Top Lightning gripes or dislikes.

[Upstate]

Before addressing this post, a note about my first one previously. Many thanks to the other owners for educating me about range. I feel pretty dumb having not initially realized that the charge is the charge and the range is a function of estimates based on usage. That said, I have been paying more attention to how I drive (mi/kwh) since being so enlightened.

Issues:
First, The dumb and unnecessarily expensive subscription required to get Spotify on the Alexa App. Also, the lack of clarity as to what else that subscription might provide.

Second, The blocking of being able to use the index on a USB stick (where my owned music is, absent a CD player) once the vehicle is in motion.

Third, Not exactly a Ford gripe, but broken and occupied while not being used charging stations (I am at about .500 or less for functioning unoccupied stations).

Fourth, The Ford App does not record for future reference kwh consumption during home charging. And on the subject of the home charger and app, it often lags when I try to read charging progress remotely.

Fifth, Too few apps on the home screen, not enough flexibility in what can be made compatible.

Sixth, For now, there is no sixth. And as for the other five, some are tweaks that can be fixed, one is systemic that will correct as charging demand increases.

To be clear, I love the F150 Lightning. I love learning new things and the list of not gripes far exceeds the dislikes. It is fun, fast, economical (to run), roomy and did I mention fun?

FYI, I live in exurban NYS and have seen exactly two other Lightning's beside my own so far. It's a thrill when it happens.

My next electric will have a greater range, for sure, but for those who are concerned about it, don't be. Almost all of our driving is under a reasonable range, susceptible to home charging conveniently and economically.

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[Galaxidan]

I've never used a public charger so can't comment on that. I have a 240 outlet in the garage that I plug into at night every couple days. I probably would not have bought the lightning if I had to count on available charging infrastructure. There's literally 2 chargers in my county and I don't believe they are fast chargers. We do have a nice setup for Tesla though.

Sunroof is one of those things I would pay to not have lol. At least you get a cover to block the sun. I'm just happy Ford gave us some options. I wouldn't have been a buyer with only the lariat or platinum levels.

 

[Pioneer74]

Im guessing this is a question. I’ve only tried without seatbelt on I guess. Ive just opened the door and edged forward or backwards a few times without complication. Guess I’ll have to try with seatbelt on. I figured the point was for quick movements/adjustments. Or hoping in and out. Like you do sometimes when parking a trailer. Never driven fast enough with door open that I felt like I needed a seatbelt. It’s funny that if its the case that being safer with a belt would stop you.

No. It's a statement. I know you can open the door and drive with the seat belt on because that's how it worked on my 2021. I just don't think it works with one pedal drive.

 

[Galaxidan]

I would guess if you are hopping out to open a gate or move 1ft you wouldn't want to buckle and leave the door open so you can move 1ft?

 

[SmokingtheMeats]

I love having the center shifter. I hate stalks and the turn dials. I understand people want options so I would agree with that.

 

[daveross1212]

Bluecruise trying to rub paint with the cars/trucks driving in the adjacent lane. Why can't it just be centered? So close to working perfectly...

 

[lightningforum6]

1. No quick access button for the cameras. The truck is big and I use the cameras a lot when parking or maneuvering in tight spaces.
2. BlueCruise constantly goes in and out on my commute. The commute is mostly highway and about 50 miles each way. BlueCruise goes in and out probably 6+ times each way. Off ramps occasionally make it disengage when the lane markings on the right disappear; however, they reappear pretty quickly. It also seems to disengage a lot when going uphill or downhill. I really like the ACC and BlueCruise as it reduces the stress of the drive, but the constant engaging and disengaging of BlueCruise is a real irritant.
3. The cameras should be able to record. Eliminates the need for a dashcam.
4. I should be able to stop the frunk from opening by applying some downward pressure. Tried to stop it once in the garage because I thought it was going to hit a shelf, but downward pressure did nothing to stop it.
5. The folding shifter does seem unnecessary and that space could be better utilized (bench seat, additional cup holders, etc.).
6. The wireless charging pad does not charge the phone well and makes the phone very hot.
7. Software could be much, much better. Lots of little issues here and there, not everything is intuitive, and just overall bad design.
8. Screen is too large and too many regular controls (like temperature) are screen based, but this seems to be the trend lately. Physical buttons are safer for regularly used controls.

Far more space than a minivan?

We had a minivan before the Lightning, so I can provide my point of view on this topic. We are a family of 5 with young kids.

Lightning Pros vs. Minivan
1. There is far more space for stuff. Between the bed, the frunk, and the large backseat space (that is a complaint of some in this thread), the Lightning is superior to a minivan in terms of space for pack n' plays, suitcases, diapers bags, food, drinks, stuffed animals, toys, etc.
2. There is no fully electric minivan on the market in the United States (VW Buzz will eventually change that).

Lightning Cons vs. Minivan
1. Less seating for people (5 vs. 7 in a minivan). This is where the lack of the bench seat option comes into play. A family of 5 does not have room for the occasional guest.
2. Less interior space than a minivan. In a minivan, it is possible to keep more things inside and within reach during the drive. In the minivan, we used one of those trash grabbers to hand things to the kids or reach things. Still useful in the Lightning given the big back seat.

