Is your defective Ford F-150 Lightning actually a LEMON?

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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
16 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 brakes problems

brakes problem

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2023 Ford F-150 Lightning Owner Comments

problem #19

Jun 192024

F-150 Lightning

  • miles

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

At 65mph driving in sport mode which has increased regeneration during deceleration which provides substantial braking, I was approaching stopped traffic. I let off the throttle pedal anticipating the braking effect and regeneration but the truck instaneously switched driving modes to normal without my input. It took me a second to realize I was not slowing and had to manually activate the brake pedal in order to stop in time. I tried to reselect sport mode after stopping and it was greyed out with a message saying some features are disabled while driving. Normally you can switch drove modes while driving. After restart truck returned to normal operation. The danger was the unantisipated change to braking effect during a critical time before a high speed stop.

- Lebanon, OH, USA

problem #18

Apr 182024

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
My parking brakes just comes on as im driving. This has become a dangerous situation as its caused My car to suddenly stop in different driving situations.

- Trenton, MI, USA

problem #17

Jun 162024

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
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 #16

May 202024

F-150 Lightning

  • miles

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

The parking brake engages randomly when the 2023 F150 Lightning Lariat ER comes to a stop while driving, thus increasing the risk of a crash. Dealership is "unable" to replicate the issue which currently occurs several times per day. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Carmel, IN, USA

problem #15

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 #14

Apr 152024

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
While driving on interstate vehicle lost all braking and steering. Numerous warning lights popped up. I almost was in a very bad accident. I was able to put transmission in manual and gear down and finally got steering back with no power and could maneuver off road. Truck then shut down and would not start again. Called Ford and not very helpful. Contacting attorney for help.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #13

Aug 072023

F-150 Lightning

  • miles

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

Repeated failures with my parking brake applying itself when it wants too. It-??s not on a hill, it-??s not just when towing my trailer, it-??s not related to solar flares - this truck is dangerous. The brakes apply at speed, did it on [XXX] in LA. The whole system just applied the brakes at 55mph. I have Repeated failures with -??collision warning system-?? and the FORD app has this notated. And at times this system applies the brakes when there is nothing in front of me! The screen (not dash) pixelates, crashes, doesn-??t work properly. It will not stay connected. I rely on this navigation, the screen quits working. The passenger window goes down & up at will, like a TX employer. I cannot stop it, can-??t even figure out what-??s going on. My truck is not subject to recall but should be! Others have similar issues why is mine not recalled? This truck is very dangerous to drive and I don-??t trust it. Problems began after we left TX around August 2023 and I was working and could not get it fixed - DEALER COULD NOT MEET FORD WARRANTY TO PROVIDE ME A CAR/TRUCK TO USE! And now I-??m in North TX where Ford Dealers have horrible reputations. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Arlington, TX, USA

problem #12

Feb 272024

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
I have only had this vehicle for maybe 300-400 miles. Bought it new. Three times I-??ve had the parking break engage on its own when trying to accelerate at intersections. For no reason the red parking break will light up and cause the truck to screech to a hault, then disengages when I engage the throttle again. I-??ve not noticed any messages in the instrument cluster beyond the red parking light indicator. It-??s intermittent and I-??ve been unable to figure the triggers to recreate, but I-??m scared about this happening at a time when it would cause a serious accident with my kids in the truck.

- Waunakee, WI, USA

problem #11

Apr 262023

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
On several occasions, while in drive, the parking brake will automatically engage uncommanded, resulting in an abrupt stop. This has happened a total of 7 times since 4/26/2023; 6 times with the owner operating the vehicle, and one time with a sales rep operating the vehicle. Unlike the collision emergency braking system, the heads up display displayed -??parking brake-?? at the time of the incident. Following the incident with the sales rep, the dealership was -??unable to replicate the issue-??. The vehicle was released to the owner where the fault occurred in the middle of an intersection. Had this not been a three-way stop, serious bodily injury or death may have resulted to/from oncoming traffic.

- Kailua-Kona, HI, USA

problem #10

Sep 192023

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
When selecting the TOWING option on the dash cluster, the dash shuts off to a black screen and restarts while driving. This prevents seeing the speed and other dash information. The truck also sends warning to phone after dash shut off that power steering, ABS, seatbelt control, and airbag control is malfunctioning. Took to dealer and they were able to reproduce the issue. The replaced dash but did not fix. They escalated the issue to Ford who said they are working on it back in October. Still no fix.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #9

Jan 132024

F-150 Lightning

  • miles

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

I experienced a complete brake failure.

