2023 Ford F-150 Lightning problems

“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 available power continues to fluctuate unpredictably while the vehicle is being driven. I am concerned this condition could result in an unexpected reduction or loss of propulsion power while driving, creating a potential safety hazard. Car is scheduled to go to dealer on 10/8/2026.”

“I purchased a used 2023 Ford F-150 PowerBoost on April 3, 2026. Within days, the vehicle began making a hard clunk during initial acceleration and when stopping. It also hesitates before accelerating, especially while transitioning between electric and gasoline operation. At times, pressing the accelerator does not produce an immediate or predictable response. The problem is worse when accelerating uphill. This creates a collision risk when entering traffic, crossing intersections, merging, or driving uphill. The clunk can be heard and felt through the vehicle. There is also a loud, high-pitched whine that follows engine speed and certain gear transitions and can become extremely loud at highway speeds. On April 22, a Ford dealer confirmed the clunk during acceleration and stopping. The dealer found excessive movement in the rear leaf-spring and shackle bushings and replaced them, but the clunk and hesitation continued. On May 11, the dealer confirmed the high-pitched whine, traced it to the Hybrid Drive Unit, consulted Ford’s escalation team, and replaced the unit. The whining, clunking, shifting irregularities, and hesitation remained and have progressively…”

“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 inoperative or flickering reverse lamps. On 10/06/2026 I took the truck to Elmhurst Ford. The dealer did not point to any outside forces that caused the crack, and acknowledged the recall stating they would attempt to have it covered under warranty or extended service plan purchased through Ford as my VIN was not listed/included. The dealer later said the part number was not covered and wanted to charge a diagnostic fee for searching a part number in a database. The service manager did relent on charging the diagnostic fee. I contacted the Ford BEV customer service and they confirmed it was not covered under any warranty or extended service contract and my VIN was not part of recall VIN population even though the defect is same model year truck (2022-2023), same trim (Lariat), same part number as recalled VINs. The dealer confirmed I have the earliest part number, not…”

“I am reporting a safety-related transmission problem I experienced with my 2023 Ford F-150 equipped with the 10R80 automatic transmission. While driving normally, the transmission suddenly does not accelerate for up to 3 seconds while pressing the gas pedal, brakes either harshly or too soft at varying times, and very irregularly. This occurred while accelerating onto the highway, and almost every time I am braking at a stop sign or light, creating a potentially dangerous situation because the truck did not respond as expected when I needed predictable acceleration, propulsion, or deceleration. I believe this incident may be related to the known 10R80 CDF clutch-cylinder/sleeve problem. Ford technical information identifies axial movement of the CDF sleeve that can cause hydraulic-circuit leaks and harsh or delayed engagement and shifting. This condition can result in slipping, RPM flares, delayed engagement, unexpected gear changes, harsh downshifts, lurching, or loss of propulsion. This is a safety concern, not merely a transmission quality or reliability issue. Unexpected loss of propulsion or unpredictable shifting while merging, accelerating into traffic,…”

“Dealer identified Water intrusion into the rear wiring, harnesses is causing corrosion in the PIN connectors, which therefore leads to flickering tail lights which could be mis interpreted as braking or a turning. I also experienced random acceleration from slow speeds and a failure to decelerate. [XXX]”

“The front traction motor on my 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning failed without warning, causing the vehicle to lose all-wheel drive capability. The truck automatically limited available power to about 67%, which I later learned indicates the front motor was disabled and the vehicle was operating in rear-wheel drive only. The failure occurred with no warning lamps, messages, or prior symptoms on the dashboard or in the FordPass app. I assumed AWD was functioning, which could have caused a serious accident in snow, ice, or gravel conditions because the loss of front-wheel traction significantly reduces vehicle stability. The component/system is still available for inspection. At this time, the issue has NOT been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer, and the vehicle has NOT yet been inspected by the manufacturer or any other party. Cause of failure is UNKNOWN. This lack of a warning or alert to the driver represents a major safety hazard because it changes how the vehicle handles without the driver’s knowledge.”