IllustrationInstrument cluster completely off and unable to turn back on. Unable to see speed, power, braking features, or any other indicators
2023 Ford F-150 Lightning Bev
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most F-150 Lightning Bev years
Owner complaints for the 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning Bev are substantially higher than the model-year median of 30.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all F-150 Lightning Bev years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 8 of 107 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 60 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Exterior Lighting. Review the 24 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 17 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
8 crash reports2 fire reports3 injury reports
What owners actually said
107 reportsThe 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 sh…
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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.
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 pedestri…
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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)
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 a…
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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.
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 t…
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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.
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
Januarg 18, 2024 Car warning revgarding a parking sensor fault, car was able to drive Not alsafe to have a parking sensor fault
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
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 (estim…
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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.
Official recalls
1125V863000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:internal:park Pawl
Dec 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 & remedy
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.
25V731000 · Exterior Lighting
Oct 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 & remedy
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.
25V313000 · Electronic Stability Control (esc)
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 & remedy
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.
25V272000 · Electrical System:propulsion System:traction Battery
Apr 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 & remedy
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.
25V131000 · Electrical System:propulsion System:traction Battery
Feb 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 & remedy
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.
24V949000 · Suspension:front:control Arm:upper Ball Joint
Dec 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 & remedy
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.
24V144000 · Electrical System:propulsion System:traction Battery
Feb 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 & remedy
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.
23V801000 · Electronic Stability Control (esc)
Nov 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 & remedy
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.
23V688000 · Visibility:defroster/defogger/hvac System:windshield:electrical Heating Element
Oct 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 & remedy
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.
23V418000 · Exterior Lighting
Jun 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 & remedy
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.
23V168000 · Electrical System:propulsion System:traction Battery
Mar 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 & remedy
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.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.