10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
6 / 0
Average Mileage:
623 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #36

Jan 012024

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
We were driving down the road and the cluster screen went completely black. We couldn-??t tell what speed we were going or any other information that gets displayed there. This is a very hazardous problem that should be looked into further.

- Freeport, FL, USA

problem #35

Dec 222023

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
The truck initiated a "Stop Safely Now" alert and would not start. I was in a very bad neighborhood at the time and feared for my personal safety. I had to get out of the vehicle, walk away for 10 minutes where the key fob wasn't in contact with the truck, then tried 3 times to start the vehicle without success. I waited another 45 minutes outside in a dark and dangerous area before I finally was able to get the vehicle to start. This is the 4th time since purchasing the vehicle in May 2023 that this has happened. I've had it back to the dealer 3x to troubleshoot but they can find nothing, they've told me that it is a known issue at Ford but they have not received a fix yet. Ford owner forums provided guidance to "let it sit and then try again 10 minutes later". This didn't work in my event and again, my personal safety was at risk.

- Daniel Island, SC, USA

problem #34

Dec 142023

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
Sporadically the vehicle will not start. 200 miles on the 2023 powerboost and this has happened 3 times. Vehicle says pull over safely now and will not allow me to put into gear. picture of battery on dash. Vehicle always sitting in heated insulated garage. Waited a day and then it starts. Ford mechanic does not see anything wrong and cannot duplicate the issue so no fix is available.

- Milford, KS, USA

problem #33

Jul 162023

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
Issue #1: Rain Sensing Wiper function is completely inoperable. Wipers must be operated manually. Issue #2: Blinker stalk becomes stuck in off and on positions. This malfunction has put myself and others at risk because the vehicle, at times, is unable to inform others on the road of the appropriate vehicle lane change. This risk has become heightened in periods of warm weather, where the stalk becomes "more stuck" than usual. The dealership has replicated the issue and attempted to resolve several times; after several months of waiting for a solution from Ford and recent near-misses on highway trips, I have decided to escalate with Ford as well as with NHTSA. The vehicle has no warning lights nor signals warning any user that an error with the blinker stalk may occur while driving. Issue #3: Left side blind side monitor false readings when there is no vehicle on driver side blind side. Dealer unable to verify. False positives desensitize driver to true positives, therefore, this is an added risk.

- Irvine, CA, USA

problem #32

Dec 072023

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
Loud buzzing noise interrupts driver focus. This happens intermittently, but has occurred while braking at busy intersections, while backing into urban parking spaces, while attempting to use the camera for safe maneuvering - or just at random times while driving. Navigation has been interrupted, preventing the ability to make safe decisions to arrive at a desired location. Voice-based services have been interrupted, prompting the need for physical interaction (which entices the driver away from hands-free operation and taking their eyes off the road). Backup camera has been disabled (blank screen) while switching to Reverse preventing detection of objects behind the vehicle. Infotainment/vehicle operations are disrupted while system randomly reboots (and often buzzes loudly). Additional issues render the audio system as annoying, buzzing during songs whether on Carplay or via USB music. The optional (and expensive) B&O Unleashed audio system has been rendered almost useless. Noise has been so disruptive as to startle me during operation of the vehicle on multiple occasions since purchasing the vehicle in July 2023. Updates have been hinted at to address this problem but have not been delivered or realized - and yes Auto Update is on and I'm manually checking for updates as well. October OTA did not address this issue (and may have made it worse - although my high hopes for this update may have just increased my annoyance at its persistence). I have reported this to my Ford dealer. Date listed below is last occurrence.

- Stephenson, MI, USA

problem #31

Nov 272023

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
I got into my car with my wife and turned on my car an heard a loud boom followed by static in the tweeter speakers. It was startling, distracting and dangerous.

- Gig Harbor, WA, USA

problem #30

Nov 142023

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
The Sync 4 main display reboots very often. It has occurred over 30 times in 10k miles. I am considering this a safety issue as it often happens shortly after startup of the vehicle, and prevents the backup cameras from functioning. In fact, it has rebooted the screen while I was reversing probably five times. Ford has had numerous software updates and yet this problem remains endemic across multiple owners that I have spoken to.

- Clinton Corners, NY, USA

problem #29

Nov 102023

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
The entire over steering wheel display/cockpit stopped functioning. No ability to view charge level, speed, and other related details normally shown in this display was available. The things I tried to repair were: parking the car, locking the door to simulate a full stop/start cycle, disconnecting everything from the vehicle ports, Etc. eventually after leaving the car for an extended period this functionality eventually returned to normal. If I had been far from home I-??d have been faced with essentially driving blind. I also have video of this issue if desired.

- Mokena, IL, USA

problem #28

Nov 092023

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
Tire monitoring system malfunctions after 30ish minutes of driving. Seems the issue is interference from the on board power generator referred to by ford as -??pro power onboard-??. After the tire monitoring system turns on, immediately turning off the pro power generator the tire monitoring system returns to normal. After researching this issue it-??s very common and has been on going through multiple years with no fix.

