2022 FORD F-150 LIGHTNING BEV Electrical System Problems

The rear lightbar assembly on our 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Lariat has developed micro-cracks in the outer lens, allowing moisture to accumulate inside. This has caused flickering or inoperative reverse lamps and now appears to be impacting the rear passenger blinker, which functions intermittently. We are concerned that the moisture has begun to corrode the rear wiring harness or electrical system, creating additional safety risks. When we reported the issue, a Kendall Ford representative told us the rear lightbar replacement was “mainly cosmetic,” but that assessment contradicts both Ford’s recall documentation and our experience. Moisture intrusion has already led to intermittent lighting failures that reduce signaling visibility to other drivers, posing a real risk of collision. The problem has been confirmed by the dealer and a Ford Field Service Engineer dispatched from Dearborn, who inspected the truck in 2025 after the same recall repair (23S30) failed. Ford has since issued a new recall (25V731 / 25S86) acknowledging improper dealer repairs as the cause. Visible condensation, flickering lights, and intermittent “charging system fault” and “sensor unavailable” messages began shortly after the 2023 recall repair and have continued to worsen. The vehicle remains in our possession and is available for inspection by NHTSA or Ford corporate upon request.

Rear light bar was replaced under Recall 23S30 on April 30, 2024. At the time, light bar had moisture inside and was no longer functioning. Now same issue has presented itself with the new part. Rear lightbar works sporadically or not at all. This means that the red part of the light bar flashes randomly while driving, probably confusing other drivers. This also means the reverse lights do not work. So there is no indication when the vehicle is reversing. I noticed the moisture around the beginning of August 2025 and then noticed flickering lights while in reverse around August 18, 2025. Now, there are no reverse lights at all.

My trucks rear light bar was repaired under the NHTSA recall 23S30. This was done in 2023 but Ford's repair did not fix the issue and the light bar continues to allow moisture in and thus the light does not work. I currently have the truck being diagnosed by Hertrich Ford of Elkton in Elkton Maryland and a case number with Ford regarding the issue. The caes number is [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

No warning lamps but this could cause injury due to not having working tailgate lamps. Lamps started flickering like it was shorting and then just stopped turning on. Item that is not working. 2022-2024 Ford F-150 Lightning EV LED Center Tail Light Bar OEM NL34-13N466-AC

Complaint Summary: My 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning has repeatedly suffered from serious battery malfunctions, posing significant fire and electrical hazards. These safety concerns are heightened given the widely reported battery issues affecting multiple F-150 Lightning vehicles nationally. Ford has failed to permanently repair these defects, leaving my truck out of service at the dealership for nearly three months, far exceeding the warranty repair time limit of 30 days. Detailed Description: My truck’s high-voltage battery repeatedly fails despite numerous warranty repair attempts by Ford dealerships. I've grown increasingly worried due to reports of similar battery problems with Ford F-150 Lightnings, including well-documented cases of vehicles catching fire, experiencing catastrophic battery failures, or other serious electrical malfunctions. The truck regularly charges at my residence, placing my family—including my 9-year-old daughter—at serious risk of potential fire or electrical hazards. Ford has not adequately addressed this widespread defect nor provided a safe resolution for owners. This ongoing safety issue demands immediate investigation and intervention from NHTSA, as the broader public is likely at similar risk. Desired Outcome: Immediate NHTSA investigation into the widely reported Ford F-150 Lightning battery defects. Prompt corrective action by Ford, including a potential safety recall, buyback, or permanent solution to protect all affected vehicle owners. Thank you for addressing this urgent safety concern.

Extreme corrosion on connector for headlamp assembly and front camera. Also, extreme corrosion on connector that powers lightbar. Ford denied warranty claim by considering it a lamp issue even though lamp was good. The lightbar and connector w/ corrosion are one single part. Corrosion was so bad multiple pins had rusted off. This could cause electrical short and potential fire risk.

Instrument cluster screen goes completed black while driving. This happened once every couple months. Turning off the car and restarting it seems to fix the issue.

When looking under the vehicle we noticed that Ford came up with a poor design when it comes to road debris and Snow/Ice conditions in regards to sealing up the main battery connections/terminals. With normal driving on freezing days there is nothing to keep water/snow from building up on top of the "Skid plate" for the front of the battery compartment. This might be the worst attempt at covering or trying to protect a very expensive battery system from the elements. With a system such as the Lightning, we recommend a full custom skid plate replacement from the front of the front drive axle to the crossmember at the front of the battery tray.. This will involve numerous hours of work to confirm fitment and keep them as tight to the frame as possible. We also recommend trying to resolve the gaps in the wheel well opening where debris (mud/snow/water) from everyday driving can have a chance to get through the openings and again pile up onto major battery wiring components.

