, my emails to ford, and videos of this vehicle

The contact owns a 2013 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked near the side of the residence and unoccupied as he was inside the home asleep, the vehicle caught on fire. The contact stated that the dogs alarmed them of the failure and the contact could hear the tires possibly popping/exploding due to the fire. The exterior and interior walls, attic, and electrical box were all burned. The Ford app indicated a "Faulty Connection" warning message as he attempted to dial 911. The local fire department arrived to extinguish the flames and filed a report but was unavailable. A police report was not filed. No injuries were sustained. The contact stated the fire marshal advised that the vehicle should not be moved until further investigation. In addition, the contact stated that the fire may have started from the middle console due to an EV battery failure. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a report. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

See attached document for complaint.

When performing low-speed departing, 3-point turns, parking, etc., I repeatedly shifted into the wrong gear. I thought I’d suddenly forgotten how to drive. Once home in my driveway, I discovered the shifter had 2 “extra” detents. It takes 2 clicks to get from P to R and two clicks to get from D to N. There should only be one! This is extremely unsafe and I won’t drive the truck until it’s fixed (except to take it to the dealer using extra caution when using the shifter).

The instrument cluster does not turn on. Screen stays blank.

My vehicle is a Ford F150 Lightning, a battery electric vehicle. As this is an electric vehicle, the vehicle has a large frunk available for cargo storage. Within the frunk there is an emergency hood release button that can be activated if a person became trapped inside the frunk. This button is located on the side of the cargo compartment and is in a position that makes it very easy to be activated while driving by shifting cargo within the frunk. On at least three occasions, I personally have experienced cargo shifting inside my frunk and activating the emergency hood release while driving. This results in the hood unlatching and multiple alarms going off inside the vehicle. Ford has evidently realized this design flaw, because mid-way through the 2023 model year they revised emergency release button to have a protective shield that prevents accidental presses from cargo. However, trucks built before then still have the flawed button.

“Powertrain Malfunction/Reduced Power” error message with accompanied vehicle propulsion reduction to approximately 5 mph.

While driving in sport mode multiple times, received "drive mode not available" message. Vehicle reverted to normal mode changing expected regeneration braking force. No other issues with the vehicle noted or stored in CAN. Seems to be a software glitch but arrives randomly and unexpectedly changes expected regenerative braking force requiring more driver input.

Problem with instrument panel, instrument display, dashboard. When turning on the vehicle, it does not present any information, black screen with a faint Light on the edge. I turn on, turn off and drive the vehicle and the information does not return. The main screen of the center works normal, the vehicle does everything normal, even heard.

I entered my 23 F150 Lightning Lariat started the vehicle, was driving into work with my stero on 5 ( fairly low volume ) in surround mode, and all of the speakers suddently popped at an extremely high volume which was very shocking for a safety standpoint. I stopped the truck thinking there was a major electrical issue checked the truck / amp components for any sort of water or other issue, ( truck is mint new condition ) and nothing was found, all connections were clearly seated well. Truck radio was in surround mode, switched to stero and everything seemed fine and no issues, switched back to surround mode and the issue immediately reappeared. So its something with this mode / amp / setting... Did quite an extensive amount of reading online and came accross this issue was quite extensive for this truck. It needs to be documented and fixed, dealer shrugged when I called them...

Instrument cluster is freezing. No listed speed or any vehicle driving information while the vehicle is moving.

The infotainment/screen freezes every time the vehicle is started. This prevents the backup camera from working. The system reboots continuously for 2-30 minutes. Ford has said a software fix will resolve it in several months.

The vehicle stopped to work without any warning or apparent reason. Now the gear shift is stuck at Park position and the vehicle will not start asking the driver to move the gear selector to Park position. It will not also take any charge (it's Lightning, an EV). It's a safety hazard if the vehicle stop while driving and may leave the driver and passengers stranded away from home.

I got into my vehicle and turned it on but the dashboard would not respond. On the advice of some Ford forums, I attempted a soft reset of the "infotainment" system by holding down the volume down + next track buttons and the center console screen restarted but the dashboard would not turn on. I ended up driving home using my phone as a GPS speedometer. After multiple restarts, I waited about 3 hours to try to restart the truck and when the dashboard suddenly started working again.

The contact owns a 2023 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to slow the vehicle, with the brake pedal was lightly depressed; however, without a foot on the accelerator pedal, the vehicle inadvertently surged forward. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence, almost causing several crashes. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Main dashboard display stayed off (blank) when car was started, tried several times, it drove ok but had no instrumentation on speed etc. was able to drive home from work for 30 mins. I have seen online a few people have had the same issue.

