Q1 2026 Forum Survey Results (And what we're doing next)

[astrand1]

Really would love to have PPO work with my 23 Platinum Truck off. Keep the updates coming!! (Just got my OTA update for trailer recall done today while camping). Love having recalls fixed without dealer trips!

As long as certain modules are updated enough you can enable that yourself in forscan.

Sponsored

 

[GoodSam]

wishlist add: OBD screen as standard, with nice layout of parameters

 

[JayF]

wishlist add: OBD screen as standard, with nice layout of parameters

This is legitimately a great suggestion. A diagnostics app, maybe even just implemented as a settings page, that returns the same basic battery info you can pull from OBD -- like SoH and such. Hide it behind a "Advanced information..." or whatever screen if you want.

 

[Altivec]

As long as certain modules are updated enough you can enable that yourself in forscan.

This is exactly the point.... People such as myself have been promised this when buying my 23 "It will be coming in a OTA update I was told". Here we are THREE years later and people still begging and holding on to that promise.... The feature has been implemented for years and all that is really needed is for Ford to activate the feature by changing some parameters and sending the OTA... a few minutes of work... That's what bugs me the most. it just screams "NOBODY CARES!!!!" without saying nobody cares. As you said, we can easily do it ourselves but I don't want to be messing around with that stuff. I didn't buy a truck to tinker with programming. I paid top dollar for Ford to do that for me as they promised they would.

 

[astrand1]

This is exactly the point.... People such as myself have been promised this when buying my 23 "It will be coming in a OTA update I was told". Here we are THREE years later and people still begging and holding on to that promise.... The feature has been implemented for years and all that is really needed is for Ford to activate the feature by changing some parameters and sending the OTA... a few minutes of work... That's what bugs me the most. it just screams "NOBODY CARES!!!!" without saying nobody cares. As you said, we can easily do it ourselves but I don't want to be messing around with that stuff. I didn't buy a truck to tinker with programming. I paid top dollar for Ford to that for me as they promised they would.

Oh I hear you bro! I feel the same way about things like updating the APIM so the Tesla SC show up. So irritating. And the fact that the Mach-e is still being built in my mind there is no excuse.

 

[struckby]

Really would love to have PPO work with my 23 Platinum Truck off. Keep the updates coming!! (Just got my OTA update for trailer recall done today while camping). Love having recalls fixed without dealer trips!

Update in Forscan to enable this.

 

[jsamp17]

There is one thing that I worry about more now that the Lightning is cancelled and thats long term service.

Ive not done a deep dive but Ive casually looked for the factory service manual for the truck. Ive heard there might be a subscription model for access to it but I would feel a lot better if I had that manual in hand. If there was an option theough Ford to purchase a copy I would appreciate that.

I was already a little cagey about finding a dealer that had techs that are enthusiastic about the EVs. Now there will be fewer opportunities for techs to see and work with them.

I would appreciate deep dives mentioned in the original post. Wanting to learn more about the truck and how the systems work describes me to a tee.

 

[Ted23Lightning]

This is exactly the point.... People such as myself have been promised this when buying my 23 "It will be coming in a OTA update I was told". Here we are THREE years later and people still begging and holding on to that promise.... The feature has been implemented for years and all that is really needed is for Ford to activate the feature by changing some parameters and sending the OTA... a few minutes of work... That's what bugs me the most. it just screams "NOBODY CARES!!!!" without saying nobody cares. As you said, we can easily do it ourselves but I don't want to be messing around with that stuff. I didn't buy a truck to tinker with programming. I paid top dollar for Ford to do that for me as they promised they would.

Agreed. I know (more or less lol) what I can & can’t do with Forscan, FDRS, & my Autel. But ur average buyer isn’t going to have the time & knowledge to tinker with these.
A funny (but sad) example is the salesman at the dealer I purchased my Lightning from didn’t even know what PAAK was… let alone I could use it for this truck :/
My hope is that they keep up with the updates, and take what they’ve learned for the Universal EV platform. The upgrade from the 12 to 48v architecture is already hopeful for a lot of our complaints.

 

[struckby]

Agreed. I know (more or less lol) what I can & can’t do with Forscan, FDRS, & my Autel. But ur average buyer isn’t going to have the time & knowledge to tinker with these.
A funny (but sad) example is the salesman at the dealer I purchased my Lightning from didn’t even know what PAAK was… let alone I could use it for this truck :/
My hope is that they keep up with the updates, and take what they’ve learned for the Universal EV platform. The upgrade from the 12 to 48v architecture is already hopeful for a lot of our complaints.

A larger deep cycle battery would have been a good option. All that room wasted. Also just have the current charhe circuit engage when in acc mode. That way you can't kill the 12v battery while listening to the radio while waiting on someone you are picking up. Simple things really.

