Parking Sensor / Interior Lighting / Bad LVB

[ccullins]

I purchased my new 2023 Lightning on December 27, 2023. I was so excited! I have NEVER purchased myself a new vehicle. I am now retired and decided to splurge on a NEW truck. I have owned many Ford used vehicles and never had any substantial issues.

From the moment I backed out of the parking space at the dealer I have had issues.

I scheduled an appointment with the service department at my nearest large dealer. They have now had it 15 days and currently have no clue how to fix one of the issues.

1. Parking Sensor - Same issue that aparently almost all Lightenings have had until the Jan 5th software update. However, mine won't update. This is where they are stuck. According to my service advisor, neither the local techs nor the FORD techs know how to get this fixed.

2. Interior Lighting / LVB- About 10 days into owning this truck the interior lighting (map light, door open lights, etc.) does not come on when the doors open, nor when you press the overhead buttons. It did work when I got it. They tore out the entire headliner and did diagnostics. They eventually came back and said it was the "Overhead Console - Assembly" ML3Z*18519A70*ECQ - After waiting for the part to arrive it didn't work. They then told me it was the LVB which acccording to them had a "bad cell." After ordering a new battery they now claim the lights are working, but since I haven't gotten my truck back, I am not counting it as fixed until I can see it for myself and see how long the fix lasts.

Today, I escalated to the FORD hotline for EVs. The gentleman who took my complaint was very nice and started a case for my truck. He then tried to contact my service department directly and got 3 voice mails before a real human actualy answered the phone. Only resolution we got today was, "they will call me to followup in another 5-6 days."

It infuriates me to spend this much money for something I can't use.

Other points of frustration:
-Doesn't even come close to the 320 mile range.
-HIghway driving makes for a significant decrease in range.
-Cold weather takes a HUGE chunk out of range.
-Trailering (even a small utility trailer ) takes a HUGE chunk out of range.
-Due to lack of a robust FAST charging network, I will never be able to take this on a long road trip.

OVERALL a very frustrating experience. Based upon all of the complaints in this forum, it appears to me that FORD pushed this vehicle to the assembly line too fast and didn't work out all of the glitches, nor did they prepare their service techs. I am VERY afraid of what lies ahead with this vehicle. Too many other horror stories with other owners. I am seriously considering a Lemon Law/BuyBack and it appears I will have my 30 days very soon.

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[Heliian]

So, why do they have your truck still?
If they fixed the 12v problem then it should be done with?

All of your concerns about range are very well documented now and have been for a while.

A few people have had problems with their new vehicles, it happens with all new vehicles, that's why a good warranty matters. The majority of owners really like their trucks and have no issues.

My recommendation would be to spend some time going through the forums and getting a clearer picture of what to expect and how to use your new lightning to the fullest.

 

[ccullins]

So, why do they have your truck still?
If they fixed the 12v problem then it should be done with?

All of your concerns about range are very well documented now and have been for a while.

A few people have had problems with their new vehicles, it happens with all new vehicles, that's why a good warranty matters. The majority of owners really like their trucks and have no issues.

My recommendation would be to spend some time going through the forums and getting a clearer picture of what to expect and how to use your new lightning to the fullest.

The parking sensors won't update. Thats why they still had it.

Yes I have already been digesting the information on this forum. Thats what scares me. I dont want to have this thing in the shop for dozens of days per year. I did purchase even the extended warranty, but that doesnt resolve the hassle and frustration.

 

[djwildstar]

From the moment I backed out of the parking space at the dealer I have had issues. [...] It infuriates me to spend this much money for something I can't use.