- Pauline, SC, USA

problem #8

Nov 052023

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
I was driving in traffic on the 405 and the collision avoidance system activated and slammed on the brakes bringing the vehicle to a screeching halt on freeway. I was nearly rear ended. The vehicle displayed "front camera fault" and :collision avoidance no available" on the dash for a few minutes. No error codes were found in the computer. I also have "one pedal drive" faults that cause the vehicle to roll when I remove my foot from the accelerator. It should stop, but intermittently keeps going. This is the second Ford lightning I've had with that problem and many others. Ford bought the first one back under the ca lemin law. Galpin Ford has found no cause for the collision avoidance failure and no cause for the one pedal drive faults. Error codes are not being stored in the computer system. Fords answer was to try to give me the vehicle back without repairs because they say they can't replicate the problem. After the problems with the first truck I photograph all errors on dash. Despite my pictures they are unable to make repairs. I have applied to get this second lightning bough back under the ca lemon laws as well. I have found many other instances of owners reporting these same or similar problems in forums.

- Northridge, CA, USA

problem #7

Oct 302023

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
My 2023 Ford F-150 keeps having an issue where the electronic parking brake will engage while I'm driving. The issue has happened to me at least five times. Luckily for me I was going between 5-10 miles per hour and did not have any vehicles around me. However, the issue can be dangerous if I vehicles behind me and the parking brake engages with no warning. Once the parking brake engages the only way to turn off the parking brake is to do it manually. There was a recall regarding the same issue for F-150s 21-23, but my vin number was not part of the recalled because my vehicle was probably manufactured after the Feb 25, 2023, listed on recall 23S35. I called Fort customer service, and they were no help besides telling me to take the vehicle to the dealership.

- Copperas Cove, TX, USA

problem #6

Oct 122023

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
The dash cluster randomly shuts-off/restarts while driving the vehicle and when it did last time ford app sent 3 notifications of faults with antilock brakes, TPM, restraint indicator warnings. If there is an issue with these items and I have road emergency and my brakes and restraints do not work properly it could be a safety issue for all involved in accident (I would not know how fast i was going since dash cluster is off). I took the truck to dealership and they are passing it off on SSM 51757 (which my truck also has an issue with) and a loose pin connection. But this happens with no checking of trailer tire information. The speakers made a loud crackling noise and my phone disconnected from infotainment center just prior to the incident.

- Victoria, TX, USA

problem #5

Sep 152023

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
I was slowing down for a corner and was going approximately 5 mph when the emergency brake activated without any action on my part. The truck came to a stop with 3 or 4 jerking motions. I released the brake and continued with my drive. The truck had about 1500 miles on the odometer at the time and I have had no problems since. This week I heard of the recall which doesn't cover my truck.

- Sioux Falls, SD, USA

problem #4

Jul 242023

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
1. Issue number one parking brake engages on and applies the brakes while the vehicle is moving. I had this issue happened to me at least three times; luckily I was not going very fast when it happened. Additionally, Parking brake light will come on at random times. (is not Auto Hold) 2. Multi-functions switch that controls turning signal gets stuck in the up or down position after engaging the switch to change lanes. When attempting to flip the turning signal to off the switch will get stuck and will only go back to off or neutral position after forcing the switch up or down. Additionally, when forcing the turning switch to the off position, it causes the high beams to turn on. 3. Pre-collision assist warning will come on at random times while driving. I have had this happen to me almost daily when I'm driving into work in the morning.

- Copperas Cove, TX, USA

problem #3

Aug 042023

F-150 Lightning

  • 300 miles
The contact rented a 2023 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to slow down as needed. The contact stated that multiple unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, but the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 300.

- Saint Augustine, FL, USA

problem #2

Aug 212023

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
We were in a low speed situation. A car 2 cars in front of us was signaling a right hand turn. We began to slow down from approximately 25 mph to 5-7 mph. The car turning right stop short of completing their turn, the car immediately in front of us came to a complete stop. We were only traveling 5 - 7 mph behind and had plenty of room to stop. I depressed the brake further (we were already slowing due to turning vehicle) but the truck did not slow at which point I depressed the brake pedal as hard as I could. The truck did not slow at all in this time (no brake locking, no skid marks). We only came to a stop when we hit the stopped vehicle in front of us. Additionally, this vehicle has advanced safety features (forward collision warning and active braking assist) -- none of these features triggered. I have lost all faith in this vehicles ability given the situation. I contacted Ford customer service, they referred me to their Office of General Counsel and said to expect a response in 45 - 60 days. That is unacceptable to me -- I have a very expensive vehicle that I cannot drive as I do not trust it. I want to understand why all these systems failed, have them as well as my vehicle fixed or the vehicle bought back from me. I cannot wait 60 days for resolution.

- Holland, MI, USA

problem #1

Aug 012023

F-150 Lightning

  • miles
While driving at approximately 45 mph my parking brake warning light and message on the instrument panel cluster came on, on several occasions. I also recently experienced an unintended activation of the electric parking brake while driving.

- Houston, TX, USA

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