I’ve had 11 times back at the dealer to fix my airbag, pre-collision and battery. Ford can’t figure out the solution and keeps throwing parts at it. Already replaced my computer, computers, my wiring, harnesses, my charge port, my wiring harness for the charge port, my seat cushion for the airbags. Ford no longer knows how to fix the problem And is leaving the truck in the backyard for over six weeks now. I’m seeing multiple people having the same problem and Ford doesn’t know how to fix the problem even though they’ve reset my modules and replace them. Ford hotline doesn’t know how to solve the problem either so they’re just resetting The code and telling customers to get back in their vehicle. I found out that Ford wanted me to drive my truck for a month with a code reader with no airbags, hoping that they could find the problem but I told them no and when I said that they said I’ve already been driving it for months even though they never fix the problem Not knowing if I had airbags. Ford is willingly putting people in vehicles with no airbags, hoping the problem is fixed, but they don’t know what’s causing the problem and I’m not the only person I know five other people with the same problem.

I have received "High Voltage Battery Warnings" on 3 separate occasions (5/5/24, 5/9/24, 7/14/24), each time being told to stop the vehicle as soon as possible. On each occasion, once the vehicle is stopped it is bricked and cannot be driven at all. Fortunately, each of the three times I was able to stop the vehicle in a safe place. However, if others are experiencing the same issue, they may not be able to stop in a safe place. Furthermore, Ford has failed twice to fix the High Voltage battery issue, and the vehicle is currently at the dealer trying to resolve the issue for a third time. The fact that Ford does not know how to resolve this repeating issue is a large safety concern for two main reasons. First, as the high voltage battery is the main power unit for the propulsion system of the car, and with Ford clearly unaware of what or how to fix the issue, the car is at risk of stopping at any time or location. Second, the dealership working with Ford to fix the car mentioned that the repairs were taking a long time because Ford indicated that the High Voltage from the battery may be discharging into other components of the vehicle, e.g. frame, door panels, etc., and so they had to proceed with extreme caution. With Ford failing to resolve the issue at least two time, there may be a risk of very high electric current coming in contact with the driver or passengers in the vehicle. It would be shocking if that were to happen.

The contact owns a 2022 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at 20–25 MPH with the BlueCruise hands-free driving mode activated, the steering wheel inadvertently veered to the right, and the vehicle violently jerked across three lanes of traffic before slamming into the guardrail. No warning light was illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. There were no injuries sustained, and medical attention was not received. A police report was filed. The contact received a citation for reckless driving. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but had not yet been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.

Mileage: 25,000

While driving on interstate (I-95) truck lost power and stopped in lane of traffic. Car displayed the following messages "Powertrain Malfunction / Reduced Power" and "High-Voltage Battery Warning" (see attached from Ford App). After turning truck off and on a few time and waiting several minutes it drove again, but displayed same messages. Tuck was serviced at dealership on 4/16/20204 before this event to get recalls and software updates made.

After starting the truck the instrument panel was illuminated as I saw that the parking brake was on. After less than 1 mile of driving, the entire panel was black and no speed, battery, temperature, or other information was displayed. We parked the car as soon as we could without further incident

The contact owns a 2022 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while attempting to fuel and charge the vehicle, the charging port door failed to open. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 21,000.

Mileage: 21,000

The dash screen where you can see speed fails. Towing required. Fixes itself hours later. Happen repeatedly. Dealer says no error codes, as if it never happened!

The dash screen where you can see speed fails. Towing required. Fixes itself hours later. Happen repeatedly. Dealer says no error codes, as if it never happened!

Campaign/NHTSA# 23S30/23V418 Issue Date 2023-06-09 Description On your vehicle, it may be possible that your reversing lamps may not function due to microscopic cracks that can develop in the vehicles rear lightbar. If a microscopic crack is present, condensation can potentially enter the reversing lamp lens through these cracks and cause electrical failure to the reverse lamps. Safety Risk This may result in inoperative reverse lamps which can reduce the awareness of other motorists or road users of the drivers intention to operate the vehicle in reverse gear, increasing the risk of injury or crash. Remedy Ford Motor Company has authorized your dealer to replace the rear lightbar free of charge parts and labor. Campaign/NHTSA# 23C38/23V801 Issue Date 2023-11-28 Description Affected vehicles may have software logic that does not reset the electronic stability control esc system to default operation at the initiation of each ignition cycle. Section 5.4.1 of fmvss no. 126 requires that the vehicles esc system return to the manufacturers original default esc mode at the initiation of each ignition cycle Safety Risk The vehicle operator may not notice that the vehicle operates differently after receiving the ota update 6.3.0 and now remains in off-road mode with a reduced esc state after cycling the ignition. If the vehicle operator does not notice the esc off telltale in the cluster, they may not know the vehicle is in a reduced esc state. For these vehicles, failing to revert back to a normal esc-on state after being in off-road mode makes the vehicles noncompliant to fmvss no. 126, increasing the risk of crash. Remedy The remedy for this program is a software update to accessory protocol interface module apim. Ford began Ford power-up over-the-air deployments to update the apim software for affected vehicles in November 2023. Alternatively, owners will have the option to take their vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to complete the software update. Campaign# 23B1

