Nearing 1 month of repairs with Hoffman Ford of CT (Bad Battery Module/"Powertrain Malfunction")

[pjorg]

I've been avoiding this post because I didn't think I had anything new or interesting to say about this issue (which has affected others), but at this point, I need to put it out there.

I have a 2023 F-150 Lightning Lariat ER that I took delivery of in December 2022. I love the truck...when it's working and I can drive it. Although I have tried to be accommodating and understanding, I am now ready to admit to myself and others that the dealership experience has been an unmitigated nightmare almost from Day 1.

I purchased my truck from Hoffman Ford of East Hartford, CT. The purchase process was not great but that is a different story. Other than the fact that they sold it to me at MSRP, I have nothing positive to say.

On April 1, I got into the truck and started a drive, and encountered the dreaded Powertrain Malfunction/Reduced Power problem. After a short drive I was able to pull over safely, shut the truck down, power it back on, and found that the issue had resolved. Everything seemed fine at that point, but I made an appointment with my selling dealer's service department to have it looked into.

This first service encounter in early May was a fiasco involving me getting an appointment, dropping the truck in the morning, being told in the afternoon it hadn't been seen yet, and then the following day, being told that it would be some time before the technicians could diagnose my issues. Only one of these was the powertrain problem; the others were relatively minor (non-EV specific) problems with my driver side mirror and the USB data port. After being understanding but firm about things, they did look into all three problems that day. I was told that the EV powertrain issue was likely transient and they couldn't find anything that indicated additional action should be taken.

I wound up agreeing with them that I would bring the truck back in several weeks when they had more staff manpower available to address the other minor issues, since it was drivable. On this return visit, I left the truck there for 5 business days, as agreed, and did not request a loaner.

At the end of the 5 days, they told me that the mirror and USB issues had been resolved, but that as the truck was being pulled around to be prepped for me to pick up, the powertrain warning had returned. Further diagnostics after this second occurrence indicated that it would need battery module 2 replaced.

The service advisor was not able to give me a firm repair timeline.

I left the truck for another week while I was out of town. No action taken. The necessary parts arrived this past Wednesday. I was led to believe this meant work could commence, but as of today (after first trying to tell me that they were still waiting on parts), now we are waiting for next week until the qualified personnel are back from vacation.

We are now ending the third straight week I have been without my very expensive vehicle, with only a vague "end of next week" estimate for return to service. The loaner I finally got this week is a gas (not even hybrid!) Ford Escape. It was turned over to me absolutely filthy inside and out, with the low fuel light on. (They did offer to put gas into it, but I showed up on my lunch break after giving the assistant service manager a heads-up that I was coming, and really just needed to get back to work, so I told them not to bother.)

I have many hundreds of words left in me about the poor quality of communication, the lack of emphasis on improving my experience as a customer, the friction I encountered when I finally insisted on a loaner vehicle after the truck being in the shop for two weeks (closer to three weeks at that point, cumulatively), and my general impression overall that the people that work there seem incapable or completely unmotivated to do absolutely anything correctly the first time. I have not met the technicians/mechanical staff nor have I had the opportunity to evaluate their work yet, but I can only hope that they take their jobs more seriously than anyone else at the dealership, since it has direct implications for my safety and that of my family and others riding with me.

Bottom line:

1. My opinion is that discerning consumers should avoid doing any kind of business with Hoffman Ford of East Hartford, CT.
2. Owners of these trucks (and any Ford product, I guess) need to be aware that Ford has not demonstrated an ability to deal with these initial quality issues with a high degree of agility. It took a week and a half from the identification of this known issue in my vehicle for the appropriate parts to arrive to resolve the problem. (In my case, whether they actually do or not is yet to be seen.)

I would very, very much like to hear from @Ford Motor Company on this forum so that I can provide more detail on my case and hopefully accelerate a resolution.

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[Maquis]

When there are EV powertrain issues, the best bet is to call Ford, ask for the BEV team, and have them open a case for you. I don’t know the number to call, but it’s been posted here previously. I’m sure someone will chime in with it.

Sorry your having these issues, because when it’s right, it’s a great truck.

 

[astricklin]

Ford really needs to pressure the dealerships to have adequate staffing for EV repairs. Having a single technician at the dealership isn't going to cut it as they over double production in the second half of this year.

 

[The Weatherman]

Sorry to see you having issues to start with, but really disappointed to hear dealer has no ‘service’ facing people that give a sh@t!

I have been very fortunate with my dealer in that my sales guys have started connected and step up when I’ve thought the service folks were falling down.

Hope it works out for you soon.

 

[TaxmanHog]

Good luck, the lack of a fully stocked and competent labor market ties the hands of dealer service departments employing enough technicians to get the work out the door.

Service manager communications to the customer is lacking, we agree it should be a lot better, I'd hate to be that person continually delivering bad news to customers in a pinch like this.

 

[Txxthie]

Owners of these trucks (and any Ford product, I guess) need to be aware that Ford has not demonstrated an ability to deal with these initial quality issues with a high degree of agility.

I live in CT, not far from Hoffman. I purchased my truck from Monaco and it was a great buying experience.

