I own a 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning, with 48,200 miles and 2.5 years of ownership. Recently, my truck began displaying a “Powertrain / Reduced Power” warning while driving, and the air conditioning stopped producing cold air. The dealer scanned the vehicle and found DTC P0534 – A/C System Charge Loss. Further diagnostics indicated that multiple vehicle modules may require reprogramming and software updates. The dealer stated they need to evacuate and recharge the AC system, add dye, and remove front trunk components to locate the leak. This AC system is part of the high-voltage battery and eDrive thermal management system, meaning that failure of the HVAC system affects battery cooling and powertrain performance. Loss of cabin cooling is a symptom of a thermal system malfunction, which can lead to battery overheating, powertrain derating, and reduced driving performance. The combination of unexpected reduced power and loss of cabin cooling creates a safety risk, particularly during highway driving, merging, or situations requiring acceleration. These failures occurred at relatively low mileage and are associated with the high-voltage EV system, which should be functioning properly to ensure safe vehicle operation. I am submitting this complaint to report a potential safety defect with the 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning affecting the battery thermal management, high-voltage AC system, and eDrive components, which can result in sudden power loss and compromised vehicle safety.
2023 Ford F-150 Lightning Bev electrical complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 61, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The contact owns a 2023 Ford F-150. The contact stated that upon charging the vehicle, the charge was reduced by 40 miles. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to charge properly with a low-volume charger but charged as needed while using the high-volume charger. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH and overtaking another vehicle, the vehicle accelerated to 65 MPH as intended, but the vehicle temporarily lost motive power. The vehicle restarted independently, and the contact was able to drive to the residence. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the cause of the failure was not determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The contact was a field engineer and determined that the high voltage battery power module had failed, causing the main 12-Volt battery charging failure and a computer failure. The contact notified the dealer and the manufacturer that the high-voltage battery needed to be replaced. The contact was awaiting a response from the manufacturer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 16,000.
I was driving at 45 miles an hour. With no warning, the car had 28 warnings pop up and it just died with no warning. No power steering, no brake assist at all, no lights (not even emergency light would turn on). I was not able to put it into neutral so I was just stuck. Ford roadside was not able to get moving so I was just stuck. I called a tow and it was dragged up. The dealer determined it was a faulty 12v battery.
My f150 lightning won't drive wben put in Drive. Then all the sudden it goes forward when not expecting it and we almost was in an accident. This happened many times and has been in service for over 3 months. They aren't able to fix it. We are trying to get them to take it back. The computer we noticed was defective the day after we bought it and inquired about it immediately. delayed engagement followed by a sudden lurch or unintended acceleration—matches several reports from other F-150 Lightning owners. Because this vehicle is fully electric, "revving" effectively signals the electric motors to apply instant torque, which can lead to dangerous lunges if the software or sensors are out of sync.I mentioned the safety issues and it was not addressed Our computer goes in and out and blacks out when driving. Anything you ask of it has not worked. This isn't the biggest deal but the safety issue. [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Rear light bar has water in it. Recall alert but no remedy available. Rear light bar has water inside. Reverse light and brake light are out or flickering
Water intrusion into rear lightbar/back up/brake light assembly that has caused shorting of the back up lights and flashing of the brake lights. This is a known issue, the federal safety agency campaign 23V418000. Ford is refusing to cover replacement of this part.
The rear light bar in the tailgate that also includes my back up lights is defective. The light bar was defective at delivery of vehicle and this is the second time this light bar has been deemed defective by a Ford Dealership Service Department. The first repair on this defect was covered under a recall. This issue is a safety concern as it causes the rear light bar to flicker on and off and it has disabled the back up lights. There was no warning lights or alerts, I was pulled over by law enforcement and given a verbal warning to resolve the issue. The vehicle is currently at Red McCombs Ford in San Antonio, TX and Ford is denying any issue with the vehicle.
