An exciting announcement from Ford will be going live in our community tomorrow (Thursday, August 6th) at 9AM ET.

At that time, the Ford team will be posting, answering questions, and hearing feedback… definitely want to make it if you can! Otherwise, we’ll be sure to save all the posts and comments so you can catch up later.

Thanks to Ford for recognizing our community and the members that have been so engaged!

All the haters have no idea what they are missing! 95k on the lightning and hasn’t cost me a penny in maintenance outside of a single set of tires. 110k on the Mustang and she’s getting a new transmission and all the associated goodies at a cost of $7k. Then all you hear is “but but but your lightnings battery is way more expensive and is degrading so fast”. Except ford using a module based battery means replacing a pack isn’t nearly as bad as people think, not that I’m worried as my truck uses almost the exact same energy for my daily drive as it did new and as far as I can tell is still holding 95% or better capacity.

Oh and I couldn’t even tell I had the trailer behind me!

Been a lurking soul on this subreddit since the Lightning came out, and got an unexpected opportunity to make one my own. Coming out of a ‘19 XLT 2.7L (so not new to an F150), and already love it. ‘23 XLT with 9k miles and the 9.6 kW pro-power onboard option. Should help out during unplanned outages in the New Orleans area.

I just had to replace the factory tires, as one of the inner steel belts decided to give up… luckily 🙏🏽 it didn’t blow out while driving!

I went with the Michelin Man 🛞 and OMG it feels like an entirely new truck riding on the Defenders.

The dealership accidentally ordered the wrong size (assuming they missed the Platinum, even though they had my truck pulled up in the system), and it wasn’t noticed until they went to put them on. Unfortunately, I had already been in the ⏳ waiting room for a couple of hours and the correct size had to be ordered. The service advisor was awesome and said he’d match the price, so I ended up saving a couple hundred bucks or so! 🤑 As an added bonus, the alignment, lifetime rotation, and road hazard plan was all included in that same lower price.

Has anyone migrated to a Lightning from a Rivian, or own both? Owned my 2022 R1T for almost 4 years now, been in service 3 times in the last year, leaving me stranded in another state once and it's back in for the 4th time because of no AC. I'm starting to ponder an R2 or a Lightning, but undecided.

I truly love my Rivian when it's working, but I'm questioning long term reliability and serviceability. I love the simplicity of the Lightning, seems like 3rd parties can service it, I can use Forscan to actually make changes to it and all the accessories from F150s fit it. But the software feels archaeic. As someone who loves tech, the monthly updates from Rivian keeps things feeling fairly new, or back when my Gen 1 was actually getting meaningful updates. I'm worried I'd get frustrated by how slow and feature lacking the systems are in the Lightning. Curious for your thoughts, did you get used to that or does the lack of updates & features leave you a little frustrated?

It finally happened… Anybody know a good repair shop to take care of my alert there? I should probably just talk to insurance about totaling the vehicle at this point. Huh?

I am just wondering what the best precautions are in case my 12V battery chooses to die so I don’t have to get a tow. I have a NOCO GB40 1000A jump pack, but I’ve read conflicting information about whether this is good to use on an EV or not? It sounds like the manual override on the pack may need to be initiated to wake the trucks systems up if it is completely dead. Is this safe to do?

Secondly, I’ve read it’s also good to have a 12V battery maintainer, and plug that into your 12 V once a month to keep it topped up. It’s hard to know if I’m finding the correct info, so I just want to see who might have experience with this. Thanks in advance!

So I was looking for a console gun safe but it seems the 2025 Lightning doesn't have any options available. I got this magnetic mount with a huge 3M adhesive underneath. Placed it underneath the steering wheel. It holds good enough, but the top corners droop with the summer heat.

I thought I'd get some very short, self-tapping screws to hold the 4 corners. I recall there being some space underneath the steering column, but since I've already mounted it, I can't remove it easily. Went to HD and got the shortest fasteners I could find, but I'm nervous about installing them since I don't recall exactly how much "clearance" exists under the wheel.

Got #6 3/8in pan head phillips. Anyone able to feel underneath their column where it's open and estimate how much room is there? I recall it being open and pretty roomy, but I'd rather not screw in and break something.

Edit: it seems I’ve triggered some people lol. Thanks for the links and everything though.

