HORRIBLE FORD EXPERIENCE: SP 23B57 and 23B70 delays along with HVB and Powertrain Malefunction warnings

[Vito]

Your dealer sucks and you should say who it is.

The battery fail rate is low. Unfortunately, you might have "won" the lottery. A lot of dealers suck in general. Throw in new technology they don't want to deal with and it can be a terrible customer service experience. And Ford definitely isn't Toyota. I wish they were.

Also, if it wasn't clear, @Amps was suggesting the problem might be the low voltage battery. You might suggest your dealership replace it just to see what happens.

I mentioned the LVB issue to my advisor multiple times and he insists it's not the issue, at some point I must have faith that they are doing what they are saying, I simply don't have the time to drive around and "feel out" other Ford dealers.
I feel like I did everything by the book, I followed directions, waited patiently for 7 weeks, contacted Ford for assistance, communicated the lack of progress, and at the end I am 7 weeks into these errors and CSPs without any firm action plan, besides "let's wait and see what happens next."

At this point I do NOT want that truck back, it's not a "complete" product, yet! Perhaps the 24 year model will have these issues sorted out, I believe these Covid era units have a lot of the necessary quality checks lacking, Ford must step up their game because I still believe the Lightning is a transformational BEV.

Sponsored

 

[shutterbug]

yeah, but now I am convinced that these trucks are bunch of quarter/half-baked EVs that were rushed to the market without first establishing a decent network of repair centers to address all these complex electronics on board of these trucks....its not even 6K miles and I am having all sorts of issues and my dealer still can't figure out whats going on !!

I completely agree that service support should should be a top issue for Ford. Unfortunately, this is mostly left to the dealers. I think Ford would have done better if it mandated higher level of qualified support people instead of DCFC chargers.

I'll be curious to find out if these issues are restricted to the SR models, or both SR and ER are having these battery/motor failures.

I don't think the issue is confined to SR trucks. And in the end, the real problem is lack of qualified technicians. Some dealers just don't want to invest in training.

 

[Henry Ford]

I mentioned the LVB issue to my advisor multiple times and he insists it's not the issue, at some point I must have faith that they are doing what they are saying, I simply don't have the time to drive around and "feel out" other Ford dealers.
I feel like I did everything by the book, I followed directions, waited patiently for 7 weeks, contacted Ford for assistance, communicated the lack of progress, and at the end I am 7 weeks into these errors and CSPs without any firm action plan, besides "let's wait and see what happens next."

You did everything right but your dealer sucks which is why you are in this position. Vehicles break, it's what happens after they break that matters. You've been screwed.

At this point I do NOT want that truck back, it's not a "complete" product, yet! Perhaps the 24 year model will have these issues sorted out, I believe these Covid era units have a lot of the necessary quality checks lacking, Ford must step up their game because I still believe the Lightning is a transformational BEV.

I don't agree with your assessment of the product but I can't really argue with you. I might be ready to sell back my truck if my dealership had it for seven weeks. It's disgraceful.

 

[Vito]

You did everything right but your dealer sucks which is why you are in this position. Vehicles break, it's what happens after they break that matters. You've been screwed.



I don't agree with your assessment of the product but I can't really argue with you. I might be ready to sell back my truck if my dealership had it for seven weeks. It's disgraceful.

I completely agree that service support should should be a top issue for Ford. Unfortunately, this is mostly left to the dealers. I think Ford would have done better if it mandated higher level of qualified support people instead of DCFC chargers.


I don't think the issue is confined to SR trucks. And in the end, the real problem is lack of qualified technicians. Some dealers just don't want to invest in training.

That's too bad for the future, do any of you know or can recommend a Ford dealer with decent BEV working knowledge with qualified BEV techs in the greater Los Angeles area!? Much appreciated.

 

[bellyer]

I will say that it is very likely a very small number of Lightnings that face issues like these. I have had my '23 Lightning Lariat ER for over a year and have had very few issues (and the ones that I have had have been fixed with a quick disconnect/reconnect of the 12v battery) with it and most of the issues that I have been concerned about have been addressed quickly and with ease through recalls that my Ford dealer has happily taken care of or through OTA updates. I love this truck more and more all the time really and feel it is just about the best vehicle I have ever owned of the 7-8 other vehicles that I have owned.

I am sorry that you are stuck with a lemon, but I have had great experiences with my Lightning, my Mach-E and my Explorer that I had before these two EVs and my service department here in Chicago has been great to work with.

