YearToAvoid

2023 Ford F-150 Lightning Electrical System Problems

NHTSA lists 76 electrical system complaints for the 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning, 70% of all complaints filed for the year, with a median failure mileage of 10,000 miles. Six recalls cover electrical issues, including battery short-circuit and junction box busbar fasteners.

Electrical System complaints
76
70% of 109
Crashes reported
1
Fires reported
2
Injuries reported
1
Median mileage
10,000 mi
Related recalls
6

Typical electrical symptoms owners report

  • Owners report the digital instrument cluster or cockpit display going completely black or unresponsive, sometimes while driving.
  • Some describe the vehicle catching fire while parked and not charging, with no prior warning lights.
  • The center touchscreen (Sync 4) reboots repeatedly, including during reverse, which disables the backup camera view.
  • Owners report the backup camera screen freezing on an old image without indicating it has stopped updating.
  • The included 240V mobile charging cord reportedly overheats and reduces charging speed even in normal garage temperatures.
  • One owner reported an adaptive headlight that fails to self-center and drifts fully to one side after startup.

When 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning electrical complaints were filed

First complaint Feb 16, 2023, latest Sep 23, 2026.

2023 Ford F-150 Lightning electrical system complaints: complaints filed per month5Feb 2023Jan 2024May 2024Sep 2024Feb 2025Jun 2025Nov 2025Jun 2026
76 complaints filed with NHTSA from Feb 2023 to Sep 2026; peak Jan 2024 (5).

Electrical System recalls for the 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning

  1. NHTSA 25V731000Oct 24, 2025Electrical System14,843 vehicles

    Exterior lighting

    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.

    Remedy: 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.

  2. NHTSA 25V272000Apr 23, 2025Electrical System3 vehicles

    Electrical system:propulsion system:traction battery

    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.

    Remedy: 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.

  3. NHTSA 25V131000Feb 28, 2025Electrical System950 vehicles

    Electrical system:propulsion system:traction battery

    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.

    Remedy: 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.

  4. NHTSA 24V144000Feb 23, 2024Electrical System216 vehicles

    Electrical system:propulsion system:traction battery

    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.

    Remedy: 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.

  5. NHTSA 23V418000Jun 9, 2023Electrical System16,375 vehicles

    Exterior lighting

    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.

    Remedy: 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.

  6. NHTSA 23V168000Mar 15, 2023Electrical System18 vehicles

    Electrical system:propulsion system:traction battery

    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.

    Remedy: 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.

Electrical System complaints by F-150 Lightning model year

Raw complaint counts per model year; newer years have had less time to accumulate complaints.

  1. 202260 (66%)
  2. 202376 (70%)
  3. 20249 (30%)
  4. 20254 (50%)

Frequently asked questions

How many electrical complaints does the 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning have?
NHTSA lists 76 electrical system complaints for the 2023 model year, which is 70% of all 109 complaints filed for that year.
Is there a recall for electrical problems on the 2023 F-150 Lightning?
Yes. NHTSA lists six electrical system recalls, including campaigns for high-voltage battery short-circuit risk, junction box busbar fasteners, and battery cell manufacturing defects.
At what mileage do electrical failures typically occur?
The median mileage at failure reported to NHTSA for electrical system complaints is 10,000 miles.
Have electrical issues caused fires or injuries?
NHTSA data for the 2023 F-150 Lightning electrical system complaints includes 2 fires, 1 crash, and 1 injury.
How does 2023 compare to other F-150 Lightning model years for electrical complaints?
The 2023 model year has 76 electrical complaints (70% share), higher than 2022's 60 complaints (66% share), 2024's 9 complaints (30% share), and 2025's 4 complaints (50% share).

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.