During a long road trip my truck displayed a message stating that I had a Powertrain Malfunction/ Reduced Power. My truck, while driving, reduced itself to half power. It also would not charge. I was 3 states away from home when this happened. I took the vehicle to my Ford dealership once I was able to get it home. The technician simply cleared a code and said that the issue could not be replicated. Clearly there is an issue. I know several people with the same issue. Frankly, I don't think that I can trust my new truck a significant distance from my residence.

I placed groceries in my front trunk “Frunk” and they shifted while trying to leave. Once shifted they hit the emergency release button inside the frunk which opened the frunk hood unexpectedly. These should be covered or less accessible inside the frunk.

Vehicle was not affected by any recall or other remediation program, but experienced a state of reduced power and reports the high voltage battery system and/or the 4WD/powertrain has faulted and requires immediate service.

While driving on the interstate my 2022 F150 Lightning platinum lost all power to the front motor. The "comfort" mode display showed no warnings, messages, or signals to indicate that power was severely limited. I realized the issue as the vehicle was losing speed as I was going up a grade where the vehicle would hardly maintain 75mph with my foot to the floor. I have pictures from the incident which I have uploaded. (The screenshots are from the typical display, and with the specific vehicle power menu enabled. I did not capture a picture of the "Comfort" display during the incident. I have uploaded an image of the comfort display I had previously taken.)

Battery module failure. Vehicle in limp mode, with 20% available power. Drove to dealer (40mi one-way) at 55mph. Contacted Ford Battery Electrical Team for support. No loaner available. In a rental car until repairs made., If 1 or more battery modules are defective, what is likelihood of other modules going bad?

After over the air update, received a do not drive message with high voltage message and powertain failure, truck brought to dealer, were it spent 6 weeks to get repaired. As the dealer had to wait for the part even though the dealer working on the vehicle was told by Ford to order parts related to the high voltage battery back in February. In which the dealer never did

My wife was driving my daughter to school. While driving on the road, at 20 miles per hour, car dashboard displayed "Powertrain Malfunction / Reduced Power" and "High-Voltage Battery Warning". Car immediately lost power. My wife quickly pulled the car to the road side. My wife noticed fluid started leaking underneath the car. The fluid leaked along side the battery tray platform. Photos and videos were taken to show the fluid leakage process. Called my car insurance company for road side assistance. The car was towed on a flatbed to the FORD dealership for repair. Dealership service department had trouble diagnosing the problem and finally reported the issue 1 week later. The service person said one of the battery module, No. 76, failed and caused the whole battery system / power train to shut down. I asked: "There are over one hundred modules in the battery platform. One failed and cause the whole car to shut down in the middle of driving?" Service person did not know the answer. Dealer contacted Ford to replacement of the battery module. Ford said the replacement module will take 2 to 6 weeks to replace. Once the the replacement module arrives, dealership will drop the battery platform to replace the module and diagnose for the fluid leakage problem. The replacement process will take 1 more week. Dealership estimate the repair time will take total of 4 to 8 weeks to repair. My wife and daughter were in the car when the car shut down in the middle of driving in the middle of the road. Luckily car had minimal power to pull to the road side and avoided rear incoming cars. It could have been a disaster for the passengers. I checked the Ford F150 Lightening Forum. https://www.f150lightningforum.com. It seems that other Lightening owners are experiencing similar problems. I don't know the total number of problems. I am hoping by reporting this issue, other people could avoid similar dangerous situation.

On June 26, 2023 I received a message from Ford Motor Company that they had detected a battery module "not performing as expected" in my 2022 F-150 Lightning BEV truck. A contact at the Ford Battery Electric Vehicle Team stated the defective battery module would be replaced under Ford Customer Service Program 23H01. The contact stated that a replacement battery module had been ordered, and an appointment was set up at the local dealership for 7/31/2023. As of 8/22/2023 no work has been done to repair my truck. There are numerous postings on the F-150 Lightning Forum involving powertrain failures and loss of power while driving, High Voltage Battery warnings, and notices from Ford of defective battery modules. Loss of power while driving is obviously a very serious safety issue. It appears the scope of battery issues with Ford F-150 Lightning BEV trucks is very significant.

