Stuttering at 47-52mph

[Nomoregas]

I see this is more common now than I had originally found which in many respects is good, I hope those that have resolved this can share what was done to correct the problem as my dealer flat out refuses to help me.

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[Ddefazio]

Hi everyone! First time poster but have been following the forum for a while. Love my 2023 Pro extended range, though have noticed an issue recently and wondering if anyone has experienced the same.

In short, when I’m accelerating at about 25-50% power between 47-52 mph, I’ll feel a stuttering/shuddering coming from what feels like the motors. I don’t feel it in the accelerator or steering wheel, rather the whole truck does a bit of a shudder (reminds me of when I would get the rocking thing going in my previous Tacoma long bed when hitting a certain speed on certain highways). It happens on all roadways and in all conditions. Driving in normal mode with one pedal and changing to other modes doesn’t seem to make difference, though I have not played with it extensively in other modes. I should say it is somewhat inconsistent and doesn’t happen always, just seems like within a specific power band during those speeds. I haven’t taken it in for service yet. Has only about 8000 miles on it. Lastly, I’ll mention it is the Pro SSV (special services vehicle) that was originally intended for a fleet/police, etc but the buyer backed out and so I was able to purchase it. It’s an ideal mix of “features” for me with heated front cloth seats, rear vinyl bench (perfect for messy kids/dog) and otherwise just the necessary things while getting the ER battery. Last thing I’ll mention is that I also have a smartcap on the bed with a weight of 330 lbs that is always on.

Please let me know if you’ve experienced similar issues and if you were able to resolve it! Thank you!

I have the same problem. I've had the tires rotated at service intervals, but it still stutters.
It seems to be more noticeable when I'm hauling something.
I asked the dealer to balance the tires, bit they wouldn't because they wanted to sell me tires. They said mine were worn.

 

[Adventureboy]

Ford has offered to help. If anyone is having trouble getting the dealer to pay attention to this, lets engage them and see if we can get a solution.

 

[Kolo rovno]

That would be great, since the dealership that I contacted with locally seems to know very little about the Lightning and/or not very interested in it. I tried to schedule an appointment after getting forwarded to two different people that apparently work in that area (I assume EVs) and did get one on the books but got no confirmation or any communication about it so ultimately decided not to waste my time with them. For any other vehicle service I get emails/texts confirming and reminding me about an appointment, but didn’t happen here.

Anyway, would anyone happen to know of a dealership in the Denver area that they’ve had a good experience with regarding servicing the Lightning? I’m south of Denver and don’t have any confidence in the local dealerships here.

 

[DaGriff]

Ford has offered to help. If anyone is having trouble getting the dealer to pay attention to this, lets engage them and see if we can get a solution.

How exactly did they offer to help? Did they reach out to you? or Did you DM them with your Vin and info as the Ford official rep suggested?

 

[Ddefazio]

I reached out to them.

 

[Adventureboy]

How exactly did they offer to help? Did they reach out to you? or Did you DM them with your Vin and info as the Ford official rep suggested?

Earlier on this thread. If the dealer isn’t giving it the attention, they will help. They helped me on another issue and got the dealer pointed in the right direction. I appreciate that they keep an eye on the forums and help out.

 

[AKFRUNK]

I just wanted to chime in and say I also am having the exact same problem. I took it to the dealer with 1000 miles on it and complained. They said they drove it, felt the vibration, and balanced the tires. The vibration is still there. I have an appointment for follow up in a month, but they already kind of shrugged their shoulders. It is worth noting that I had put a SmartCap canopy on the truck THE SAME DAY! This has me really scratching my head. I’m going to try covering the positive pressure intake tomorrow and otherwise messing around with the aerodynamics and weight in the bed. This can’t be a coincidence!

 

[Kolo rovno]

It is interesting that it seems most (perhaps all?) of us that are experiencing this issue have a cap on the truck. I do believe this issue started after I put it on.

Of note, I did experiment with different drive modes during my drive up to the mountains and it seems to completely go away in sport mode. I also toggled into the view that shows power distribution to the motors and seems like in sport mode there is more power to the rear motors as compared to normal mode, though hard to tell if course based on the visual power meters without actual numbers. My theory is that the extra weight of the cap throws off the calibration between motors in normal mode and sport mode inadvertently compensates for this. Makes sense in my non-engineering brain

 

[Ddefazio]

I just wanted to chime in and say I also am having the exact same problem. I took it to the dealer with 1000 miles on it and complained. They said they drove it, felt the vibration, and balanced the tires. The vibration is still there. I have an appointment for follow up in a month, but they already kind of shrugged their shoulders. It is worth noting that I had put a SmartCap canopy on the truck THE SAME DAY! This has me really scratching my head. I’m going to try covering the positive pressure intake tomorrow and otherwise messing around with the aerodynamics and weight in the bed. This can’t be a coincidence!

I do not have a cap, and experience the vibration. It is more intense if I have some weight i. The bed. Maybe the weight of the cap is making it more noticeable.

 

[Kolo rovno]

On an unrelated note, I was riding my bike up around Lake Dillon in CO and as I was climbing, a test truck clad in camo was coming down the opposite way. I was able to get a good enough look at it to see that it had no exhaust, was slightly smaller than the F150 though looked to be larger than a Maverick, and had a independent rear suspension similar to (though slightly less beefy looking) the Lightning. It also had Michigan plates. That’s about all I could tell with the camo and it going in the opposite direction. I realize this doesn’t mean much without pics, but I couldn’t quickly/safely enough whip out my phone or turn around to follow it due to traffic. Just gives me hope that perhaps Project T3 is still alive and well, or perhaps alive anyway.

 

[DaGriff]

I do not have a cap, and experience the vibration. It is more intense if I have some weight i. The bed. Maybe the weight of the cap is making it more noticeable.

Thats an interesting observation about the weight. The weight may be the connection rather than the cap itself or the wind. I originally related it to an aerodynamic issue like “porpoising”. I will take note of what happens when I have a load in the back in addition to the canopy. Curious if it get worse with more weight or if more weight holds the back down more.

 

[Kolo rovno]

I agree that weight seems to be a factor. If it was all aerodynamics, then wouldn’t really explain why it changes with regard to how noticeable it is between different drive modes at the same speed.

 

[Jseis]

My April ‘23 build Lariat ER has exhibited “stuttering” recently at slightly lower speeds, say 40-45 mph and on the flat as well as a slight grade. Initially I thought it was a road issue but it has occurred 2 more times and for more than 200-300 yards and I now believe it is power train-brake? issue. Truck has 21,000 miles on original tires. It has a Bak Revolver X2 tonneau and I travel w/~250 pounds of tools in the bed.

The sensation is noticeable and went away on acceleration then deceleration. I’ve not been able to induce the effect but it showed up 30-40 minutes from a cold start. Of note: I drive in Sport mode 100%. Though now I’ll try Normal & see if that does something. Like I said, I’ve not tried to induce the effect.

 

[lightningbysolar315]

Team, I have a 2023 Lariat ER that does exactly this. The truck is perfectly smooth unless I accelerate at 40-50 mph. The truck feels like it has a wheel out of balance in the back but settles again to perfectly smooth 15-20 seconds after the acceleration. It doesn't do it all the time, but more often than not under these conditions.
Initially I thought it was balance or a broken/shifting belt in the factory Grabbers but it also did the same on my new winter set and no change with tire rotation, so I know it isn't rims/tires/balance.
I will be watching this thread to see if others experience it and if there is a solution.

Any update?

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