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9.8

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
475 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2023 Ford F-150 Lightning drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2023 Ford F-150 Lightning Owner Comments (Page 1 of 3)

problem #50

Jun 262024

F-150 Lightning

  • 16,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2023 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while the dealer was performing tire rotation on the vehicle, the dealer informed the contact that the rear passenger's side axle bolts had fractured. The dealer informed the contact that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V896000 (Power Train); however, the VIN was not included. The dealer replaced the rear passenger's side axle assembly under warranty. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 16,000.

- Jackson, OH, USA

problem #49

May 242024

F-150 Lightning

  • 2,300 miles
The contact owns a 2023 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving after a cold start or after stopping at a traffic light, whenever the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact stated that the "Wrench Symbol-?? was illuminated and the message "Powertrain Malfunction/Reduced Power - Contact Dealer" was displayed. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, who diagnosed that the gear shift module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to Manufacturer Communications: Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) High Voltage Battery Module Replacement Program Number: 23H01 (Electrical System). The failure mileage was approximately 2,300.

- Burlington, WI, USA

problem #48

Jun 172024

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
While driving at high way speeds, a fault in the drive train was detected and reduced power to the electric motors, reducing our speed to only 5 MPH.

- Eustis, FL, USA

problem #47

Jun 162024

F-150 Lightning

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Coming off the freeway, heard a loud noise in the rear of my truck. Then it sounded like rocks were getting pulverized. Put the vehicle in park and since we (Me, wife, and two children) were on a decline the brakes did not work and our truck drifted into oncoming traffic. Luckily cars were able to avoid us in time where we pulled off onto the shoulder and engage the parking brake.

- La Quinta, CA, USA

problem #46

Apr 012024

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
I recently took my truck to the dealer because I have been experiencing a clicking and rattling noise that I believe is coming from the drivetrain. The service adviser stated to me, "According to Ford, this is a normal condition and there is nothing to be fixed." The same problem/condition that I am experiencing is described in NHSTA Campaign ID 23V896000 which appears to be Ford Recall # 23S65. What should I do ?

- Manchester, NH, USA

problem #45

Apr 012024

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
I recently took my truck to the dealer to have it looked at because I have been consistently hearing a clicking and rattling noise coming from the drivetrain. The service adviser stated "According to Ford, this is a normal condition and there is nothing to be fixed." The same problem/condition that I am experiencing is described in a Ford Recall # S2365. This is NHTSA Campaign ID 23V896000. What should I

- Manchester, NH, USA

problem #44

Jun 072024

F-150 Lightning

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

About two blocks after leaving my house I made a right turn from a stop sign into a heavily traveled street. I completed the turn and while the truck was upshifting it got stick in a lower gear around 20 MPH in traffic and would not upshift causing the engine to rev around 5,500 RPM's. After a few taps on the accelerator pedal it finally shifted and I was able to resume to normal speed. The above situation could have resulted in an accident.

- Hagerstown, MD, USA

problem #43

May 082024

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
Harsh downshifts in 10R80 transmission. Unpredictable shifting. Significant clunking while driving. Vehicle less than 1 year old and I bought it brand new. Issue has been happening since I bought it. Ford dealer ran TSB 24-2070 software update on it yesterday. This transmission is dangerous in my opinion and Ford should be held accountable. No warning signs, nothing at all. Dealer claimed there were no DTC-??s stored. Ford should be replacing this transmission and fixing the problem.

- Red Lion, PA, USA

problem #42

May 062024

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
Transmission jerking, harsh shifting, clunking, lunging, and hesitating. I have taken this truck to Hagerstown Ford for repair. They advised they were able to duplicate the problem and found the transmission was 1.5 quarts low on fluid. I have driven the truck a few hundred miles since and the issues are still there. I also understand Ford is having issues with the 10R80 transmission and there have been recalls but mine is not applicable. I have also had two occasions with the park brake not fully releasing and getting a service park fault now appearing on the dash. They said there were no codes, and everything is, ok?

- Hagerstown, MD, USA

problem #41

Mar 282024

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
Sudden downshift with Vehicle Transmission causing vehicle to come to an unexpected stop. Vehicle can lock up wheels and become uncontrollable. Vehicle was taken in to Ford dealership and dealer technician verified the issue. Technician sent data to Ford. Dealer reported issue to Ford and Ford told dealer there is no fix. If this continues to happen an accident could occur.