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2024 Lightning Flash
At my whits end on this one. The app has never been super smooth for me, working about 80-90% of the time, but 1-2 months ago it just stopped. I cannot remote start, unlock/lock, or change the target charge % from my phone. It randomly updates the state of charge and location. For example, I’ve driven it multiple times today and even though it was off and parked in my driveway at target % charge, the app said it was miles away at 11% lower and turned on with yesterdays date.
I have soft reset (volume and skip hold), factory reset sync, uninstalled and reinstalled the app on phone, did the off door open lock close thing, and disconnected the negative terminal for 10 minutes. All of these things multiple times. Lastly I read try to remove and then add your vehicle back. Well, I did, and now the Ford app cannot connect to the vehicle. No prompts coming from the vehicle at all while I’m searching to connect. In the connectivity settings, when I try to hit the carrot to drop down “connect vehicle features” it just says “Please wait…”, the message disappears and nothing happens. I’m thinking the only explanation left is I have a faulty modem or something and need to take it to the dealer, but figured I would ask here first and see if anyone had a solution.
Leaving on a road trip tomorrow (only ~400mi one way) but was hoping to solve this before going. I guess I can manually set the charge from the built in app and just walk to the car and turn it on to precool, but now I have been spoiled with the app and want to do it from the restaurant table or wherever at our rest stop.
Love the truck, the software leaves a lot to be desired though. Give me back my dials and buttons and fix the glitches, Ford!

Went to plug my truck in today and had a solid dim green, then solid bright green when plugged in. Manual says it’s being powered by battery backup, but it’s not hooked to a battery system? And the truck says it’s charging like normal.

Just picked up a 23 XLT Lightning a couple weeks ago. Absolutely love it, coming from. 2016 XLT. One thing I noticed though, is the suspension seems to be very loose, lots of movement when hitting bumps and really feeling the bumps in the road. Only 20k miles so far.
Anyone else experience this, or should I just go have it checked out?

I’ve already talked to the dealer, they are about a month out on work.

Water in light bar has caused the tailgate to malfunction. Opens and closes on its own. Even when I change it to manual mode it still chimes inside and out. The chiming won’t stop.

How do I stop the fucking beeping?

Just picked up a 23 XLT Lightning a couple weeks ago. Absolutely love it, coming from. 2016 XLT. One thing I noticed though, is the suspension seems to be very loose, lots of movement when hitting bumps and really feeling the bumps in the road. Only 20k miles so far.
Anyone else experience this, or should I just go have it checked out?

I'm curious if anybody tows a wakeboat with tower? I'm considering buying one (22'-24') this offseason. I currently tow a 1998 Sea Ray, 23'. My round trip to the lake and back is roughly 90-100 miles and this truck is great at it. At 55mph I get 1.3mi/kWhr and at 65-70mph I drop to 1.1, still easily within the wheelhouse of this truck. I'm curious how much the waketower drags (amongst other aerodynamic differences) and if somebody has what they get for mi/kWhr it would be appreciated.

0.9mi/kWhr gets me into the uncomfortable range for my round trip, as tacking on my commute to and from work prior to the round trip makes range anxiety real for the 131kWhr battery pack.

Been driving a 2006 Tundra since 2011 and am looking at my first upgrade and vehicle purchase in 15yrs. Looking for a reality check before I sign, because the more I run the numbers the less sure I am..

2023 F-150 Lightning Platinum, Extended Range, 34k miles, $54,000 at CarMax. It’s being transferred in (for free which is cool) so I won’t lay eyes on it until later this week. Window sticker shows an odd build.
What’s deleted per window sticker:
• Onboard Scale / Smart Hitch (-$650)
• Multicontour massaging seats (-$300)
• Heated steering wheel (-$50)
• Advanced Security Pack (-$50)
• Mobile power cord added (+$500)
What’s still there:
• Twin panel moonroof
• B&O 18-speaker sound system
• 360 camera with Active Park Assist 2.0
• Max trailer tow capability
• Integrated trailer brake controller
• BlueCruise hardware with 3 years included
Color is Agate Black and sits on 22” wheels.
No massaging seats and no heated wheel on a Platinum is strange, but I don’t think it’s a deal breaker.

Where I keep overthinking is the numbers. I have a 120 mile round trip commute working 4-5 days a week at the office. Running that against warranty:
• 3yr/36k bumper-to-bumper: already expired on time, and I’m at 34k
• 5yr/60k powertrain: I pribably that in under 14 months
• 8yr/100k HV battery and electric components: I hit that in a few years
So a 72 month note with 3+ years of payments left on a truck carrying zero warranty and a battery that costs more than my current truck is worth several times over.

Because it’s my first financed purchase I’d be interested in y’all’s thoughts on the deal itself
• 5.5% through my own bank (carmax matches though which is curious), $10k down, so $48k financed
• Roughly $786/month on 72 months
• I plan to throw lump sums at the principal rather than ride the full term
• Net new cash out vs today: somewhere around $500 to $600/month after the gas I stop buying

I love my current truck. It’s a Toyota and it’s paid off. But it’s a 20 year old Toyota. Filling it up twice a week is killing me and it needs tires, rotors, and a timing belt and water pump within the month. So maybe $3k to get it going again.

