Powertrain Malfunction / Reduced Power / Season 2

[Temix]

As a proud owner of an F150 Lightning, I'm absolutely ecstatic to announce that in my second year of ownership, another battery cell has bit the dust. So far, I’ve maintained a flawless record of one dead battery cell per year. With a total of 10 cells, I have the delightful prospect of 8 more failures to look forward to.

On a serious note, it's beyond frustrating to have my truck held hostage at the dealership for over 30 days each year, waiting for a new battery cell to make its grand entrance.

I expected some issues when I bought the truck, but not a 30+ day annual vacation in the shop. "Built tough," they said...


Season 2 / Day 1
Left the truck at the dealer; the current ETA is a swift 3-4 weeks.

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[GoodSam]

@Ford Motor Company needs to get these replacements down to 3 days maximum, say 1 day to ship from a regional center while dropping battery pack, 1 to install & lift pack back, 1 to test and return to customer. We see your last battery module repair was reported back in December, 2022 and your build month was August, 2022? The truck has either 6 or 9 modules in the battery pack (not sure of number of cells in each module, and one module is smaller for sure than the others). I will add your 2nd repair to my spreadsheet in the same line #27 and highlight in red. @Temix , how many miles on your vehicle?

 

[Grumpy2]

get these replacements down to 3 days maximum,

Thanks for tracking this, it must have been a chore, but to me 3 days seems unrealistically fast ... We know it takes about 1/2 a day to follow the procedure to remove the air from the cooling system, also we know it takes considerable time to balance the voltages so the new module will work well with the pack ... Isn't a week about the fastest turn around?

 

[GoodSam]

Isn't a week about the fastest turn around?

I think Ford should be providing emergency service for these batteries since they are trying to prove themselves worthy of completing with Tesla BEVs and the failure rate for the Ford/SK batteries have proven to be excessive. Guaranteed loaner Lightnings for the customer would take some pain away and allow for extended repair times.

 

[Temix]

We see your last battery module repair was reported back in December, 2022 and your build month was August, 2022?

You're correct.

Temix, how many miles on your vehicle?

~ 45800

 

[Temix]

@GoodSam

On a side note, my neighbor, who owns a XLT ER and is far too busy to "waste time on the internet," also has his truck at the dealership waiting for his 2nd cell replacement.

His first replacement was also in 2023. I can get his VIN and details for your records if needed.

 

[Temix]

@GoodSam


I've reviewed your spreadsheet and have a few thoughts:

1. You've done an incredible job collecting all these cases. Wow and thank you!

2. While I'm not sure how this compares to the scale of Ford Motor Co, it seems like an overwhelming number to me. If I had this many issues with my customers because of one supplier, I'd definitely be bankrupt by now considering a change.

 

[GoodSam]

@GoodSam
On a side note, my neighbor, who owns a XLT ER and is far too busy to "waste time on the internet," also has his truck at the dealership waiting for his 2nd cell replacement. His first replacement was also in 2023. I can get his VIN and details for your records if needed.

That would be great...we can call him T's Neighbor!
Seems scary with so many modules going out, yet Ford says in CSP 23B57 dealer letter "Less than 4% of the affected vehicle population is expected to require one or more high voltage battery modules needing to be replaced."
I think 4% is a lot considering the time required to complete the repair. If first 20,000 trucks x 4% = 800 trucks x 30 average days out of service = 24,000 out of service days? How does that compare to other recalls for out-of-service days?
I am thinking that the 4% number is low considering how many have actually reported here and elsewhere and guessing many folks will never report on a forum.

 

[FloridaMan655321]

I am thinking that the 4% number is low considering how many have actually reported here and elsewhere and guessing many folks will never report on a forum.

I'm wondering the same, and I'd also like more details as to what the 'fix' is as I'm really looking at the 2024 Flash trim right now https://www.f150lightningforum.com/forum/threads/battery-issue-2024-vs-the-rest.20791/

 

[Grumpy2]

From the original notice dated September 13, 2023

AFFECTED VEHICLES Vehicle Model Year Assembly Plant 2022 F-150 BEV Rouge Electric Vehicle Center Build Dates October 14, 2021 through October 19, 2022
2023 Beginning June 10, 2022
US population of affected vehicles: 36,611.

4% of 36,611 = 1,464 vehicles

REASON FOR THIS PROGRAM Some of the affected vehicles may have high voltage battery modules that can cause Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) P0B24 – Hybrid Battery Voltage Unstable to set causing a stop safely now message to appear on the Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) and the vehicles high voltage battery output to be limited. All vehicles will receive an update to the Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) software strategy that detects if the high voltage battery experiences a voltage deviation and may enter the vehicle into a reduced performance state.



The "fix" is to remove and replace the module that contains the cell that is tripping the Diagnostic Trouble Code. The modules are shipped assembled and the original module is shipped somewhere that hasn't been identified and presumably taken apart and the defective cell is replaced. Once that module is repaired and tested I don't know what Ford does with it, but I assume it may be used as explained in the warranty:


If a warranty repair requires replacement of the high voltage battery assembly, or one of its components, it may be replaced with a new, factory remanufactured, or factory refurbished component, at Ford’s discretion. Refurbished battery components selected for your vehicle will align with your vehicle’s age, and mileage.

 

[Temix]

Season 2 / Day 5

I just got a call from the dealer saying my truck is fixed and ready for pickup

Let's do the math: I dropped it off late Wednesday afternoon, and by Monday morning at 9 am, it's supposedly fixed—that's less than five days.

I'm not one to start conspiracy theories, but this is suspiciously faster than promised. It makes me wonder if they just reset the error code and claimed it was fixed.

 

[MichaelCA]

Season 2 / Day 5

I just got a call from the dealer saying my truck is fixed and ready for pickup

Let's do the math: I dropped it off late Wednesday afternoon, and by Monday morning at 9 am, it's supposedly fixed—that's less than five days.

I'm not one to start conspiracy theories, but this is suspiciously faster than promised. It makes me wonder if they just reset the error code and claimed it was fixed.

show the invoice/log work!

 

[Temix]

show the invoice/log work!

Sure.

 

[Scorpio3d]

Hmmm….
At least you got it back faster than expected??

Edit:Maybe they’ve had so many of these they know how to do it fast now

 

[Temix]

Hmmm….
At least you got it back faster than expected??

Yep. I had mentally prepared myself for at least a month or more.

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