Ford is recalling 950 F-150 Lightning electric pickup trucks because they may contain defective battery cells that could short circuit, and the company is asking owners to limit charging in the meantime.
The recall of 2022-2024 F-150 Lightning trucks addresses suspect cells that, due to a manufacturing issue with a supplier, could have misaligned electrodes, according to the NHTSA. Over repeated charge and discharge cycles, this could lead to an internal short circuit, the safety agency said.
2022 Ford F-150 Lightning
A short circuit could occur without warning, the NHTSA noted, and could lead to a fire. Ford told the agency that is aware of five reports of vehicle fires that may be related to this issue, as well as one injury, while noting that the incidents are under investigation.
Ford is asking owners to limit charging to 80% of the battery pack’s full capacity until they can take their trucks to dealerships, where packs will be inspected and, if necessary, replaced free of charge.
2022 Ford F-150 Lightning
Owners will be notified of this in letters to be mailed March 17. In the meantime, owners can also call Ford’s customer service department at 866-436-7332 for more information. Ford’s reference number for this recall is 25S18.
Defective battery cells are a familiar cause of EV recalls. Mercedes-Benz last month announced a recall of 7,362 EQB crossovers due to a similar issue, while Jaguar has promised to buy back nearly 3,000 I-Pace EVs over a battery-fire risk that multiple recalls have failed to address. And a 2021 recall of all Chevrolet Bolt EV and Bolt EUV models in North America required battery-pack replacements in most cases.
