My lightning got BRICKED with the software update. WILL NOT START.

[FordEVr DAD]

Well this sucks. Sorry to see this is happening. I hope it gets resolved soon. As a public service announcement to others out there about tow trucks and getting your truck into neutral in various ways, I highly recommend watching this video.

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This is funny coz this was the exact video that the tow guys used to finally get it to neutral. In case it happens to you guys and you need to put your lightning to neutral for towing, you have to press the brake and the accelerator pedal together then move the shift to neutral. You then press the small "neural" button (Not sure what that button is but attached is a photo of it) button TWICE then you can release both the brake and the accelerator pedals. This should put the vehicle to neutral.

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[FordEVr DAD]

It happened to a few Mach es too, seems like it should be a straightforward fix if your dealer is competent.

I am hoping they can get it fixed. The dealer said the vehicle could be there for about a week which is kinda disappointing but as long as it gets fixed, I'd be happy.

 

[Gimme_my_MME]

I am hoping they can get it fixed. The dealer said the vehicle could be there for about a week which is kinda disappointing but as long as it gets fixed, I'd be happy.

I predict you will get it back much sooner than that

 

[FordEVr DAD]

Yikes - I'm so sorry! Please keep us updated. I had power train malfunction in the fall of '22 and three weeks later I was as good as new. Did encounter a new "issue" the other night - home with about 148 miles of range, plugged in and saw "Electrical system drain Service required" - reconnected charger and all is good - apparently these batteries / software is extremely tempermental @Ford Motor Company

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Did it take 3 weeks to fix your truck? The dealership that is fixing my truck said that it could be there for about a week. I hope they figure it out. Sad that the software/batteries are an issue with these vehicles coz it's a really good truck.

 

[bosox8]

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Did it take 3 weeks to fix your truck? The dealership that is fixing my truck said that it could be there for about a week. I hope they figure it out. Sad that the software/batteries are an issue with these vehicles coz it's a really good truck.

It did - and I agree - this is a great truck.

 

[FordEVr DAD]

There have been a few reports here of this happening. Here's a thread that came to mind:
https://www.f150lightningforum.com/forum/threads/failed-ota-update-bricked-my-2023-f150l.18635/

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Thanks for linking that thread. I am glad to know that this didn't just happen to me. The thread said that it should be a quick fix but the dealership that is fixing my truck said it could be there for about a week. I wonder if they have enough technicians that are specialized on EVs now in ford putting in mind that they only have the lightning and Mach-E as full electric.

 

[GDN]

I predict you will get it back much sooner than that

I love your eerily insightful predictions

 

[FordEVr DAD]

After re-reading that thread, I'm definitely going to pick up a mongoose. @rugedraw do you have to have an active FDRS license in order to run that inhibit removal tool?

yeah, scary to think that an update could literally brick your vehicle. I was hoping that the system would just revert to the older software version if the new update would fail.

 

[FordEVr DAD]

What update was your truck attempting to install, did it have a code below the description of the update?

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Not sure what update this was. I had my truck set to auto update so I didn't get a chance to see what it was. The "Update not successful" message on the screen did not mention what version of the update failed either.

 

[FordEVr DAD]

Good morning, Lionel. Would you please send over a private message with your VIN and dealer info so I can look into this concern on my end? Thank you!

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I am brand new to this forum. How do you send a private message on this?

 

[TaxmanHog]

Tap the user name next to avatar, you will see an option to start a conversation

 

[FordEVr DAD]

The owner of the truck would need an active FDRS license to fix this as the license is tied to the laptop it is on and not the user name/password.

However, due to the fact that FDRS now has a requirement where an NFTSA password is needed for non-dealer users to update the BCM (which is the module responsible for putting a vehicle in inhibit mode for an OTA and releasing it when's done), it seems like even with FDRS, non-dealers FDRS users are screwed if this happens to them. The sample size for this is very small......that I know of, only one owner (who is on this forum) had his truck bricked and was not able to get it out of inhibit mode with FDRS.

If this were to happen to someone on this forum that has FDRS and a Mongoose, we have a work-around so they can get their vehicle out of inhibit mode. In the case of the OP, he is at the mercy of the dealer.

@FordEVr DAD It takes 5 minutes to fix this. As a matter of fact, it probably takes longer to sign in to the software needed to fix than it does to actually fix it. A week is ridiculous unless there are some underlying issues which are rare. I get this sucks and from an owner's point of view, this will leave a bad taste in your mouth. What happened to you is very rare in the grand scope of things and is not a Ford only problem. Sometimes, sh*t happens.

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Thank for the info. It is sad to know that it would have taken only 5 minutes to fix this issue instead of a week like the dealership told me. They said they are having issues with downloading the modules. Was planning on camping with the kids this Labor Day weekend but looks like that's not happening .

 

[Gimme_my_MME]

Was planning on camping with the kids this Labor Day weekend but looks like that's not happening

Maybe call the dealer and ask if they have an update before cancelling your plans

 

[rugedraw]

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Thank for the info. It is sad to know that it would have taken only 5 minutes to fix this issue instead of a week like the dealership told me. They said they are having issues with downloading the modules. Was planning on camping with the kids this Labor Day weekend but looks like that's not happening .

Nothing needs to be "downloaded" to fix this. The problem is, because it is an EV, they may be waiting for an EV certified tech to take a look at the truck. Any tech can do what needs to be done here. The problem you will have is convincing the dealership to listen to you.

 

[FordEVr DAD]

Tap the user name next to avatar, you will see an option to start a conversation

Got it, thanks!

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