I'm sorry that you're disappointed and frustrated with your truck. In general, folks don't post to say "my truck is great, no problems", so in general if you look at the forums you will see many posts about problems or issues. I think you'll find that the vast majority of folks here really like their Lightnings, and want to help other folks enjoy their trucks, too. Specific to the two big problems you list:

1. I'm not clear what you're taking about -- I'm not aware of a parking sensor issue affecting "all Lightnings", nor am I aware of a January 8th over-the-air update. I personally haven't had problems with the parking sensors, and haven't had an update since late December. Literally the only time I've gotten a warning about parking sensors was when my front bumper was literally touching a wall, and the truck told me that the front sensor was unavailable because it was blocked (no surprise there), so this is definitely an issue with your truck that should be fixable.
2. I suspect that the root cause of some of your problems is a bad low-voltage battery sensor; this is customer satisfaction program (CSP) 23B70. The bad sensor can cause the truck to think that the 12V battery is low. This in turn can cause the truck to go into battery-saver mode, which disables FordPass features, changes the chimes, causes the center console to power down with a "system off to save battery" message, etc. The good news is that if this is the case, it is an inexpensive, readily-available part that is easy to replace.

It is always possible that you've gotten a lemon -- it happens with all kinds of vehicles, which is why state lemon laws exist. If this is the case, most people have reported that Ford is prompt and fair with the buy-back process.

Your other items, in no particular order:

• Road Trips: You don't mention if you bought a standard- or extended-range truck; in general folks recommend getting the ER battery if road trips are important to you.
  • Road-tripping in an EV requires pre-planning: get A Better Route Planner (ABRP) and PlugShare to build a road-trip plan and avoid disappointment.
  • You are in Missouri, and while the charging situation isn't great, it looks like there is acceptable coverage on I-70 and I-44; the situation north on I-35 to Des Moines isn't ideal, but still do-able, even for an SR truck. A little time with ABRP will help a lot in figuring out how to take the truck somewhere.
  • In general, if your destination is well off of the Interstates, you have to get creative
  • Fast charger coverage is going to get a lot better in the next few months; by the end of this spring, Ford will be shipping Tesla adapters, and the Tesla v3 and v4 SuperChargers will be open to Lightning owners.
  • All that said, I've personally taken my Lightning on 4 road trips in the 900- to 1300- mile range. The truck is comfortable and performs well; overall I spend about 20% of my time charging and 80% driving, which is typical for 400V-architecture EVs. One of these trips was into West Virginia, which is (still) the biggest fast-charging desert east of the Mississippi.
• Range: If you're coming from a gas-powered world, range isn't something you're used to thinking about (after all, you can stop for 5 minutes and gas up practically anywhere). Frustration about range is one of the biggest issues with EV ownership.
  • The Lightning will make its EPA-rated range driving at 55 MPH or less in good weather (no wind and temperatures in the 60F-90F range). Just like EPA mileage for gasoline cars, the EPA EV range isn't a prediction of what you will actually get, but just a way to do an apples-to-apples comparison between vehicles.
  • The practical highway range of the Lightning has been well-covered in the automotive press. Motor Trend rates the ER Lightning as having a 240-mile highway range, and published a road-trip range strategy guide that is very helpful.
  • Towing range has also been well-covered; the Lightning tows well, and is a great truck if your towing needs are around town, or relatively infrequent, like taking your boat to the lake for the summer season. Long-haul owing (for example, cross-country with a travel trailer) is not a good use case.

 

[davehu]

Sorry for your troubles. part of the problem could be the dealer. Is it the same one you purchased the truck from? Be patient. Hey, got mine in mid September, 3500 miles and absolutely love it. polling of owners on this forum indicate that the overwhelming majority LOVE the Lightning. I couldn't be happier. good luck getting your problems worked out.