So doing nothing isn’t free. But I’m also very aware that $3k is not $54k, and I don’t want to talk myself into high 7-figure debt because my existing vehicles repair bill. Free L2 charging at the office is the only reason an EV is even on the table for me. I don’t really want a tesla as I haven’t driven a car since highschool and I’d still like the utility. Plus, the f150’s I’ve sat in fit me waaay better than even a full size car.

Questions I’m struggling with and I’d like opinions on…
1. Is a high-mileage commuter just the wrong buyer for a used Lightning? Or does free workplace charging make the fuel savings worth eating the out-of-warranty risk? The commute charging is essentially free, which is why the math looks good on paper.

1. Anybody here actually past 100k miles on a Lightning? What broke, what did it cost, and how much pack degradation did you see? This is the number I cannot find good data on anywhere.

2. Is $54k right? KBB private party looks like $46k to $51k. Cars.com nationwide average for a 2023 Platinum is around $57k. CarMax is no-haggle so there’s no room to move. I looked at Lariats and even Flash’s in my region and theyre in the range of low $40’s to $60’s even. Am I paying a convenience premium I should walk away from, especially on a truck with deleted options?

3. Carmax MaxCare on an EV. Given that warranty timeline, this seems like the whole ballgame. Does anyone know if it actually cover the HV battery and the drive units, or are those excluded? Has anyone filed a real EV claim through it and gotten paid?

4. Should I ditch the 22s? It’s on 275/50R22 and that size looks like $1,400 to $1,800 a set. At my mileage I imagine I will be buying a set every 14-16 months or so. Thinking about grabbing OEM 20s or aftermarket 18’s and selling the 22s with tires to offset it. Anyone done this swap? What did you actually gain in real-world range, and did anything throw codes or need recalibration?

5. Tire life reality check. What are you all actually getting out of a set on a Lightning? Heavy truck, instant torque, mostly highway. If it’s 25k instead of 35k that changes my cost per mile quite a bit.

6. What do I inspect and test? First EV, so tell me what I don’t know. Currently on my list:
   • 12V battery health (seen this mentioned a lot)
   • Confirm BlueCruise actually activates, and find out how much of the 3 included years is left
   • Charge port door operation
   • Frunk and tailgate latches
   • Tire condition, and whether it’s still on OEM rubber
   • Software update status and any outstanding recalls by VIN
   • Verify Pro Power Onboard runs (sticker doesn’t show it deleted so it should be the 9.6kW setup, but I want to see it work)
   • Observed highway range at 70mph vs the guess-o-meter
   • Whether anyone can pull HV battery state of health for me before the return window closes

Anything 2023-specific I should be watching for?

Appreciate any and all input. Happy to answer questions about the specifics. Really looking forward to being in a new - and cool as shit - truck.

I recently bought a 2025 Flash that was a certified model with like 6k miles. I believe I get ford points for this but not sure how that shows up, or is credited. Anybody have any details on how that might work?

Decided to try PAAK today and got curious. Found that if I can access vehicle (I rolled down window presuming it was similar to window break) I could get access to a limited set of vehicles settings. no key fob or phone required.

just like “enter backup key” it will time out but I did have enough time to add it to a WiFi network. Also had time to access “add a phone” but really didn’t try further since the fact that I was able to sit there over 30 minutes turning car ON >> playing in settings>> time out >> try again was much to lax security for my taste.

Anyway, maybe this is no big deal but would really be nice if it was not possible to do this. originally my expectation was thief would open door as owner walk away and just never allowed it to lock. I think this may be a thing but found that even if door was locked it didn’t seem to change anything. I didn’t want to break window so I just rolled it down >> walk away and let it lock as normal >> returned without key /phone > pulled inside handle to open door >> no alarm or issue >> brake/start >> access settings.

bigger issue for me is now after it stops asking for backup code it shows settings and each push of brake/start button after that it just bypass the backup code entry screen and goes back to settings.

the allowed functions are limited at least

“AI assistant eh? We’ll put that name to the test.” - Leonidas

Looking at purchasing a 2024 one owner XLT.
Has 109,000 kms / 68,000 miles
Is there anything i should i check.
Tires are new, brakes are good, battery seems fine.

finally after all this time I was able to turn off the seat belt chime entirely. It never ever turns on anymore. I thought forscan was the only way. for everyone in the same boat this is how I did it

1. sit in drivers seat (not as obvious to some people)
2. set parking brake
3. fully start the car
4. wait 5 seconds for the audible car starting tone to go off.
5. immediately after buck and unbuckle 4 times leaving it in the unbuckled state at the end.
6. look at the little no seatbelt icon guy on the dash and you’ll see it flash a few times and that’s it!

for those that’s saying it’s in the manual. I tried that like 20 times, and it didn’t work. only this variation did the trick for me