[JT Canadian]

bought my lightning June 17, almost 27,000 KMs on it so far. Have loved the experience, the ride and the acceleration.
Went out to my truck this morning and completely dead. No lights, no sounds.
Hooked up a booster pack to 12 volt battery and turned it on. will NOT go into neutral....on board display rotating thru all warnings. 15" screen indicating to stop moving to access some items!!!

lights at charging port shows red no blue or white as normal, truck will NOT take a charge, display indicates cannot find even find the charger

tow truck arrived to haul it back to dealer....tech at dealership indicating a "possible" cell failure.

reading about other cell failures on here...perhaps time to trade it in and wait for proven technology before I buy another?

stay tuned...will update once I have more info

 

[Ford Motor Company]

bought my lightning June 17, almost 27,000 KMs on it so far. Have loved the experience, the ride and the acceleration.
Went out to my truck this morning and completely dead. No lights, no sounds.
Hooked up a booster pack to 12 volt battery and turned it on. will NOT go into neutral....on board display rotating thru all warnings. 15" screen indicating to stop moving to access some items!!!

lights at charging port shows red no blue or white as normal, truck will NOT take a charge, display indicates cannot find even find the charger

tow truck arrived to haul it back to dealer....tech at dealership indicating a cell failure.

reading about other cell failures on here...perhaps time to trade it in and wait for proven technology before I buy another?

stay tuned...will update once I have more info

Hi there, I'd be happy to look into your Lightning concerns on my end. Will you send us a message with your VIN and dealership info? I can look into things on my end.

 

[GDN]

The number of battery cell failures on these trucks has been higher than expected. We are a small part of the population. I know there have been some Tesla batteries replaced too in the early days. I was there with the 3 - owned 2 2018's. It wasn't like this though. I'm starting to truly understand why this pack has been made to be opened and worked on.

 

[Pdr1966]

JT
I got my lariat ER similar time June 21st, almost 29k Kms now.
knock in wood no issues with mine.
planning on Florida trip in March.
hope yours is resolved quickly and definitively.

 

[JT Canadian]

JT
I got my lariat ER similar time June 21st, almost 29k Kms now.
knock in wood no issues with mine.
planning on Florida trip in March.
hope yours is resolved quickly and definitively.

interesting...we are leaving in Feb for a trip to Miami boat show....intended to take the lightning...NOT so certain now! concerning, with numerous reports of failing batteries it may be time to move on until they get the battery issues resolved.

 

[R.I.P.]

We are early adopters, and as such we are the test bed for Ford's early stages of dipping its toes into this technology.

Failure rates are spiking, but this was actually predicted by people that have been building batteries for a while. This initial pack design is not at all what I would call elegant, Ford seems to be starting where other manufacturers did 10 to 15 years ago. I think they're learning curve will be faster than others (GM) because there are a lot of resources now Ford can tie into.

If you own these trucks, don't be afraid to use them, let them fail, let Ford learn and make it right for you. Ford is not a startup that is going to be gone anytime soon, so I really wouldn't fear the failure, except for the minor inconvenience of losing the truck while they fix it.

But then, we really did sign up for this. I think it is entirely possible that owners of this early version of the truck could end up with entirely redesigned packs in their vehicles before the 8-year warranty is up. How cool would that be!
🙂

 

[GDN]

We are early adopters, and as such we are the test bed for Ford's early stages of dipping its toes into this technology.

Failure rates are spiking, but this was actually predicted by people that have been building batteries for a while. This initial pack design is not at all what I would call elegant, Ford seems to be starting where other manufacturers did 10 to 15 years ago. I think they're learning curve will be faster than others (GM) because there are a lot of resources now Ford can tie into.

If you own these trucks, don't be afraid to use them, let them fail, let Ford learn and make it right for you. Ford is not a startup that is going to be gone anytime soon, so I really wouldn't fear the failure, except for the minor inconvenience of losing the truck while they fix it.

But then, we really did sign up for this. I think it is entirely possible that owners of this early version of the truck could end up with entirely redesigned packs in their vehicles before the 8-year warranty is up. How cool would that be!
🙂

I'll buy just a tiny bit of what you're selling, but not much. It sounds like you might be trying to make the same excuse GM did 40 years ago when they tried making a diesel engine out of a gas. I forget a whole lot about that debacle, but it was a disaster.

There are no excuses these days just because this is their second EV on the road.

What we are dealing with today is multi-billion dollar company selling very expensive trucks. I'm not their guinea pig. They slammed this thing to market and Ford Fan Boys love that they beat Tesla. They did it by partnering with companies that didn't build their first battery and motor yesterday. Ford went that route for a solid product. So I'm OK with that, but it better be a decent product. These companies brought experience to the table. Ford didn't build that battery.

Truly I don't think it is working out too bad, but we are just barely approaching a few thousand trucks having 6 to 8 months on the road and we are seeing a few more failures that I would have expected. We won't really know until we get 100K trucks on the road for a few years.

It's also not just about what Ford will do, but you must recall that we are dependent on dealers who many don't want to deal with the new technology, aren't properly trained (no, sending your mechanics to some training does not make that dealer qualified to tear down a major battery and repair it in the field.). and it will take many repairs for them to do it right in a decent time frame and be successful.

 

[philburkeman]

"except for the minor inconvenience of losing the truck while they fix it."
"minor" is relative to the individual. Not all dealers have courtesy cars and not all people have an extra vehicle.