When I turned on vehicle the instrument cluster screen was blank. Could not see my speed, etc. Restarting vehicle after placing in park did not fix it. The issue continued while driving vehicle (again with no speedometer). After I got to destination it resolved itself on subsequent start up.

Gauge cluster completely dark. Cluster is a screen type when dark no speed visible. No warning lights available for safety feedback. Driving without speed is very dangerous mileage u known as display shows mileage.

At 65mph driving in sport mode which has increased regeneration during deceleration which provides substantial braking, I was approaching stopped traffic. I let off the throttle pedal anticipating the braking effect and regeneration but the truck instaneously switched driving modes to normal without my input. It took me a second to realize I was not slowing and had to manually activate the brake pedal in order to stop in time. I tried to reselect sport mode after stopping and it was greyed out with a message saying some features are disabled while driving. Normally you can switch drove modes while driving. After restart truck returned to normal operation. The danger was the unantisipated change to braking effect during a critical time before a high speed stop.

The contact owns a 2023 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving after a cold start or after stopping at a traffic light, whenever the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact stated that the "Wrench Symbol” was illuminated and the message "Powertrain Malfunction/Reduced Power - Contact Dealer" was displayed. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, who diagnosed that the gear shift module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to Manufacturer Communications: Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) High Voltage Battery Module Replacement Program Number: 23H01 (Electrical System). The failure mileage was approximately 2,300.

While driving at high way speeds, a fault in the drive train was detected and reduced power to the electric motors, reducing our speed to only 5 MPH.

Instrument cluster complete failure. No speedometer, no adaptive cruise or lane centering indications.

The contact owns a 2023 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the Forward Collision Avoidance warning light illuminated. The vehicle was moving but the warning light remained illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occurred at various speeds. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that there was no failure found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.

The parking brake engages randomly when the 2023 F150 Lightning Lariat ER comes to a stop while driving, thus increasing the risk of a crash. Dealership is "unable" to replicate the issue which currently occurs several times per day. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Driver instrument cluster shuts off , go's black and resets while driving vehicle. Antilock and airbag system show failure message on Ford app. Instrument cluster then reappears condition reoccurs approximately every 5 minutes

The digital screen the displays tachometer and other gauges won’t turn on. Have also had issues with the infotainment screen not turning on.

Dash display went dark. I can’t not see speedometer or other information

Vehicle dashboard(cluster) and Sync screen continuously goes out while vehicle is in motion. Preventing safe driving, seeing side and back of vehicle, other cars, etc Electric truck systems stop functioning properly, mileage range drops dramatically in extreme temperatures. Frunk opens randomly

Instrument cluster is not starting up - completely dark.

I purchased my 2023 Ford F150 Lightning Lariat in November 2023 and although it has been an outstanding vehicle in most regards, there is a glaring software/infotainment problem that has been extremely dangerous on multiple occasions. When putting the truck into reverse, the screen sometimes freezes on a static image, leading me to believe that there are no vehicles or pedestrians behind my truck when in fact there are vehicles and pedestrians behind my truck. Additionally, the screen frequently freezes completely or fails to initiate in the first place. This is an issue that has been repeatedly posted about both in F150 Lightning forums and on the [XXX] subreddit. Many users have taken their vehicles in to address this issue, but Ford technicians seem under-trained to handle this and refer customers to a potential future update that might resolve this. We believe Ford is failing to ensure the safety and security of both Lightning owners and pedestrians by not addressing this issue with their Infotainment system. Specifically, this issue occurs on Sync 4A on the 15.5 inch screen. At present, I am running the most recent software available as of 4/4/24. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Instrument cluster completely off and unable to turn back on. Unable to see speed, power, braking features, or any other indicators

When I started the vehicle the virtual instrument cluster was blank, therefore I could not tell how fast I was going, how many miles I could go before I needed to charge, start cruise control, and many other features only available on this screen. I tried to restart the vehicle, but the screen was still blank. Fortunately the screen worked again after I parked to go shopping for a period of time.

My dash went completely blank while driving at night. The center console was still functioning normal. The headlights and blinkers were still functioning normal. I could not see my speed or any other data on the dash. It was still backlit, but the screen was completely blank. Turning the vehicle off and on did nothing. I found on a forum that this is a fairly common occurrence. This is very dangerous, not knowing my speed or any other data while driving. Also, none of the other safety features could be observed, unknown if they would function in an emergency.

