2023 Ford F-150 Lightning BEV Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other F-150 Lightning BEV years
- Far more complaints than other years 1st of 5 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 11 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 112 complaints with NHTSA about the 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning BEV. That is the most of any F-150 Lightning BEV model year in the database (5 years). The most reported problem area is electrical system (61 complaints, 54%), typically at around 10,000 miles. Complaints mention 8 crashes, 2 fires, 4 injuries. There are 11 safety recalls covering this model year.
- 112owner complaints
- 11safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 8complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning BEV problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System problems | 61 | 54% | 10,000 | “instrument cluster” (20%) | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 26 | 23% | 39,865 | — | — |
| Power Train | 17 | 15% | 2,300 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 17 | 15% | 2,100 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 14 | 13% | — | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 13 | 12% | — | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 10 | 9% | 10,000 | — | — |
| Back Over Prevention | 6 | 5% | — | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 6 | 5% | — | — | — |
| Steering | 4 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 4 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Engine | 3 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Lane Departure | 3 | 3% | — | — | — |
| Air Bags | 2 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Wheels | 2 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 1 | 1% | 1,170 | — | — |
| Seats | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Suspension | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2023 Ford F-150 Lightning BEV recalls (11)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Power train:automatic transmission:internal:park pawl
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022-2026 F-150 Lightning BEV, 2024-2026 Mustang Mach-E, and 2025-2026 Maverick vehicles. The integrated park module may fail to lock into the park position when the driver shifts into park. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention."
Risk: A loss of park function can allow the vehicle to rollaway, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: The park module software will be updated over-the-air (OTA) or by a dealer, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 3, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25C69. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning January 26, 2026.
Exterior lighting
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022-2023 F-150 Lightning BEV vehicles previously repaired under recall number 23V418. The rear lightbar may have microcracks in the outer lens that allows moisture to accumulate, which can result in inoperative or flickering reverse lights.
Risk: Inoperative or flickering reverse lights may not alert other driver's that the vehicle is reversing, increasing the risk of injury or crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the rear lightbar and fasteners as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 3, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SB6. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on October 29, 2025.
Electronic stability control (esc)
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022-2023 F-150 Lightning vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 23V801. The SYNC software may fail to activate the electronic stability control (ESC) system at the beginning of each ignition cycle. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."
Risk: Failure to reset the ESC to active may result in the driver unknowingly operating the vehicle without electronic stability control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the Accessory Protocol Interface Module (APIM) software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 18, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25C15.
Electrical system:propulsion system:traction battery
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2023 F-150 Lightning vehicles. The fasteners that secure the junction box bus bars inside the high-voltage battery pack may not have been tightened securely, which can cause electrical arcing at the busbars.
Risk: Electrical arcing increases the risk of a fire. In addition, a loss of drive power may occur, which can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and repair the busbar fasteners and replace any damaged components as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 21, 2025. Owners may contact Ford Customer Service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S11. This recall expands previous recall number 24V-144.
Electrical system:propulsion system:traction battery
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022-2024 F-150 Lightning battery electric vehicles. A manufacturing defect in the high voltage battery cells may result in an internal short circuit.
Risk: A battery short circuit increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Owners are advised to only charge their vehicles to a maximum of 80% battery capacity until the repair has been completed. Dealers will inspect and replace the high voltage battery array as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 27, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S18.
Suspension:front:control arm:upper ball joint
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2023-2024 F-150 Lightning BEV vehicles. The front upper control arm ball joint nut may not have been tightened properly, allowing the front upper control arm to detach from the knuckle assembly.
Risk: A detached control arm can cause a loss of vehicle steering and control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the upper control arm ball joint nut, and replace the nut and/or knuckle assembly, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 10, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S76.
Electrical system:propulsion system:traction battery
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2023 F-150 Lightning vehicles. The fasteners that secure the junction box bus bars inside the high-voltage battery pack may not have been tightened securely, which can cause electrical arcing at the busbars.
Risk: Electrical arcing increases the risk of a fire. In addition, a loss of drive power may occur, which can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and repair the busbar fasteners and replace any damaged components as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 31, 2024. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S11.
Electronic stability control (esc)
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022-2023 F-150 Lightning vehicles. The SYNC software may fail to activate the electronic stability control (ESC) system at the beginning of each ignition cycle. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 126, "Electronic Stability Control Systems."
Risk: Failure to reset the ESC to active may result in the driver unknowingly operating the vehicle without electronic stability control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: The Accessory Protocol Interface Module (APIM) software will be updated by a dealer or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 21, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23C38.
Visibility:defroster/defogger/hvac system:windshield:electrical heating element
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2023 F-150 Lightning pickup trucks. The electronic cabin coolant heater module may be missing a solder joint, which can cause intermittent or no cabin heat and result in an inoperative windshield defrosting and defogging system. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 103, "Windshield Defrosting and Defogging Systems."
Risk: An inoperative windshield defrosting and defogging system may decrease the driver's visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the electronic cabin coolant heater, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 3, 2024. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23C32.
Exterior lighting
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022-2023 F-150 BEV vehicles. The rear lightbar may have microcracks in the outer lens that allows moisture to accumulate, which can result in inoperative or flickering reverse lights.
Risk: Inoperative or flickering reverse lights may not alert other driver's that the vehicle is reversing, increasing the risk of injury or crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the rear lightbar, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 9, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S30.
Electrical system:propulsion system:traction battery
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2023 F-150 Lightning pickup trucks. The high-voltage battery pack may experience an electrical short-circuit when the battery is fully charged or near fully charged.
Risk: A battery short-circuit increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will replace the high-voltage battery pack, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 31, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S15.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
2023 Ford F-150 Lightning with 42,220 mi. The rear light bar has formed a crack which will allow moisture intrusion (photo attached). This is the same condition named in recall 25SB6 (NHTSA 25V731) and predecessor 23S30 (NHTSA 23V418): water droplets in the lightbar outer lens, which can cause…
On 10/5/2026 the front part of the sunroof on my Lightning burst into pieces and fell onto me and all over my cab while I was driving down the road. I had glass pieces and shards all over me and the front of the truck. I've read online that some other have also had issues with the same component…
The vehicle's sunroof shattered spontaneously with a very loud, explosive noise similar to a gunshot. This was not an object strike, no vehicles were nearby or within 300 feet in front and nothing was overhead. The sunroof exploded upward and outward; most glass ended up in bed of the truck. The…
The high-voltage battery in my Ford F-150 Lightning is exhibiting significant degradation and erratic power availability. The vehicle will no longer charge above approximately 60% state of charge. Upon startup, available power can suddenly drop from 100% to approximately 50%, and the indicated…
The rear tail lights do not function. The vehicle cannot be driven at night because it has no rear illumination. It puts both the operator and other vehicles at risk of collision. I took the vehicle to a Ford dealer for repair. They reported the tail lights failed due to corrosion of the wiring…
Other Ford F-150 Lightning BEV years
← 2022 F-150 Lightning BEV · 2024 F-150 Lightning BEV →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 F-150 Lightning BEV | 0 | 1 |
| 2025 F-150 Lightning BEV | 8 | 3 |
| 2024 F-150 Lightning BEV | 30 | 4 |
| 2023 | 112 | 11 |
| 2022 F-150 Lightning BEV | 92 | 9 |
See all Ford F-150 Lightning BEV problems by year, every Ford model, or the Ford VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning BEV?
Owners most often report electrical system, exterior lighting, power train problems. The top one, electrical system, accounts for 61 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning BEV?
Yes, 11 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning BEV a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other F-150 Lightning BEV model years, the 2023 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.