- Broomfield, CO, USA

problem #40

Mar 012024

F-150 Lightning

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The transmission downshifts s hard after the vehicle is fully warmed up it will cause the rear tires to lock up on wet or slippery road conditions This may cause a loss of control and put the occupants of the vehicle in danger The problem has not been confirmed by a dealer but it has been in twice for this issue. the dealers do not have enough time to drive the vehicle long enough for the transmission problem to start. There are no warning lamps on the dash, but I do have video proof of this occurring.

- Swanton, OH, USA

problem #39

Apr 092024

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
On numerous occasions all of the vehicles electronics, including screens, would shut off. Sometimes this happens while driving at highway speeds causing the vehicle to lose all power. When approaching the car to unlock there is often no power to access the vehicle, which requires manually unlocking the vehicle with the key, opening the hood, then touching metal to the battery terminal to reset the electronics. The vehicle has lost power in the middle of intersections, on the highway, and in parking lots. There are times when the car signals a fault with several of the ADAS features. When this happens it-??s usually probable that once the vehicle is shut off, I won-??t be able to get it started again without touching metal to the battery terminal. I have started to document the failures through video to show to the technicians just in case the OBD doesn-??t match what I describe. The date I-??m including is the most recent occurrence but does not reflect the many occurrences since purchasing the vehicle last spring.

- Upper Marlboro, MD, USA

problem #38

Mar 282024

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
The vehicle abruptly down shifted locking the rear tires when approaching a stop light. Safety: luckily no one was behind me that could of rear ended the vehicle. Will report issue to dealership.

- Broomfield, CO, USA

problem #37

Mar 132024

F-150 Lightning 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 251 miles
The contact owns a 2023 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while her husband was reversing down the driveway, the vehicle suddenly accelerated independently. Upon depressing the brake pedal, the brake pedal went to the floorboard and failed to bring the vehicle to a complete stop. As a result of the failure, the driver lost control of the vehicle, coming to a complete stop after striking a tree. The vehicle continued to accelerate, requiring the driver to turn off the engine. The air bags did not deploy. The blank warning light was illuminated. A Police report was not filed, and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 251.

- Winterport, ME, USA

problem #36

Feb 082024

F-150 Lightning

  • 700 miles
The contact owns a 2023 Ford F-150. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V896000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal crunching sound coming from the rear passenger-??s side of the vehicle. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the residence. The contact stated that later while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer. The dealer had not diagnosed the vehicle and the vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 700. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- Panama City, FL, USA

problem #35

Jan 082024

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
Burring noise coming from front end - seems 4 wheel drive partially engages approximately 2-5 miles down the road after a cold start. Hitting the 4x4 button and transitioning to 4x4 alleviates the noise. Seems to happen during cold weather. Reading online, it looks to be an issue affecting the IEW for the 4x4.

- Arvada, CO, USA

problem #34

Jan 012024

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
IWE four wheel drive system is engaging while driving the vehicle. Rough shaking in the front end of vehicle and grinding noise while driving. Ford has acknowledged there is a defect but the truck is operating normally and they are trying to fix the issue. Initially I was told it was unsafe to drive, but now that they do not know how to fix the issues they told me to just drive it until it completely breaks down. This is very unsafe. The vehicle is a 2023 F150 with 6,000 miles

- Nicholasville, KY, USA

problem #33

Feb 062024

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
2 issues Issue 1 Cluster tripometer randomly resets miles and mpg. Images attached. See this link for more details [XXX] Issue 2 Power train continues to "slip" randomly. The excuse I get is that the computer is still "learning"... 8 months later? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Mcdonald , PA, USA

problem #32

Jan 242024

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
Aprox 1083 miles PowertraiN malfunction/ reduced power Vehicle was on the dealer shop for 4days so far( still counting)...second time on a brand new vehicle with a little bit more than 1000 miles Not able to drive a vehicle after 15 min, very unsafe

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #31

Jan 092024

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
Jan 9, 2024 Aprox 465 miles Powertrain malfunction/ reduced power (15 miles per hour) Vehicle was on the dealer shop for 8 days...at the time of returm 9f the car they told me that the issue was fixed

- Miami, FL, USA

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