The front traction motor on my 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning failed without warning, causing the vehicle to lose all-wheel drive capability. The truck automatically limited available power to about 67%, which I later learned indicates the front motor was disabled and the vehicle was operating in rear-wheel drive only. The failure occurred with no warning lamps, messages, or prior symptoms on the dashboard or in the FordPass app. I assumed AWD was functioning, which could have caused a serious accident in snow, ice, or gravel conditions because the loss of front-wheel traction significantly reduces vehicle stability. The component/system is still available for inspection. At this time, the issue has NOT been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer, and the vehicle has NOT yet been inspected by the manufacturer or any other party. Cause of failure is UNKNOWN. This lack of a warning or alert to the driver represents a major safety hazard because it changes how the vehicle handles without the driver’s knowledge.
While braking slowly to park at my home, my 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning XLT suddenly accelerated forward without any throttle input. The vehicle struck a wall. My foot was on the brake and I did not touch the accelerator. There were no warning messages prior to the incident. This could have caused serious injury or worse if anyone was in front of the vehicle. I believe this may be a critical safety defect.
The truck's remote access app is not able to communicate with the truck during the entire period I own the truck. This features worked 20% of time only. I am not able to unlock or lock the truck remotely. I am not able to find out its location and I am not able to remotely start its cooling system to keep battery cool during charging. I have brought the issue to the dealer I purchased the truck from at least 3 time in the last 2 years. Even though the truck's key was locked in it at the dealer, this issue was not resolved due to cost of its repair. Other trucks were repaired with a new modem. The truck was advertised as a remotely accessible EV truck, I am concerned about my safety if this feature is not available and I am at a urgent situation when it is necessary to use the features.
The part they replace the rear light bar that you have a recall for also fails in the exact same manner causing my reverse lights to stay on while driving.
I was driving down the interstate and the vehicle was struck by lightning. The vehicle lost all electrical power. As a result, the brakes did not work. Luckily, I was able to safely coast to a stop in the median. If the brakes can be more than 90% compromised during complete electrical failure, the vehicle should have a mechanical emergency brake.
The front trunk (or frunk) of the electric truck has a power lift as the primary means of opening and closing it and this has a failure warning/dash light stating it requires service. The front trunk is where the travel charger is stored by the manufacturer as well as where the positive and negative terminals for the 12 v battery are located. In the absence of the power open function, there is a tab to "pop the hood" but this requires the tab to be held back while a second person pulls open the hood to get it to open/is not possible to open by just the driver. Ford recognizes this problem under the code CXH-03906163-G5J3D0 "reprogram the front hatch control module FCHM" but is listing it as a recommended repair to the dealerships, not a recall. Ford does not list a mileage restriction on this recommended repair, but dealerships will not repair at their cost past 36000 miles. A non-functioning hood or trunk latch that restricts access to key electronic components is a safety issue, not just an inconvenience.
I am writing to formally lodge a complaint regarding a serious safety issue with my 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning. While driving, the gauge screen on my vehicle intermittently goes black, leaving me without critical driving information, including speed, battery charge level, and warning indicators. This issue occurs unexpectedly and poses a severe safety risk, particularly at high speeds or in heavy traffic conditions. The inability to monitor vital vehicle data while driving significantly increases the risk of accidents, as it forces the driver to operate without essential real-time information. Additionally, this issue may lead to non-compliance with speed limits, missed warnings for mechanical failures, and impaired vehicle control. I have reached out to Ford regarding this issue, but as of now, no effective resolution has been provided. I am deeply concerned about the potential for serious accidents if this problem is not addressed immediately. Given the growing number of electric vehicles on the road, ensuring the reliability of essential display systems is crucial for public safety. I urge the federal safety agency to investigate this matter and take necessary action to ensure that Ford acknowledges and resolves this dangerous defect. I appreciate your attention to this urgent safety issue and look forward to your response regarding any next steps.
Powertrain Failure. Vehicle unresponsive. Multiple complains through various individuals of this failure. Battery pack failures causing numerous safety issues related to driving, 12v system, etc
The instrument cluster failed to present information upon start up. Multiple restarts did not resolve the issue.
Instrument cluster went completely black. No speedometer or other vehicle information available.
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.
The instrument cluster does not turn on. Screen stays blank.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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