 

[Vito]

I will say that it is very likely a very small number of Lightnings that face issues like these. I have had my '23 Lightning Lariat ER for over a year and have had very few issues (and the ones that I have had have been fixed with a quick disconnect/reconnect of the 12v battery) with it and most of the issues that I have been concerned about have been addressed quickly and with ease through recalls that my Ford dealer has happily taken care of or through OTA updates. I love this truck more and more all the time really and feel it is just about the best vehicle I have ever owned of the 7-8 other vehicles that I have owned.

I am sorry that you are stuck with a lemon, but I have had great experiences with my Lightning, my Mach-E and my Explorer that I had before these two EVs and my service department here in Chicago has been great to work with.

So far the negative stories I've come across seem to be more common with the SR battery and not so much the ER

 

[MaintGrl]

Wow, Makes me wonder about my XLT SR, I've only had mine for 2/3 months, and do not drive it much. So the 3yr/36k mile warranty (I believe) will NOT be on miles, but on time. Since I don't drive a lot, it would take me some time for the problems to become apparent. I Live Near the Richmond Ca Dealer, and to NOT have a lot of faith in their BEV service dept (no personal experience). I might have to go out of the area to get good service if needed.
So, what do they think we get around in when they keep your vehicle for 7 weeks? SMH

 

[invertedspear]

it's not a "complete" product, yet!

No, the product is complete, but it's new, and it probably has a higher failure rate than say Tesla Model S that's had more than a decade to work things out. You cannot innovate without having an occasional misstep.

Unless by product you mean the whole ownership experience. This is where Ford continues to fail. Being forced to use dealers that don't bother to learn anything about EVs is killing the experience. Sales guy started to explain things to me when I bought mine, and after I corrected him 3 times and showed him where he was wrong, he just kind of gave up. Didn't want to learn. The service people I've dealt with have just trash talked EVs in general.

Ford needs to get back to their Model-E certification and only dealers that buy into EVs should be able to display it on their signage so we know which service centers might have a clue what a NEMA 14-50 outlet is, or a J-1772 connector, or really just anything to do with EVs.

I cannot wait until we start seeing independent mechanics start to handle EVs. The customer service I get from my corner mechanic is lightyears ahead of dealer service centers.

Also, OP, please name the dealer that's treated you so terribly so that we can all avoid them. Unless they got you under some NDA or something.

 

[Vito]

Wow, Makes me wonder about my XLT SR, I've only had mine for 2/3 months, and do not drive it much. So the 3yr/36k mile warranty (I believe) will NOT be on miles, but on time. Since I don't drive a lot, it would take me some time for the problems to become apparent. I Live Near the Richmond Ca Dealer, and to NOT have a lot of faith in their BEV service dept (no personal experience). I might have to go out of the area to get good service if needed.
So, what do they think we get around in when they keep your vehicle for 7 weeks? SMH

I think the battery and power train have 8yr/80K miles of warranty on them and all else the 3yr/36K setup. Also, yoir truck might be in perfect in manufacturing, who knows !! All I can say is that my Lightning apparently is a lemon, OR, as we discussed previously that Ford just doesn't have the BEV expertise established in their dealerships.

 

[Vito]

No, the product is complete, but it's new, and it probably has a higher failure rate than say Tesla Model S that's had more than a decade to work things out. You cannot innovate without having an occasional misstep.

Unless by product you mean the whole ownership experience. This is where Ford continues to fail. Being forced to use dealers that don't bother to learn anything about EVs is killing the experience. Sales guy started to explain things to me when I bought mine, and after I corrected him 3 times and showed him where he was wrong, he just kind of gave up. Didn't want to learn. The service people I've dealt with have just trash talked EVs in general.

Ford needs to get back to their Model-E certification and only dealers that buy into EVs should be able to display it on their signage so we know which service centers might have a clue what a NEMA 14-50 outlet is, or a J-1772 connector, or really just anything to do with EVs.

I cannot wait until we start seeing independent mechanics start to handle EVs. The customer service I get from my corner mechanic is lightyears ahead of dealer service centers.

Also, OP, please name the dealer that's treated you so terribly so that we can all avoid them. Unless they got you under some NDA or something.

I hear ya! I came over to Ford after 3 decades of Toyotas, Hondas, Chevys, and RAMs, and insisted to support an American brand, placed my reservation, waited nearly 2 years, and bought the truck! I loved driving the truck, while it was drivable, but this experience has got me wanting to go back to either Honda or Toyota, especially after my wife's Chevy Bolt HVB fiasco few years back.

