2023 Ford F-150 Lightning: What to check before buying
Owners have filed 175 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the electrical, transmission, and exterior lights. The 9 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.
2023- Owner complaints
- 175
- Recalls
- 11
- Crashes reported
- 7
- 3 injuries
Your inspection sheet
Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.
0/9 checked
2023 Ford F-150 Lightning: inspection sheet
Paperwork and questions
Before you go, or before you touch the car0/2
Cold start, engine bay, and underside
Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/2
Test drive
At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/5
These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.
Which F-150 Lightning is it?
EPA figures for each version of the 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.
| Version | Drive | EPA rating |
|---|---|---|
| Electric | AWD | 320 mi range |
- With a full charge, the range estimate on the dash should land near the EPA figure of 320 miles. A much lower number on a mild day can mean a worn battery; ask for a battery health report.
Check the odometer against these mileages
Owners report these failures starting around the mileages below. A car inside one of these ranges deserves a closer look at that part, or records showing it was already fixed.
Stop Safely Now no-start
200–2,000 miles
Powertrain malfunction, reduced power
465–1,083 miles
Rear axle hub bolt fracture
10,000–18,000 miles
Why these checks: what owners reported
NHTSA complaints for the 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.
Electrical712 crashes
The most serious pattern is the truck lurching or accelerating at parking speeds while the driver brakes or shifts. Two of these reports end with the truck hitting a wall or a pylon. A second group describes the truck refusing to start and showing a "Stop Safely Now" warning, often under 2,000 miles. These no-starts clear after the truck sits, and several involve the PowerBoost hybrid. Water inside the rear light bar shorts out the backup and brake lights, and some recall replacements fail again. Blank gauge clusters and brief power loss also appear, and dealers often cannot reproduce the faults.
Transmission371 crash
Rear wheel-end hub bolts fracture, with failures reported around 18,000 miles. The first signs are noise or squealing, and the failure can cause loss of drive or a parked truck rolling away. Many filings concern recall 23V896, with parts unavailable and trucks stuck at dealers for months. Some owners say their VIN is excluded. Other reports describe reduced-power warnings and long shop visits within the first 1,083 miles, plus hesitation when the hybrid switches from electric to gas. One crash with two injuries involves sudden acceleration and unresponsive brakes. A front motor failure cut power without any warning.
Exterior lights17No crashes
Water collects inside the tailgate light bar and makes the brake and reverse lights flicker, strobe, or go dark. Recall 23S30 replaced many bars, but several replacements took on water again within months. Coverage after that is partial or denied. Some trucks have water in the tail light housings too, and one dealer estimate for that repair was $3000. Fewer reports describe headlamps flickering while steering, a dim daytime running light, and flickering fog lights. Failure mileages range from 9,729 to 70,000, and some drivers learned of dead lights only when police stopped them.
Brakes62 crashes
Braking fails to respond as expected in low-speed situations, and two reports end in collisions. In one, the truck rolls backward when switching from reverse to drive in one-pedal mode. In the other, the truck does not slow despite a hard press on the pedal. Other reports describe the drive mode switching from sport to normal at highway speed, which removes the expected regenerative braking. Some trucks engage the parking brake at random when they stop. One report describes weak brakes alongside a cascade of warning lights. One owner found residue weeping from brake line crimps near the master cylinder.
Acceleration and cruise control51 crash
The truck surges forward at low speed while the driver lightly presses the brake. One such report ends in a crash into shrubs with an injury. The opposite failure also appears: adaptive cruise brakes hard on the highway after misreading a speed limit, dropping from 65 to 35 mph. Collision avoidance slams on the brakes in freeway traffic during a front camera fault. One-pedal mode sometimes lets the truck keep rolling instead of stopping. Cruise control has also engaged at walking speed and pushed the truck toward a garage door.
Steering5No crashes
Power steering and brake assist disappear at highway speed, along with a flood of warning messages. In some cases the truck then shuts down completely. In one case the dealer traced this to a faulty 12V battery. Another report describes steering assist jerking the wheel and then locking at 70 mph on a truck with about 1500 miles. Separate complaints describe the truck bogging down when accelerating through a turn into traffic, and a gauge cluster that goes fully dark so the driver cannot see the speed.