 

[data003]

I’ll add that trucks are honestly better than cars or SUVs for small families too. May not have a third row, but there is far more space for my two kids on long trips than any other vehicle type offers. And when it comes to hauling all their required items…

You have obviously never driven a minivan

 

[BennyTheBeaver]

You have obviously never driven a minivan

My family will soon have a Lightning Pro and a ICE Chrysler Pacifica (loaded). The newer loaded minivans are actually amazing vehicles.

I think we now have the best of both worlds.

Wife and I will switch off driving the Lightning based on who has to travel the furthest in a given day.

 

[Blainestang]

We had a minivan before the Lightning, so I can provide my point of view on this topic. We are a family of 5 with young kids.

Lightning Pros vs. Minivan
1. There is far more space for stuff. Between the bed, the frunk, and the large backseat space (that is a complaint of some in this thread), the Lightning is superior to a minivan in terms of space for pack n' plays, suitcases, diapers bags, food, drinks, stuffed animals, toys, etc.
2. There is no fully electric minivan on the market in the United States (VW Buzz will eventually change that).

Lightning Cons vs. Minivan
1. Less seating for people (5 vs. 7 in a minivan). This is where the lack of the bench seat option comes into play. A family of 5 does not have room for the occasional guest.
2. Less interior space than a minivan. In a minivan, it is possible to keep more things inside and within reach during the drive. In the minivan, we used one of those trash grabbers to hand things to the kids or reach things. Still useful in the Lightning given the big back seat.

Lightning definitely has some advantages over vans, like transporting stuff in the bed, but like you said, people and interior/protected volume goes to vans.

I think the Lightning, with it's frunk, is very practical. I just was responding to the claim (at least as it was worded), that said "trucks have far more room for kids than any other vehicle type."

 

[abombination]

Oh boy, gripes about the lightning. This is gonna take a while...

I've got a little over 5000 miles after exactly two months. So I'm averaging 30k per year. I also spend a lot of time in the truck, parked, climate control running, doing work, etc. I love the truck, I really love not having to pay for gas. Went to a gas station yesterday for the first time in two months... to fill the wife's Expedition. But as with all things there is "room for improvement".

1) The overall build quality seems a little worse than other Fords. My driver's door is noticeably harder to close than the other three doors. And there is a noticeable wind noise like there is a very small opening. There are a couple minor rattles. The panoramic roof the rubber seal is twisted at one corner (doesn't seem to leak though).

2) When decelerating the truck sometimes feels clunky and makes noises. Sometimes it makes a clunking sound. Sometimes the handoff between regenerative braking and friction braking doesn't seem entirely smooth. Most times though it's imperceptible.

3) Bluecruise/Lane Keeping. First, it hugs the right side when in the left lane on an interstate. It always feels like it goes right first, then moves back left, then hugs the right side when in the left lane. It seems to keep center pretty well in other lanes. Second, it sometimes ping pongs side to side. Third, if there is the black sealer stuff on the road in the cracks near the lines sometimes the truck thinks that's the line and goes off center or tries to follow it. Fourth, I've gotten some looks from people because when using bluecruise I'm paying attention, but maybe it doesn't look like I'm actively driving?

4) Sync 4A is laggy. Once it went completely dark on me, but the reset button trick works. But then the screen shows you have a Mach-E for the next trip or two. There is lag switching from radio to Android Auto etc.

5) The heated seat controls are terrible. If you are backing up and the cameras are on you get an option with a cooling button and a heating button. Press heating once and it's on 3. Press it again and it's on 2. Press again and it's on 1. Press again and it's off. How normal cars do it. But if the screen isn't on cameras you get this slider thing, so then you have to tap somewhere else to get the right setting. And if you go over a bump or something then you might tap the wrong place and you have to look down and try again.

6) The HVAC fan limit doesn't make much sense either. It seems the lowest fan setting is based on the auto upper fan limit. This doesn't make much sense to me, it seems if you set the highest limit climate should be able to go from 1 to 10 (as an example). Middle should be 1 to 7. Low maybe 1 to 5. But instead highest seems like it's 5 to 10. Middle is like 3 to 7. Low is 1 to 5. So when you get into a hot car you have to set to highest, but if you're then parked and working in the truck then you have to turn down the auto limit... which sort of defeats the purpose of "auto".

7) While we're on the topic of climate. The seats and steering wheel never seem to be consistent in the mornings. Sometimes if I get home late and heated seat is at 3 and steering wheel is on, if the next time I drive it's 75 outside and 90 inside I just don't feel the truck should turn the heated seat back to 3 or turn the heated steering wheel on. Lately it seems after preconditioning when I turn the truck on the heated seats are always off and the heated steering is always off too.

8) The shifter. It seems it's purely a switch with no mechanical connection whatsoever to the motors. So why bother making it so complex? I've seen the truck shift itself into park when I just turned it off and opened the door... but the shifter doesn't *need* to move to go into park, there is no mechanical linkage. Which means the shifter as a whole isn't really needed. I also find it ironic that the loudest motor on the truck is the motor that folds the shifter and not the electrical motors that generate 580hp.

