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I am a new member and first-time poster. I wish my first post was asking questions about bed coating solutions and tonneau covers, but, unfortunately, the new 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning I purchased last week didn’t even get us home. Apologies in advance for the long post (maybe it's just a rant), but I am beyond frustrated.
Last week my wife and I bought a new 2023 Lightning at a Ford dealership about 180 miles from our home. After completing the purchase on Thursday afternoon, the dealership turned the truck over to us with about 190 miles of range. I had no issue with that, and I understand that overcharging the battery can impact its service life. We planned to stop about half-way home to charge the truck to ensure we had plenty of range for the rest of the trip.
We stopped at a charging station with around 85 miles of range remaining and plugged the truck into a fast charger. The vehicle would not “connect” with the charger and the indicator next to the charging port on the truck was red. We tried several other chargers at the same location without being able to initiate a charge. We went to several other charging stations in town without being able to charge the truck on a DC charger. We also received a notification that the vehicle needed service soon and the FordPass app showed a Powertrain Malfunction. After six hours of driving from charging station to charging station and the truck almost out of range we left the truck at the local Ford dealership (not the same one we purchased from) at around midnight to make arrangements with their service department Friday morning. Given the late hour there was no public transportation available, and we ended up walking to a hotel a couple of miles away for an overnight stay we did not plan on having to make.
The following morning the dealership’s service department kindly fit us into their schedule. Later that afternoon we were told that the charging port on the truck would need to be replaced. The latest update I received suggests that they now have the part and may be able to make repairs in the next day or so. Fortunately, they arranged a rental vehicle for us without any hassle and we finally returned home Friday evening.
I understand that mechanical breakdowns on vehicles can happen anytime, but I thought my new truck would at least get me home from the dealership after I bought it. My wife, who was skeptical about the purchase anyway, is concerned that we may have gotten the proverbial “lemon.” I am a bit more optimistic about the long-term reliability of the Lightning, but am still disheartened by this experience, especially for a vehicle at this price point that is considered a flagship model for the Ford brand.
My family has almost exclusively owned Fords. This is my fourth F-150. Perhaps this will be a “bump on the road” in otherwise care-free ownership, or the beginning of a litany of issues and problems. Regardless, I have been especially frustrated this past week by the seeming lack of concern by the dealership that sold the vehicle and with the less than positive experience communicating with @Ford Motor Company customer service via chat about the issue.
Again, I apologize for the lengthy post, and I am sure my story is the exception, not the norm, for new Lightning owners. I am still excited by the truck and think it will work well for us, I just wish I could get it home.
Last week my wife and I bought a new 2023 Lightning at a Ford dealership about 180 miles from our home. After completing the purchase on Thursday afternoon, the dealership turned the truck over to us with about 190 miles of range. I had no issue with that, and I understand that overcharging the battery can impact its service life. We planned to stop about half-way home to charge the truck to ensure we had plenty of range for the rest of the trip.
We stopped at a charging station with around 85 miles of range remaining and plugged the truck into a fast charger. The vehicle would not “connect” with the charger and the indicator next to the charging port on the truck was red. We tried several other chargers at the same location without being able to initiate a charge. We went to several other charging stations in town without being able to charge the truck on a DC charger. We also received a notification that the vehicle needed service soon and the FordPass app showed a Powertrain Malfunction. After six hours of driving from charging station to charging station and the truck almost out of range we left the truck at the local Ford dealership (not the same one we purchased from) at around midnight to make arrangements with their service department Friday morning. Given the late hour there was no public transportation available, and we ended up walking to a hotel a couple of miles away for an overnight stay we did not plan on having to make.
The following morning the dealership’s service department kindly fit us into their schedule. Later that afternoon we were told that the charging port on the truck would need to be replaced. The latest update I received suggests that they now have the part and may be able to make repairs in the next day or so. Fortunately, they arranged a rental vehicle for us without any hassle and we finally returned home Friday evening.
I understand that mechanical breakdowns on vehicles can happen anytime, but I thought my new truck would at least get me home from the dealership after I bought it. My wife, who was skeptical about the purchase anyway, is concerned that we may have gotten the proverbial “lemon.” I am a bit more optimistic about the long-term reliability of the Lightning, but am still disheartened by this experience, especially for a vehicle at this price point that is considered a flagship model for the Ford brand.
My family has almost exclusively owned Fords. This is my fourth F-150. Perhaps this will be a “bump on the road” in otherwise care-free ownership, or the beginning of a litany of issues and problems. Regardless, I have been especially frustrated this past week by the seeming lack of concern by the dealership that sold the vehicle and with the less than positive experience communicating with @Ford Motor Company customer service via chat about the issue.
Again, I apologize for the lengthy post, and I am sure my story is the exception, not the norm, for new Lightning owners. I am still excited by the truck and think it will work well for us, I just wish I could get it home.
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