I also had powertrain malfunction which led me to call Ford corporate and some dealerships. What I learned convinced me that I will not be doing any electrical modifications to this truck. Only some dealers are certified to work on electrical issues with Lightings (I don't believe Hoffman is one of them). Monaco of Glastonbury isn't and only their sister dealership 40 mins away is. Fortunately I talked with a very nice female service tech from a certified dealership in Vernon. She logged into my truck in real time with my vin # (only EV's have this capability) and found 25 codes. She said truck freaked out and has since corrected itself. She advised to monitor the situation and if it happens again, don't power down the truck. I will make it much more difficult for them to diagnose the problem later.

I believe it could have been related to an OTA I received a week prior or even a EA DCFC days prior. I don't believe Ford has enough certified technicians or dealerships to service EV's. The dealerships are learning about these vehicles as they come in with problems, which is not ideal.

I would initiate the lemon law to protect yourself and as a potential resolution. I did actually lemon a new Audi years ago that Hoffman could not fix.

 

[Pioneer74]

She logged into my truck in real time with my vin # (only EV's have this capability)

That's not true. My 2021 ICE Lariat was part of the Connected Vehicle service.

 

[Txxthie]

That's not true. My 2021 ICE Lariat was part of the Connected Vehicle service.

I am just reporting what the tech told me. She said the Lightning is unique in that respect. On the phone she checked the codes when I provide my vin.

Tesla has a HUGE advantage in computer hardware and software. They make their own, vertically integrated in ways other manufacturers probably will never be. The next 1-2 years will determine who’s going to be successful producing BEVs. Tesla has almost fully scaled production and the consumer is benefiting from the availability of its vehicles plus lower prices.
Ford doesn’t make its own hardware and has too many manufactures each running code of their own, that must all talk together. That is a nightmare from the beginning. It works, but as the vehicle becomes more software defined, it creates problems with updates, etc.

 

[pjorg]

Coming up on the end of the fifth week with my truck in the shop.

Dealer has told me that they did put it on the lift and started the module replacement Monday, but as of yesterday (Wednesday) they realized that they did not have a piece of equipment (not a part, but apparently a tool or other shop component) necessary to complete the job, so they have been searching with other local dealerships and are now waiting for Ford to send one.

 

[Quest]

I think it really comes down to Quality Control or the lack of it

 

[pjorg]

To provide some more detail on this: the service manager was a little more specific about the part/tool they are waiting on.

He said there is a "plug" or "adapter" that is used with the charge balancer that they don't have.

If you look at this very helpful video (was already posted elsewhere on another of these module replacement threads), it shows the replacement module being tested and balanced around 2:51:



As far as I can tell, there appear to be two connections between the charger/balancer and the module:

1. The red and black leads, which I presume are actually delivering current to the module (or consuming current, depending on the situation)
2. There is what looks like a data port connection (I assume there is a computer in the module that handles charge and health management for each individual cell)

I am not knowledgable and don't know exactly what's going on here, but based on the close-up of the balancer screen, the implication to me is that the balancer is first hooked up to the old module to get information about its state of charge, and then works to get the replacement module as close as possible to the voltage level of the old module before it's put back into the pack.

I'm assuming the "plug" that I'm being told is not available is the thing that connects the module's data port to the balancer.

It's somewhat mystifying that an EV-certified service center would not have this on hand (and, I'm told, "we checked and no other local dealers have one either") but hopefully they can procure one soon and get on with it.

 

[Gimme_my_MME]

It's somewhat mystifying that an EV-certified service center would not have this on hand (and, I'm told, "we checked and no other local dealers have one either") but hopefully they can procure one soon and get on with it.

All EV certified dealers were provided with all the tools like this to perform the repair. MANY dealers chucked the box for this plug into their parts area, never opened it to see what it was, and have since misplaced it. The dealers that do have it and know where it is don't want to lend it out as they will then be SOL if it gets misplaced.

Keep on your dealer. They can escalate the request to their regional rep to borrow one or they can just order a new one, which they will need to do anyways

 

[pjorg]

This was ultimately resolved on Day 39 in the shop (Friday). Picked it up and immediately put about 600 miles on it going from Hartford, CT up to the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and back. Truck performed great, so hopefully that's the end of this issue now.

 

[AZT9]

On a small side note, have yall ever noticed that an appointment is nearly completely useless? I mean my point guy at my dealership is amazing and overworked but still communicative and positive but as taxman said. Only the middleman between the customer and the techs in the back but EVERY appointment I make ends up getting sidelined for at minimum a day or two before getting even looked at? Then when they have to order a part the truck just sits for days or weeks. Why not get it in on the scheduled appointment, order the part and return the truck until the part arrives to be installed. (Unless the vehicle is unsafe or inoperable without said part) .

 

[boggle]

Appreciate this post as a fellow nutmegger. Where do you plan to have your vehicle serviced now? Still looking for a reputable dealer in our area myself.

I almost moved my original reservation to Hoffman but when I went for the test drive with their demo nobody there knew a thing about the truck or the reservation process. When I questioned future servicing and warranty repairs they didn't know anything nor how they'd expect be trained to handle the new truck. Was honestly surprised how poor of an answer it was coming from a relatively large dealership. Sadly your experience and lack of communication on their end seems to echo that sentiment. Glad you were able to finally get it fixed.

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