 

[ccullins]

I'm sorry that you're disappointed and frustrated with your truck. In general, folks don't post to say "my truck is great, no problems", so in general if you look at the forums you will see many posts about problems or issues. I think you'll find that the vast majority of folks here really like their Lightnings, and want to help other folks enjoy their trucks, too. Specific to the two big problems you list:

1. I'm not clear what you're taking about -- I'm not aware of a parking sensor issue affecting "all Lightnings", nor am I aware of a January 8th over-the-air update. I personally haven't had problems with the parking sensors, and haven't had an update since late December. Literally the only time I've gotten a warning about parking sensors was when my front bumper was literally touching a wall, and the truck told me that the front sensor was unavailable because it was blocked (no surprise there), so this is definitely an issue with your truck that should be fixable.
2. I suspect that the root cause of some of your problems is a bad low-voltage battery sensor; this is customer satisfaction program (CSP) 23B70. The bad sensor can cause the truck to think that the 12V battery is low. This in turn can cause the truck to go into battery-saver mode, which disables FordPass features, changes the chimes, causes the center console to power down with a "system off to save battery" message, etc. The good news is that if this is the case, it is an inexpensive, readily-available part that is easy to replace.

It is always possible that you've gotten a lemon -- it happens with all kinds of vehicles, which is why state lemon laws exist. If this is the case, most people have reported that Ford is prompt and fair with the buy-back process.

Your other items, in no particular order:

• Road Trips: You don't mention if you bought a standard- or extended-range truck; in general folks recommend getting the ER battery if road trips are important to you.
  • Road-tripping in an EV requires pre-planning: get A Better Route Planner (ABRP) and PlugShare to build a road-trip plan and avoid disappointment.
  • You are in Missouri, and while the charging situation isn't great, it looks like there is acceptable coverage on I-70 and I-44; the situation north on I-35 to Des Moines isn't ideal, but still do-able, even for an SR truck. A little time with ABRP will help a lot in figuring out how to take the truck somewhere.
  • In general, if your destination is well off of the Interstates, you have to get creative
  • Fast charger coverage is going to get a lot better in the next few months; by the end of this spring, Ford will be shipping Tesla adapters, and the Tesla v3 and v4 SuperChargers will be open to Lightning owners.
  • All that said, I've personally taken my Lightning on 4 road trips in the 900- to 1300- mile range. The truck is comfortable and performs well; overall I spend about 20% of my time charging and 80% driving, which is typical for 400V-architecture EVs. One of these trips was into West Virginia, which is (still) the biggest fast-charging desert east of the Mississippi.
• Range: If you're coming from a gas-powered world, range isn't something you're used to thinking about (after all, you can stop for 5 minutes and gas up practically anywhere). Frustration about range is one of the biggest issues with EV ownership.
  • The Lightning will make its EPA-rated range driving at 55 MPH or less in good weather (no wind and temperatures in the 60F-90F range). Just like EPA mileage for gasoline cars, the EPA EV range isn't a prediction of what you will actually get, but just a way to do an apples-to-apples comparison between vehicles.
  • The practical highway range of the Lightning has been well-covered in the automotive press. Motor Trend rates the ER Lightning as having a 240-mile highway range, and published a road-trip range strategy guide that is very helpful.
  • Towing range has also been well-covered; the Lightning tows well, and is a great truck if your towing needs are around town, or relatively infrequent, like taking your boat to the lake for the summer season. Long-haul owing (for example, cross-country with a travel trailer) is not a good use case.

Thank you for the advice.

 

[Hammick]

Took my truck in yesterday for the parking sensor update and the stuck charge cord CSPs. They said the 12v battery needed to be replaced which they did yesterday and put it on a charger. They said they couldn't update the APIM module until the 12v reached 80% SOC. I find it strange that the 12v was bad as I have been keeping it on a NOCO 1a battery tender (on AGM setting) and Car Scanner reports it at above 98% SOC. I've been using the tender for most of the 17 months I have owned it.

I'm hoping to have my truck back today with the CSPs complete and the bonus of walk away lock but threads like this have me concerned. We have a 3k long road trip schedule to leave in 10 days and I was hesitant to have this done before the trip but the EV tech assured me it would be no problem.

I suggest the OP either find a new dealer or start the lemon law process if their current dealer can't figure it out. Thankfully my dealer is great and takes EVs seriously. They have made the investment putting in the high dollar super fast DCFCs.

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