Wipers and visibility4No crashes
The infotainment system freezes on startup, so the backup camera is unavailable for 30 to 90 seconds. Sometimes the screen shows a stale, frozen image that hides people or cars behind the truck. One owner says this happens on about 50% of starts. A separate fault makes the A/C stop blowing from any vent even though the blower motor runs, which leaves the windows unable to defrost. One report describes the sunroof shattering at 70 mph with no impact, and a dealer confirmed it.
Automatic emergency braking3No crashes
Pre-collision alerts go off on empty roads with no cars or pedestrians nearby. In other cases, every driver-assist system shuts down at startup, including blind spot monitoring, lane keeping, reverse sensing, and forward collision warning. One truck also pulled its steering wheel off-center until a calibration message appeared. Related reports describe the truck drifting toward a ditch, slow starts after rain or a wash, and a false trailer message. These faults recur across several dates, and dealers cannot duplicate them.
In owners' own words
Excerpts from complaints F-150 Lightning owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.
The Sync 4 main display reboots very often. It has occurred over 30 times in 10k miles. I am considering this a safety issue as it often happens shortly after startup of the vehicle, and prevents the backup cameras from functioning. In fact, it has rebooted the screen while I was reversing probably five times. Ford has had numerous software updates and yet this problem remains endemic across multiple owners that I have spoken to.
Filed with NHTSA, November 2023
Sporadically the vehicle will not start. 200 miles on the 2023 powerboost and this has happened 3 times. Vehicle says pull over safely now and will not allow me to put into gear. picture of battery on dash. Vehicle always sitting in heated insulated garage. Waited a day and then it starts. Ford mechanic does not see anything wrong and cannot duplicate the issue so no fix is available.
Filed with NHTSA, December 2023
This is a bran new vehicle. Power train failure indicated on screen. The transmission started jacking off leaving me with no acceleration. The truck was put in the dealership shop and repair. I picked it up about 4 weeks later. Drove it about 20 miles and the same thing happened again twice with in the 20 miles I drove. It’s back in the dealership shop been there about 3 weeks wanting on different parts then the first time they repaired it with.
Filed with NHTSA, August 2023
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
Filed with NHTSA, January 2024
The headlamps flicker when the steering wheel is turned at speeds of 1-45 miles per hour. The dealership claims that a software update will fix it, though the issue seems to be with the integrated circuits in the headlamp assembly. The issue has gotten worse over the last 3-4 months.
Filed with NHTSA, March 2024
Driver's side tail light has moisture within the housing and intermittently fails to work. This is a similar issue to the light bar across the tailgate that was recalled and repaired, but Ford has no open recall on the tail lights. Dealership estimated a $3000 repair with no admission of manufacturer's defect. Obviously a non functioning tail light/turn signal is a safety risk and also opens the driver to being stopped/ticketed/fined.
Filed with NHTSA, March 2025
When the Ford Lightning is in reverse and the 1-pedal braking system is applied, the brakes don't engage when switching to drive causing the car to roll back an additional 3-5 feet depending on speed. In the situation that caused the fender bender, the Ford lightning was reversing in a street at approx. 5 MPH then the driver released the pedal for the brakes and switched to drive. The car rolled back 5 feet into a parked car during this transition.
Filed with NHTSA, July 2025
How the 2023 compares with other F-150 Lightning years
Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.
The 2023 ranks second for owner complaints among 4 F-150 Lightning years, about 1.7 times the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.
- Electrical7126
- Transmission3727
- Exterior lights1711
- Brakes62
- Acceleration and cruise control53
- Steering50
Where the 2023 fits in the F-150 Lightning's history
Redesigns and mid-cycle updates change what can go wrong.
The 2023 is the second model year of the F-150 Lightning's first generation (2022 on).
Recalls to confirm (11)
Recall repairs are free at any Ford dealer, but the seller may never have had them done. Check each campaign number against the VIN.
25V863000TransmissionDec 2025
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.
25V731000Exterior lightsOct 2025
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. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed November 10, 2025. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated in March 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.
25V313000Stability controlMay 2025
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.
25V272000ElectricalApr 2025
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.
25V131000ElectricalFeb 2025
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.
24V949000SuspensionDec 2024
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.
24V144000ElectricalFeb 2024
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.
23V801000Stability controlNov 2023
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.
23V688000Wipers and visibilityOct 2023
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.
23V418000Exterior lightsJun 2023
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.
23V168000ElectricalMar 2023
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.
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