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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.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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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

Unknown Or Other complaints

12 reports
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Mileage unknown · Jul 7, 2026
Unknown Or Other

This vehicle is a BEV with regenerative braking. At various times while driving, when the regenerative braking is engaged, the brake lights illuminate to indicate to other drivers that the vehicle is slowing down. The problem is there is no indication inside the vehicle for the driver to know when the brake lights are on. Thi…

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This vehicle is a BEV with regenerative braking. At various times while driving, when the regenerative braking is engaged, the brake lights illuminate to indicate to other drivers that the vehicle is slowing down. The problem is there is no indication inside the vehicle for the driver to know when the brake lights are on. This seems like a potential safety hazard. The driver can feel the effects of the regenerative braking and knows the vehicle is slowing but does not know when the slowing is enough to illuminate the brake lights.The driver's only option to ensure the brake lights are activated is to apply additional braking via the brake pedal but additional braking may not be the safest action to take in some situations. Depending on traffic, weather, and road conditions it would be safer for the driver to know when their brake lights are illuminated.

NHTSA ODI #11748873

Mileage unknown · Jul 4, 2026
Electrical SystemFuel/propulsion SystemUnknown Or Other

2023 Ford F-150 Lightning ER Platinum Ford Case Number: [XXX]  VIN: [XXX]  Failed: Battery overheated far beyond safety limits. No indication on dash. Safety: When it was finally checked, 3 sensors reported temps of 399, 419, and 419F. The service manager verified the temps. A photo of the diagnostic screen is available. Th…

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2023 Ford F-150 Lightning ER Platinum Ford Case Number: [XXX]  VIN: [XXX]  Failed: Battery overheated far beyond safety limits. No indication on dash. Safety: When it was finally checked, 3 sensors reported temps of 399, 419, and 419F. The service manager verified the temps. A photo of the diagnostic screen is available. These temps made a battery fire a significant possibility putting myself and others on the road around me in danger. The car is at the dealer in Hays, KS being looked at. There was no indication on the dashboard that there was any problem. According to information I have uncovered, these temperatures are over 3x the safety limits specified by FORD. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11748315

Mileage unknown · Jun 3, 2026
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

WHAT FAILED: Ford's recall-tracking and consumer-information system. Ford has internally inconsistent records re: Safety Recall 25V315 / 25S49 (Rear Camera Screen Software Update) on my VIN [XXX] . Vehicle and Ford-account portal available for inspection. STATUS SUBSYSTEM SAYS CLOSED: (1) Mailed "Successful OTA Update" notice r…

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WHAT FAILED: Ford's recall-tracking and consumer-information system. Ford has internally inconsistent records re: Safety Recall 25V315 / 25S49 (Rear Camera Screen Software Update) on my VIN [XXX] . Vehicle and Ford-account portal available for inspection. STATUS SUBSYSTEM SAYS CLOSED: (1) Mailed "Successful OTA Update" notice received 6/1/2026 (verbatim): "the software to remedy this concern has been installed on your vehicle through a free Over-The-Air (OTA) software update, meaning the recall is now closed" (2) NHTSA database refreshed 6/2/2026: 25V315 no longer in unrepaired list (3) Ford VIN-specific recall dashboard 6/3/2026: 25S49 removed; only 25C69 remains DELIVERY SUBSYSTEM SAYS NOT DELIVERED: (4) ford.com/support/software-updates 6/2/2026: 9 of 10 expanded OTA detail cards captured, NONE references 25S49. Portal DOES show Compliance Recall 26C10 (ITRM-25.B04) with explicit completion language ("This completes Compliance Recall 26C10. No further action is required.") - proving the portal surfaces recall OTAs when they actually deploy. (5) In-vehicle SYNC Software Updates 6/2/2026: silent on 25S49. SYNC version 25221_PRODUCT Rev 2025 unchanged from 3/26/2026 despite 25S49's remedy being an APIM software update. (6) Ford MODEL-level recall page 6/3/2026 (verbatim): "Recall service not available right now. We have a remedy but parts are not available right now." SAFETY RISK: Ford simultaneously tells me the recall is closed via OTA delivered to my VIN AND publishes that the remedy parts are not yet available. Both cannot be true. Consumers cannot verify whether safety-critical recalls have been delivered. REPRODUCED/CONFIRMED: Contradiction is Ford-generated, reproducible by any reviewer. INSPECTED: No dealer or independent inspection of this discrepancy has occurred. WARNING LAMPS / FIRST APPEARANCE: Not lamp-driven. Confirmed [XXX]. I request ODI review of Ford's recall-tracking accuracy for OTA-remediated recalls. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552

NHTSA ODI #11741726

Mileage unknown · Nov 23, 2025
Electrical SystemExterior LightingUnknown Or Other

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 a…

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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)

NHTSA ODI #11701060

Mileage unknown · May 21, 2025
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

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…

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11662347

Mileage unknown · May 14, 2025
Unknown Or Other

Gear shifter was stuck in the car. Can happen at random times. For no reason at all, the gear shifter refuses to budge out of park, or reverse, or drive, and essentially bricks the car. Car refuses to move. Car refuses to respond to accelerator or brake pedals. Can happen in the middle of the road, or in a parking lot late at ni…

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Gear shifter was stuck in the car. Can happen at random times. For no reason at all, the gear shifter refuses to budge out of park, or reverse, or drive, and essentially bricks the car. Car refuses to move. Car refuses to respond to accelerator or brake pedals. Can happen in the middle of the road, or in a parking lot late at night when you are trying to leave a sketchy area. Can be an extremely dangerous circumstance, and Ford is trying to avoid attention to this at all costs.

NHTSA ODI #11660834

Mileage unknown · Sep 23, 2024
Unknown Or Other

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! T…

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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).

NHTSA ODI #11616079

Mileage unknown · Sep 15, 2024
Unknown Or Other

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 carg…

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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.

NHTSA ODI #11614662

Mileage unknown · Aug 15, 2024
Unknown Or Other

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.

NHTSA ODI #11608856

Mileage unknown · Jan 6, 2024
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

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

NHTSA ODI #11563897

Official recalls

11

25V863000 · 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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.