The headlamps flicker when the steering wheel is turned at speeds of 1-45 miles per hour. The dealership claims that a software update will fix it, though the issue seems to be with the integrated circuits in the headlamp assembly. The issue has gotten worse over the last 3-4 months.

The contact owned a 2023 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at low speeds and attempting to slow the vehicle with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle suddenly accelerated on its own. The contact veered into the shoulder of the roadway to avoid a collision, coming to a complete stop after colliding with heavy shrubs. The air bags did not deploy. No warning lights were illuminated. A police report was filed, and injuries were reported. The contact was transported to an area hospital by EMT and treated for abdominal contusions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who declined to inspect the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. After that, the vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed a total loss by the contact's insurance provider. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not assist. The failure mileage was 2,100.

The instrument panel that shows the speed and battery capacity went blank and was black. The car still drove and I was only 4 miles from home. I was not able to tell what speed I was traveling at, what warning condition or alarms may have been triggered and I did not know what the charge was on the car. Turning the car off and back on did not change the screen, it remained blank. I left the the car at home for over an hour waiting for a tow truck and when I turned the truck back on the screen was working. The Green Ford dealer in Greensboro, NC first said a part needed to be ordered but as of today they said they ran diagnostics and could not find any issues. They have asked me to drive it around until the next time it happens. I don’t feel safe doing that.

I had turned right off [XXX] in Greensboro onto [XXX] . It is not a busy road. I was preparing to turn left on [XXX], Greensboro and there were no other cars on the road and no parked cars. The instrument panel flashed a box that said something like ‘pre collision alert’. There were no other vehicles around and no pedestrians and it was around lunchtime. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

While driving on a wet road, a "frunk" open warning appeared to which I got out of the vehicle, opened the frunk and closed and it the warning went away. As I pulled away at about 25mph several warnings appeared and the vehicle lost power and shut off while on the road in a driving lane. Braking ability was greatly reduced and the vehicle continued to roll downhill with zero power, no lights worked, windows did not open then the vehicle suddenly shifted into park and came to a violent stop. I was stuck in the lane of a major roadway in the rain/fog with no lights, no hazard lights and the truck had zero power. A messaged was displayed on the infotainment screen of the vehicle which said "vehicle network communication error". Due to concern of my own safety, i exited the vehicle and stood on the side of the road as not to get rear ended.

Jan 9, 2024 Aprox 465 miles Powertrain malfunction/ reduced power (15 miles per hour) Vehicle was on the dealer shop for 8 days...at the time of returm 9f the car they told me that the issue was fixed

Januarg 18, 2024 Car warning revgarding a parking sensor fault, car was able to drive Not alsafe to have a parking sensor fault

Aprox 1083 miles PowertraiN malfunction/ reduced power Vehicle was on the dealer shop for 4days so far( still counting)...second time on a brand new vehicle with a little bit more than 1000 miles Not able to drive a vehicle after 15 min, very unsafe

The backup camera in the F150 Lightning Lariat is displayed on the large infotainment screen when the truck is shifted into Reverse. The software for the infotainment system freezes during the initial boot up approximately 50% of the time the vehicle is started. The backup camera will not function during the 30-90 seconds (estimated) that it takes for the system to un-freeze and reboot. This is a frequent safety concern because this usually occurs when the vehicle is backing out of the driveway or a parking space. Sometimes, the screen freezes while the backup camera view is being displayed. It continues to display an image that is from a number of seconds ago. This happened to me yesterday, which almost led to me backing into another parked vehicle because I thought it was further away. I am particularly concerned about this as a safety issue because I have a friend who backed into and killed his own young child while backing out of his driveway (not in this vehicle or related to this issue). The backup camera provides a much better field of view than you can see in the rearview mirror mirror or out the back window, but you cannot depend on it with the current software glitches that frequently disable it.

In this vehicle the instrument panel is an electronic display. This display did not show any controls, speedometer, mileage, warning lights, etc. It was black, with only the backlight on. This morning (Jan 10) on my way to work I noticed my instrument panel was not working. The screen was completely black instead of displaying the normal information (charge level, speed, etc).

The contact owns a 2023 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the instrument panel and display screen went blank at every one and a half miles. The Parking Brake and Front Camera Malfunction, Clear Screen messages were displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the instrument panel needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not assist. The failure mileage was approximately 1,170.

Instrument cluster would not function and was completely black. Had to pull the fuse to reset it

We were driving down the road and the cluster screen went completely black. We couldn’t tell what speed we were going or any other information that gets displayed there. This is a very hazardous problem that should be looked into further.