Edit: for spelling

 

[R.I.P.]

"except for the minor inconvenience of losing the truck while they fix it."
"minor" is relative to the individual. Not all dealers have courtesy cars and not all people have an extra vehicle.

Edit: for spelling

Fair enough lol. However, if you have a vehicle that is under warranty that you lose the use of, you have every right to demand replacement wheels. Don't take no for an answer, I've never heard of anybody not getting them.

 

[philburkeman]

I'm 74 years old and have been through a few cars and trucks.Never owned a vehicle over 5 years old since I was 43.
There is no legal or Code obligation on any accredited business to give you a courtesy car.
Most higher end OEM's have them. Middle of the road manufactures (like Ford) may have a few but if they're already loaned out, you're out of luck. Probably has a lot to do with the size of the dealer and location. While chooseing a dealer for repair, that would be a good question to ask ahead of time.

 

[JT Canadian]

Update, dealer failed to get a response from towing company to pick up my Lighting. I called my local towing company. they were reluctant to drag it as we struggled to switch the truck into neutral even after several phone calls to dealers, You tube videos and reading the manual. Eventually dragged it out of the garage and onto the flat bed using "skates" and snow to help it slide. Delivered and unloaded at the dealership friday after noon. still waiting for the dealership to drag it around and start testing. In fairness the main tech has been away and back today. The dealership has provided me with a loaner F150. Over the past 25+ years the dealership has been excellent to deal with.

 

[Voltz]

we struggled to switch the truck into neutral even after several phone calls to dealers, You tube videos and reading the manual.

Could you elaborate on how the info you got failed you? (from getting it into neutral) I saved this video and it made me feel confident that I could get the truck in neutral in just about any situation, including with a jump pack if the LVB was dead.

 

[JT Canadian]

Could you elaborate on how the info you got failed you? (from getting it into neutral) I saved this video and it made me feel confident that I could get the truck in neutral in just about any situation, including with a jump pack if the LVB was dead.

We (tow truck operator and myself) watched several videos...possibly even that one. Went thru 2 booster packs trying to get it released as the 12 volt battery would NOT light up the dash or display. the shifter would NOT budge. pushing the button beside the shifter failed as well. Screen & 15" display would constantly rotate with warnings. started at 10AM and eventually loaded at 3PM. Tow driver was nervous about dragging it without placing it in neutral.

NOTE- one warning indicated we could "NOT shift to neutral while vehicle was moving"!!!!

Also, charging light indicator at plug in receiver are normally white or blue had turned to red. When you plug in the charger cord no sounds like you would normally hear when plugging in.

sometime in the night while charging it stopped at 57% / 205 Km range. The day before I drove thru heavy slush on the road during a winter storm. Upon my return home I stopped by a car wash to spray off the slush and grime on the wheels and lower section of the truck. Did water and slush seep into battery casing? Hopefully a cause will be determined and not just repaired and moved on. This is how we learn and improve early products.

 

[JT Canadian]

UPDATE, from the dealer this afternoon, there are modules in the truck and they are NOT communicating between them.....and the one module will NOT recognize power from charger.....PLUS when this happens it is NOT possible to shift the truck into neutral.......all tests have been reported to Ford, awaiting further direction.

 

[Pdr1966]

Sounds like a decent update from the detail, ultimately failed network nothing taking so mechaically remains locked for safety of unexpected Movement.
I suspect such a massive fault should be found with a clear resolution.
further more this likely clears the concern of it being a battery issue- careful though lets wait and see what the true resolution is before guessing to any conclusions.

 

[JT Canadian]

Update... this Friday it will be 2 weeks and my lightning is STILL in the dealership.
Dealer and ford communicating daily to figure out why it is NOT working. I swing by daily to discuss with the SM.
Board / module issues?
Wiring issues?
Nothing confirmed yet to discover the fault.
New technology and everyone is learning- I get it.....BUT....I hate being the guinea pig with new products.....prime example why as a HVAC contractor we will wait a year before jumping in with new designed equipment.

I was supposed to be heading to Miami boat show this weekend with my Lighting. Looks like we are going in my wife's Lincoln.

I have noticed Ford has a booth at the Miami Boat show........Get ready Ford, I will be visiting the booth!

 

[Pdr1966]

Dang, was hoping you would log your trip experience!
Cheers, hope its done when you are back

 

[Russr]

Interesting that you mentioned driving through slush the previous day... do they lay salt or other cheemicals down in your area? I'm wondering of "something" penetrated a seal on a harness connector in one or more places...

 

[JT Canadian]

Interesting that you mentioned driving through slush the previous day... do they lay salt or other chemicals down in your area? I'm wondering of "something" penetrated a seal on a harness connector in one or more places...

The dealer is fully aware on driving conditions the day before and the fact I took the truck to a car wash just before heading home.

All testing so far indicating a failure in communication between gateway module and rest of truck...so trying to find the fault takes some time. gateway module tested good. my dash is totally pulled apart, 15" screen actually sitting in back seat yesterday....very interesting to see behind it!

today I advise of several fault lights over the past 4 months for the "air dam"...maybe connected ? maybe not? reading on here others experiencing the same air dam faults

 

[JT Canadian]

Possibly found the fault!

It appears the wiring harness under the front hood that connect the sensors and modules may have the fault / short/ fused/ pinched. Waiting on replacement wiring harness to be sent to dealer.

Here are pictures I found today during my visit...