The contact owns a 2022 Ford F-150. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the messages "High Voltage Power Train Fault" and “Stop Driving and Contact Your Nearest Dealer" were displayed. The contact stated that he continued driving until it was safe to pull to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the battery module #4 had failed and needed to be replaced under Ford Campaign Number: 23H01. The vehicle was being repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 10,800.

Mileage: 10,800

Unintended acceleration / rolling may occur when vehicle is remote started through Fordpass mobile application. The 1 pedal-drive vehicle setting is NOT preserved when using remote start. Vehicle may roll down hill upon entry. Default driver profile has 1 pedal drive OFF while all device profiles linked to Fordpass and Phone-as-a-Key have 1 pedal drive ON. Fordpass mobile app remote start needs to preserve 1 pedal drive setting due to potential unintended acceleration when on flat surfaces or unintended reverse acceleration rolling down hills.

I am writing to file a formal complaint regarding the recurring battery faults in my Ford F150 Lightning 2022 vehicle. These faults pose serious concerns about the safety, reliability, and quality of this electric vehicle model. To address your inquiries: Component/System Failure: The high voltage battery system in my Ford F150 Lightning 2022 has repeatedly failed, leading to unexpected breakdowns. The availability for inspection can be arranged upon request. Safety Risks: The recurring battery faults have compromised both my safety and that of others. Stranded on the road due to sudden breakdowns, I have been exposed to potential hazards, such as unsafe locations and traffic risks when attempting to pull over. Confirmation by Dealer/Service Center: The problem has been reproduced and confirmed by a Ford dealer, who identified the recurring battery faults as the cause of the breakdowns. Inspection by Other Parties: The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or other third parties. Warning Signs: No Warning messages were displayed before the problem, only after the issue (Powertrain Malfunction). Dates/Mileage: 1st: 12/12/22 at 13465 miles. 2nd: 05/25/23 at 21842 miles (still pending repair). I emphasize the severity and frequency of these battery faults, undermining my confidence in the F150 Lightning 2022 and raising concerns about its safety and reliability. I kindly request the NHTSA's intervention to conduct a comprehensive investigation into these recurring battery faults, ensuring consumer safety for all owners of the Ford F150 Lightning 2022. I appreciate your attention to this complaint and your commitment to vehicle safety and consumer protection. I trust that the NHTSA will take appropriate action, holding the manufacturer accountable for resolving these recurring battery faults in the Ford F150 Lightning 2022. Please contact me if you require further information related to this matter. Thank you.

Water seeps into brake lightbar in tailgate and shorts the light. The light bar now does light at all during braking or normal operation. This seems to be a known issue amongst forum contributors, some which have had 3+ light bars replaced. Seems to be an awful design choice but it’s affecting the safety of travelers.

Rear tailgate lights red and white fill up with water and stop working. Cruise control jumps up 10mph when passing signs, very scary!

The contact owns a 2022 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the battery drained quickly and failed to retain the charge. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the vehicle performed as designed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 3,200.

Mileage: 3,200

I get into the truck and push the start button, a very loud explosive ear piercing sound comes out of every speaker at full volume. It sounded like a canon shot out all my windows, a huge POP sound followed by scratching crackling sounds coming from the speakers. I tried turning down the volume to no avail, I turned off the audio but the loud scratching sound kept going at a very loud volume. The scratching sound went on for about 2 minutes then shut off. My ears were ringing and I was in a lot of ear pain due to the loud POP noise, it felt like my ear drums were blown out. I could hardly hear after this incident, I think I my have hearing loss from this loud noise. No one has inspected the vehicle, they say they want me to bring them the car when the problem happens again. I did not see any warning lamps or messages before or after the incedent

On October 4, 2022 at ~1:30 p.m. EDT I was stopped at a red light when an extremely loud pop and deafening noise "exploded" in the truck cabin. If I had been driving at the time, the sudden and extreme noise could have caused me to react in a way to lose control of the vehicle. After the light changed, I turned into a business entrance, turned the vehicle off, got out of the vehicle, locked the door, and the noise still continued for several seconds. After the noise stopped, I got back in the vehicle, restarted it, and the noise returned. The noise sounds like it is coming from the sound system at more than full volume. I estimate the sound level at well over 100 dB. Trying to turn off the sound system had no effect on the problem. I had to drive my truck for at least 20 minutes to get home with the deafening noise continuing unabated for the entire trip. After about 10 minutes into the trip, I also detected an "electrical burn" smell in the cabin. The smell was strong enough that I looked around the cabin for smoke, but I did not see any. Something has definitely overheated. Two hours after the incident my ears are still ringing, and I have a severe headache. I am a retired Licensed Professional Engineer with over 50 years of Engineering and Safety experience. I did not notice any warning lamps or messages. The vehicle seemed to operate normally, except the air conditioning system seemed to be operating at reduced capacity. This issue has been reported by at least 50 members on the "f150gen14.com" forum.