2022 Pro ER System Shutdown While Driving: Pending fix #48

[xveganxcowboyx]

Any cracks or damage to the tail lights? I’ve seen stuff on youtube mention that water intrusion in the tail lights can short and disrupt the canbus and shut trucks down (seem like the dealer would have checked for this though). Maybe look for DIY repairs that would not have made it to the carfax that the PO could have done. Do you know how many miles it had before it started being brought in for the issue?

Aside from a few normal scuffs, the body doesn't indicate signs of damage or repair. The tail lights are in tact.

I am not entirely sure. I can't find the full carfax report at the moment, but the service history in my Carfax garage has an unspecified dealer service December 2024 with about 48,000 miles.

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[chl]

I called them. I was hoping for experts, but it seemed pretty much like a AAA style answering service. They wanted to make sure I was safely off the road and were happy to google my nearest dealer.

Oh, that's too bad. I thought they'd do better than that, have some expertise that would help.

Just one bad video card connection can cause havoc in a PC, as I discovered one time.

We are driving around computers with wheels now.

That definitely gave me pause before I bought mine.

I was thinking, what happens when you turn the vehicle that could cause a short or other electrical glitch.

Well any connector or wiring around the front end.
But then I thought you also turn the steering wheel to turn and there is wiring in the steering wheel and column.

Can you cause the glitch by just turning the steering wheel when sitting still?
If not that would rule it out and indicate something that gets displaced by the forces produced when turning, which points to the front end probably.
There are sensors involved in detecting traction/slipping, and a short in one of those might cause havoc.

There should be an experienced mechanic or engineer somewhere at Ford who has the requisite knowledge and experience with the Lightning to diagnose the possible causes of your trouble.

Finding them is the hard part.

 

[xveganxcowboyx]

Ok, there has been some progress and a *likely* fix. They are keeping the truck for a few days to verify so this isn't guaranteed yet, but...

Someone at Ford suggested to them to check behind the glove box. Apparently there is a portion of a wire harness (Ford PL3Z-12A581-HJ) that rubs against an airbag mount bolt. Sure enough, when they looked, there had been enough rubbing to expose some conductor in this harness. This seems likely to be the point that was grounding out and interrupting communication. They think they can do a field repair rather than replacing the whole harness, which is good. I won't know until they and I have done some driving if this is a solid fix, but it fits the profile well and Ford says this is an issue they have seen previously.

The unfortunate part is they say that, while this does cause powertrain failure, it is not a listed powertrain component and is therefore not covered under warranty (my bumper to bumper has passed). At 12+ hours of diagnostic time plus whatever the repair time will be, I'm looking at a pretty large bill. I'm fairly frustrated since the cause of the failure seems to be a manufacturing or design issue, not abnormal use.

In any case, if it's a proper fix, it's far better than the unknown state this was in until now. Hopefully this will help another owner or shop with diagnosis in the future. With this truck it's taken 40 hours at the first dealership, an unknown number (10+ I'm sure) at the next one, and 12 in my ownership.

 

[PJnc284]

Ok, there has been some progress and a *likely* fix. They are keeping the truck for a few days to verify so this isn't guaranteed yet, but...

Someone at Ford suggested to them to check behind the glove box. Apparently there is a portion of a wire harness (Ford PL3Z-12A581-HJ) that rubs against an airbag mount bolt. Sure enough, when they looked, there had been enough rubbing to expose some conductor in this harness. This seems likely to be the point that was grounding out and interrupting communication. They think they can do a field repair rather than replacing the whole harness, which is good. I won't know until they and I have done some driving if this is a solid fix, but it fits the profile well and Ford says this is an issue they have seen previously.

The unfortunate part is they say that, while this does cause powertrain failure, it is not a listed powertrain component and is therefore not covered under warranty (my bumper to bumper has passed). At 12+ hours of diagnostic time plus whatever the repair time will be, I'm looking at a pretty large bill. I'm fairly frustrated since the cause of the failure seems to be a manufacturing or design issue, not abnormal use.

In any case, if it's a proper fix, it's far better than the unknown state this was in until now. Hopefully this will help another owner or shop with diagnosis in the future. With this truck it's taken 40 hours at the first dealership, an unknown number (10+ I'm sure) at the next one, and 12 in my ownership.

That's crazy for a blatant design flaw. Ford should be footing the bill regardless of warranty. This reminds me of the clips being turned wrong on the secondary on board charger (for trucks equipped). Martin has run into this twice now so wonder how many others are out there.

 

[El Duderino]

Happy to hear you may have found a resolution. Hopefully the bill isn't too bad...

 

[GoodSam]

Someone at Ford suggested to them to check behind the glove box. Apparently there is a portion of a wire harness (Ford PL3Z-12A581-HJ) that rubs against an airbag mount bolt. Sure enough, when they looked, there had been enough rubbing to expose some conductor in this harness.

Ford @Ford Motor Company needs to issue a recall for this to have dealers check this possible flaw point. I wonder if we can do a check and fix this ourselves?

 

[PJnc284]

Ford @Ford Motor Company needs to issue a recall for this to have dealers check this possible flaw point. I wonder if we can do a check and fix this ourselves?

Was wondering the same. I didn't pay much attention when changing my cabin air filter a while back but would be nice if it was as simple as just removing the glovebox. Maybe I'll go poke around once my fingers get warm enough to get feeling back.

 

[chl]

Ok, there has been some progress and a *likely* fix. They are keeping the truck for a few days to verify so this isn't guaranteed yet, but...

"Someone at Ford suggested to them to check behind the glove box. ..."

Thanks for the heads up. Wiring issue can be hard to diagnosed and locate, and time consuming.

But doesn't that quote suggest that Ford is already aware of the problem and should cover it as a manufacturing defect?

I'd press the point with the dealership if they make you pay.

 

[xveganxcowboyx]

Sorry it's taken a while for an update. I've been pointedly ignoring the truck since I got it back. I've driven it exactly once... To go look at a potential replacement vehicle...

The bill in the end was around $2,700. Much less than the total paid by others prior to my ownership. Ford explicitly told me that side is almost all "diagnostics" they wouldn't have covered anything even if I was still bumper to bumper. The dealership told me the real story is I don't have a high enough customer loyalty score for them to justify covering the cost. Either answer is pretty gross for a clear manufacturing defect.

For future owners, dealers, and mechanics, I'll try to detail where I *think* the repair was made. I didn't dig deeply, but find what appears to be a repair with electrical tape (shrink tube would have been better, but whatever). It's under the glove box, towards the door. Access is through the carpet kick panel below the glove box. You can orient yourself by removing the glovebox first and finding the bank of 3 + 1 connectors. It's immediately below that. Just remove the carpet panel (three push in trim fasteners) and look up. It would be pretty easy to zip tie away or add an insulting material if it's rubbing. I'll try to add photos.

 

[proprepper]

Just WOW.
Ford ownership sucks for us 1st timers. (Never ever again going Ford).
Known problem? No recall? No owner support even if still within bumper to bumper?
Who's running Ford? Idiots?
HOLY PILE OF SHIT!

PS- I've had rusty wiring harnesses at 20k miles. NO FORD DIDN'T COVER IT

 

[Henry Ford]

@xveganxcowboyx, please fill out a NHTSA Vehicle Complaint Form. It won't do you any good but it might lead to a recall if it's a repeat issue, which would help a lot of owners, whether we know it or not.

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