Since I am currently under review by Ford about my buyback request I rather not disclose dealership info, yet, since I am not familiar with this process and the last thing I need is to be perceived as assuming an adversarial posture with the Ford brand, which I am not, at all, it's an ALL-AMERICAN brand that I've always wanted to own, but not this experience

Let's see how Ford is going to handle my experience in the end.....stay tuned.

 

[The Weatherman]

I think the battery and power train have 8yr/80K miles of warranty on them and all else the 3yr/36K setup. Also, yoir truck might be in perfect in manufacturing, who knows !! All I can say is that my Lightning apparently is a lemon, OR, as we discussed previously that Ford just doesn't have the BEV expertise established in their dealerships.

Sorry to see you are having deal with such a lousy dealer. No doubt it sucks!

Just an FYI - it’s 8/100,000 on the drive system/HVB.

 

[ZSC100]

Update please, I've seen so many people being denied buybacks when their vehicle was at the dealer way over 30 days. Recently head that they don't count "days waiting on parts", or "days waiting on service" WTF does it matter what it's waiting on. I've also heard they only count "business days".

WTF, If I'm without my truck for 30 days that it, as far as I'm concerned they own me a BB. It's not my fault if a dealer's service dept. is back up for 2 weeks to even look at my vehicle.

Ford should have a high voltage battery module sitting at every single dealership in the US, as soon as they saw this issue back in late 22. Same with light bars, BMSs, and anything else known to break and make the vehicle unsafe/undriveable. And they certainly shouldn't be denying BBs, EVER.

 

[Vito]

Update please, I've seen so many people being denied buybacks when their vehicle was at the dealer way over 30 days. Recently head that they don't count "days waiting on parts", or "days waiting on service" WTF does it matter what it's waiting on. I've also heard they only count "business days".

WTF, If I'm without my truck for 30 days that it, as far as I'm concerned they own me a BB. It's not my fault if a dealer's service dept. is back up for 2 weeks to even look at my vehicle.

Ford should have a high voltage battery module sitting at every single dealership in the US, as soon as they saw this issue back in late 22. Same with light bars, BMSs, and anything else known to break and make the vehicle unsafe/undriveable. And they certainly shouldn't be denying BBs, EVER.

No new updates as of this morning, the wait continues, I don't have high hopes of Ford buying back my lemon after reading a lot of Lightning owners who were denied for just about every reason under the sun....at this point as a consumer I guess my only choice is the retain an attorney...I mean, how much longer should anyone in my situation wait around !? What a mess

 

[ZSC100]

No new updates as of this morning, the wait continues, I don't have high hopes of Ford buying back my lemon after reading a lot of Lightning owners who were denied for just about every reason under the sun....at this point as a consumer I guess my only choice is the retain an attorney...I mean, how much longer should anyone in my situation wait around !? What a mess

Most have had luck going through BBB or their state's DMV, It's not quote the level of an attorney, but it seems that Ford does respect them as arbitrators and won't push back with BS excuses for BB denial.

 

[ZSC100]

Sorry to see you are having deal with such a lousy dealer. No doubt it sucks!

Just an FYI - it’s 8/100,000 on the drive system/HVB.

Where in the world did you come up with 8/100,000?,, did you mean 8/100?

After both mine and my friend in little no-name Oklahoma both had HV battery module failures and bashed Ford on the internet we got pushback similar and from actual Ford representatives that it was 4%, but from what I was seeing it figured it was higher so I made a poll on one of the FB forums:



It very clearly proved over 10% and I have seen other polls proving the same thing. This is why I advocated and tried to convey to Ford that they need to place a fresh HV battery module at every dealer in the US so they can stop screwing so may customers that would otherwise be content with a new technology needing a few days service. Early adopters are more than happy to help and be content with a reasonable warranty service needing done even a few times during the warranty period, but this business of people being without their truck for 30+ days is absolutely ridiculous and unnecessary. There should be absolutely ZERO question of a full MSRP BuyBack immediately upon the 31st day of your vehicle being undriveable/unsafe to drive at a factory certified service center (dealer).

Like the OP, I also have a Bolt and was given a full MSRP buyback for my 2020 Bolt with zero questions asked. I never even had a problem, LOL. You know what I did, I took that check and bought another brand new Bolt EUV and it's the best family care I've ever owned.

If Ford would just take care of BEV early adopters I bet they'd be surprised how may people would turn around and buy another one. This entire thing has turned into a giant cluster fu*k all because of Ford. This is not the dealers fault, even though there are some crappy dealers out there. This is squarely on Ford. Ford should've also forced mannequins to be held and used as service loaners at every dealer that sold Lightnings. There will very likely be a class action lawsuit or 2 over this in the coming years I predict.

Sponsored