 

[CoolViper777]

It all comes down to time and effort to implement and test any changes in the software. I've been a software engineer for many years. And the reality is, it may be a minor change, but when it comes to embedded software for a car, it needs to be tested to make sure it's working properly in all instances and it doesn't cause some other side effect.

And I'm sure the software team at Ford has more important things to do with their time in their mind.

I'm not saying it's right, but in the end, embedded software for a new model year vehicle will always take priority over older vehicles.

Someone should really leak the entire embedded code base and associated tools to create the firmware files. Then we could have a community software effort. Or Ford should open source the embedded software for these features.

This is exactly the point.... People such as myself have been promised this when buying my 23 "It will be coming in a OTA update I was told". Here we are THREE years later and people still begging and holding on to that promise.... The feature has been implemented for years and all that is really needed is for Ford to activate the feature by changing some parameters and sending the OTA... a few minutes of work... That's what bugs me the most. it just screams "NOBODY CARES!!!!" without saying nobody cares. As you said, we can easily do it ourselves but I don't want to be messing around with that stuff. I didn't buy a truck to tinker with programming. I paid top dollar for Ford to do that for me as they promised they would.

 

[JayF]

Someone should really leak the entire embedded code base and associated tools to create the firmware files. Then we could have a community software effort. Or Ford should open source the embedded software for these features.

Open Sourcing the "how the car runs" software + infotainment is a route to getting my money for vehicles forever.

 

[22legit2quit]

Open Sourcing the "how the car runs" software + infotainment is a route to getting my money for vehicles forever.

That would be cool but effectively remove the company(to include dealers and service) from the loop and you know remove money… it ain’t right but it’s real.

 

[bthanos]

It all comes down to time and effort to implement and test any changes in the software. I've been a software engineer for many years. And the reality is, it may be a minor change, but when it comes to embedded software for a car, it needs to be tested to make sure it's working properly in all instances and it doesn't cause some other side effect.

And I'm sure the software team at Ford has more important things to do with their time in their mind.

I'm not saying it's right, but in the end, embedded software for a new model year vehicle will always take priority over older vehicles.

Someone should really leak the entire embedded code base and associated tools to create the firmware files. Then we could have a community software effort. Or Ford should open source the embedded software for these features.

Everything you said up till leaking the code base made sense. You gonna test someone’s new features they added without testing on your Lightning? You wanna void any warrantee from Ford? I think not…

 

[CoolViper777]

I have done lots of embedded software at Eaton Cutler-Hammer Back in the day, we would setup a hardware test bed for industrial breaker control. But today, I would probably use a software emulator, based on what CPU architecture it's running.

Once I tested that it actually ran in a limited way, I would back up my firmware and test it on my truck.

I should apply to Ford software group. It sounds interesting, compared to the financial software I've been doing the last few years.

Everything you said up till leaking the code base made sense. You gonna test someone’s new features they added without testing on your Lightning? You wanna void any warrantee from Ford? I think not…

 

[Altivec]

It all comes down to time and effort to implement and test any changes in the software. I've been a software engineer for many years. And the reality is, it may be a minor change, but when it comes to embedded software for a car, it needs to be tested to make sure it's working properly in all instances and it doesn't cause some other side effect.

And I'm sure the software team at Ford has more important things to do with their time in their mind.

I'm not saying it's right, but in the end, embedded software for a new model year vehicle will always take priority over older vehicles.

Someone should really leak the entire embedded code base and associated tools to create the firmware files. Then we could have a community software effort. Or Ford should open source the embedded software for these features.

The problem I have with your comment is that Ford engineers themselves boasted about OTA updates and that they are going to push updates to previous year vehicles. An engineer was even asked specifically about the 22 and 23 getting pro-power with truck off (video is on YouTube somewhere) and he said yes. I based my purchase on these and the dealers comments.

The philosophy you mentioned that new model year vehicles always takes priority is exactly how legacy auto thinks. That model no longer works in a software driven world. Would you buy a phone or computer that won't get updates in this day and age because the OEM already took your money and no longer cares about you? No! and that's just a few hundred dollar device. There is an expectation of at least 5 years of software support for those devices.

Is it hard for Apple, Samsung and Google, etc to develop their platform so that they can offer 5 years of support. Absolutely... Don't you think they would love to do it the Ford way so you buy a new phone every year? This type of thinking is EXACTLY why legacy auto will die. I buy Apple products because of the exceptional support for the life of the product. Startups such as Tesla, Rivian and China are prioritizing their current customers... WHY? Because those are the customers that will buy again. Do you think I am going to be buying a Ford again if they continue this legacy philosophy of ah ha, we got your money. Absolutely never. That is why I say, I'm watching how Ford handles this. Brian says SOON we will see good things. I waiting for this SOON.

Sponsored