9) The front park sensors are still slow to turn on. Maybe it's a software thing? It just seems strange that sometimes the first time they start beeping is when it's showing orange or red on the screen.

10) The car dings at 30 minutes even if I turn the setting off. I sometimes spend hours in the truck, sometimes on conference calls, and everybody asks "what was that sound?".

11) Pushing the accelerator while in park or neutral does nothing. The kid with a coffee can muffler next to you is sitting there revving his/her engine, and you get nothing. It would be nice if an external speaker could have a kid's voice saying "vroom vroom."

12) Hill start assist. I can't exactly find a setting for it. There is a setting where the truck holds the brake until you push the accelerator. If you turn this setting off then in most scenarios the truck acts like an ICE truck and slowly creeps when you let off the brake. But on hills the truck seems to hold the brake regardless of this setting. And when the truck is holding the brake it seems like it's impossible to get a smooth start. Next summer I need to do a car parade, and a jerky start with people in the back isn't ideal.

13) The wiper blades that came with the truck are awful. Just the blades. They were streaking from day 1, and it looks like they are too flimsy for the pressure exerted by the arms. The edge of the blade doesn't squarely contact the windshield.

14) The dust cover on the DC pins of the charger port. When you unplug and have to close the charging door you have to close the dust cover first, but if there is water there from rain then if you close it without drying it feels like you're dumping water on the DC connectors.

15) There is something dripping from my B pillar or the two doors that's leaving a white streak on the middle of the driver's running board.

16) The frunk inside cover moves around when driving and you hear a slight bump sound when cornering. There is about a 3/8" gap, and the cover is hard enough that it probably moves around. When I put it vertical I didn't hear the sound, so I think when it's horizontal it moves around just enough to make a noise.

17) It would be nice to have the cameras be able to record. I know a bunch of you guys have it on your lists.

18) The 360 view seems off-center. I guess there is a way to re-calibrate, but when the 360 camera says I'm centered in a parking spot, I'm not.

19) I wish the back power panel was a little more protected. I need to get some crushed stone soon, and also need to get some mulch, and the little plastic covers just don't seem like enough protection. I'll probably just take a trailer, which sort of defeats the purpose of having a pickup.

20) My windows are always dirty. Not going to a gas station means I don't get to clean them there, and I've never been good about cleaning the cars. Haven't figured this one out.


I think that's about it. Overall though the truck is great. I like that it just blends in with the other pickup trucks out there. Some people know what's up, but to most it's just another F-150... and I like it that way.

 

[BennyTheBeaver]

I don't think I've called to @Ford Motor Company
before, maybe I have, sorry.

@Ford Motor Company , you should have your engineers sift through this thread. These people, on the whole, love their trucks...just would love some quirks ironed out.

Engineers could grab some low hanging fruit, change/fix it, and put it in the next update or so...just sayin'.

 

[MillieChliette]

A couple people mentioned driving with the door open. I don't know if my seatbelt was on or not, it probably was, but when I open the door in drive or reverse it automatically moves into park and applies the parking brake. Once I put it back into drive or reserse and disengage the parking brake, I can move it with the door open.

 

[DucMan]

-I want to be able to configure the buttons at the bottom of my screen. For most of the year I don’t need an icon to turn on the steering wheel heat. But I do want to easily access the front camera when parking. Someone in Florida wants different icons than someone that lives way north.

- camera recording, that’s a no brainer, should have it.

- battery percentage, i want it on a screen somewhere permanently. Currently some screens have it, some don’t. Maybe in a line with clock/ outside temp/ battery percent.

- count me in on pro-power being switchable with the truck not “on”

I guess I’m one of the few that doesn’t mind the shifter, mostly because I REALLY don’t like rotary shifters. And the rear seat room? I’m 6-1, and my boys are 6-1 and 6-5. It’s nice to not have them gripe when they sit in back.

 

[sotek2345]

Oh boy, gripes about the lightning. This is gonna take a while...



2) When decelerating the truck sometimes feels clunky and makes noises. Sometimes it makes a clunking sound. Sometimes the handoff between regenerative braking and friction braking doesn't seem entirely smooth. Most times though it's imperceptible.


20) My windows are always dirty. Not going to a gas station means I don't get to clean them there, and I've never been good about cleaning the cars. Haven't figured this one out.


I think that's about it. Overall though the truck is great. I like that it just blends in with the other pickup trucks out there. Some people know what's up, but to most it's just another F-150... and I like it that way.

For your #2 - if it is being clunky, try a few hard stops and see if it goes away. Because we use regen so much, the brakes don't get exercised nearly as much as on an ICE vehicle. Sometimes you just need to get the rust off the pads.

For #20 - I HIGHLY recommend a portable squeegee from Amazon or similar. You can get them for under $10. The one I have as a built in squirter for washer fluid and then the normal squeegee end to clean your windshield. They work great and are key for a good road trip.

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