- Tallahassee, FL, USA

problem #27

Nov 062023

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
I-??ve owned this Lightning for only four months. When I started it this morning, the digital instrument display would not work. Without it, I have no speedometer, odometer, battery temp, battery charge, or other displays.

- Brook Park, OH, USA

problem #26

Aug 042023

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
The back up camera screen is constantly freezing up or the screen goes black. When this happens the driver has no control over any audio, navigation or other settings that are linked to the screen. The only way to get the screen to come back on or unlock the frozen back up screen is to turn the vehicle off and let it time out. This happens at least 3 or 4 times a week. When dealership was asked about it, was told they don-??t have a fix for it and it-??s a common problem.

- Portland, TN, USA

problem #25

Nov 012023

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
Truck did not start and kept flashing 2 errors back and forth: "Full Accessory Power Active" and "Stop Safety Now"

- Ridgecrest , CA, USA

problem #24

Oct 242023

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
When reversing, the center screen that contains the backup camera freezes, with no indication it has stopped functioning. This leads to a situation where you are seeing a camera image that is not related to the actual view behind you. This can cause crashes and pedestrian hazards if you do not realize the screen has broken. Attached photos show what the camera was showing and what the actual situation was. The only solution to getting the cameras to function again is by a full reset of the center screen.

- Minturn, CO, USA

problem #23

Oct 122023

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
The dash cluster randomly shuts-off/restarts while driving the vehicle and when it did last time ford app sent 3 notifications of faults with antilock brakes, TPM, restraint indicator warnings. If there is an issue with these items and I have road emergency and my brakes and restraints do not work properly it could be a safety issue for all involved in accident (I would not know how fast i was going since dash cluster is off). I took the truck to dealership and they are passing it off on SSM 51757 (which my truck also has an issue with) and a loose pin connection. But this happens with no checking of trailer tire information. The speakers made a loud crackling noise and my phone disconnected from infotainment center just prior to the incident.

- Victoria, TX, USA

problem #22

Oct 252023

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
I purchased the truck 2 weeks ago brand new and it has a total of 570 miles on it. After not being used for one day, the truck would not start at all. I receive a warning indicating that I should stop safely now, that full power accessory mode is on and a check engine light. I connected a OBD scanner but no codes were generated. The truck should no signs of a dead battery as all electrical functioned other than starting the hybrid electric engine. I contacted a dealership who informed me that I had to have the vehicle towed to them at my expense. I tried multiple times to start the truck again with the same results. While waiting for the tow truck (40 minutes later), I tried again and the vehicle started. There appear to be many claims of this same behavior related to the Ford powerboost engine for several years which I was unaware of prior to purchase. This level of insecurity should have no place when purchasing a brand new $80K automobile as my 13 year old daughter was left stranded as a result.

- San Jose, CA, USA

problem #21

Oct 082023

F-150 Lightning

  • 2,000 miles
Truck wouldn-??t start (2000 miles). Dashboard had a -??stop safety now-?? warning light as well as the check engine and battery lights on. All other electronics seemed to be working normally. After sitting all night, truck started normally and drove normally.

- Castro Valley , CA, USA

problem #20

Sep 302023

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
After vehicle is parked and locked, return to vehicle to start the vehicle and when start button is pushed get a 'stop safely' message and vehicle will not start. Has happened on 4 occasions, disconnect battery, reconnect, lock and unlock - wait and try again seems to be only repair. Dealer has no idea what problem is since he can't recreate the problem.

- Pinehurst, NC, USA

problem #19

Sep 092023

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
1. My 2023 Ford F-150 Powerboost Hybrid is receiving the Stop Safely Now message. The vehicle has failed to start on a few occasions. 2. The vehicle not starting left me in a position where the vehicle was inoperable. This is a safety concern because is would put me or my family in potential danger from the elements, inability to receive health care and potential danger from individuals of I-??ll intent. 3. Yes. 4. Unknown. 5. Unknown. Although I received low voltage messages, I had no idea what that meant. The Ford app simply told me to drive the vehicle to charge the battery. I drive the truck daily.

- Calhoun, KY, USA

problem #18

Sep 212023

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
I am consistently getting an error message to stop safely now and the vehicle will not start. It is a known issue with Ford and they have promised a fix later this year. The vehicle has left my family stranded for hours at a time, with one instance in a medical emergency.

- Palm Harbor, FL, USA

problem #17

Sep 212023

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
My truck is less than 1 month old and less than 1,000 miles. On two separate occasions, when attempting to start the ignition the engine will not start. A "Stop Safely Now" message appears on the dashboard, and the truck will power on the accessories only. Now matter how many attempts to turn on the ignition, the truck will not turn on. This leaves you completely stranded wherever you are. You do not know when this SSN message will occur, and can be a serious safety issue if being left stranded somewhere. There were no messages, codes, or other issues reported from the truck prior to this. The battery was checked and is sufficient. This is a problem with the powerboost hybrid engine in the Ford F150.

- Houston, TX, USA

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