2023 Ford F-150 Lightning only Charging to 78%

[chl]

OK just did an AI search and AI says the BMS will take 22 days to balance the pack since the new modules will have slightly different voltages, etc. and that performance will be affected, etc.

Of course the AI mentions "slightly different voltages" but is what the OP saw what they mean by slightly different? Makes me wonder.

Putting aside the potential dangers of imbalanced modules, what about the performance decline? If I take an ICE vehicle for a tune up would I be happy with less than optimum performance for up to 22 days?

I would not be happy if it were my truck - knock on wood I don't experience a module replacement.

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[chl]

Maybe it's my perfectionist tendencies at play here, wanting/expecting new battery modules to be balanced with the old before returning the vehicle to the customer who will have to experience loss of performance and irregularities in charging numbers at best for 22 days...

 

[Grumpy2]

The 22 days was addressed in a SSM 52039 from Ford about November 2023 and is not unusual and well known. I am just surprised & disappointed at the 78% level. There is no known downside to the life of the truck.

The loss of 20% of range to the customer for what may be a couple of weeks when it would have cost the shop a few hours of tech time seems unacceptable. I think this is a Dealer issue when I doubt they were so busy at the time they could have left the truck on the lift while the balance was closer to being "completed".

I hope the OP will soon have the full range available soon.

 

[Schmitty]

Thank you all for you insight and help in this matter. I was shocked about the 78% when I saw it as well and I definitely panicked which is why I wanted to join this forum and post to gain further knowledge on this. Dealership seemed very laid back about this which made me relieved but when I saw CHL's post it made me realize the potential dangers that I initially thought of but was reassured that this process is "normal" with having a battery module replaced. Made me not want to charge to max charge level though so I charged to 70% last night and when I jumped into the truck this morning my charge was at 69% which I believe a 1% drop is normal. I did make an appointment to have them "look" at my truck next week but seems they do not have the tool to balance all the cells but they will plug into the battery to make sure everything looks healthy. I attached what the dealership told me and I also found exactly what they told me online so I wanted to share the attachment.

 

[Grumpy2]

Be sure to keep an eye on your coolant level. They may have not followed the procedure to remove the air from the system.

 

[Schmitty]

I really appreciate all the help I am getting and can't thank you all enough. I checked my battery coolant level last night (the yellow stuff under the frunk on the driver's side) and it was a little over the half way mark in between the min and max mark. I also checked it again after I drove it a little this morning and it was about a half inch over the min mark. Is that normal for it to drop a bit while driving and does it go back to where it was? I will leave it sitting about an hour or so and will go back out to see if it rises at all.

 

[TaxmanHog]

I really appreciate all the help I am getting and can't thank you all enough. I checked my battery coolant level last night (the yellow stuff under the frunk on the driver's side) and it was a little over the half way mark in between the min and max mark. I also checked it again after I drove it a little this morning and it was about a half inch over the min mark. Is that normal for it to drop a bit while driving and does it go back to where it was? I will leave it sitting about an hour or so and will go back out to see if it rises at all.

Yes, that amount is normal.

Watch it daily, the air bubbles {IF ANY} might take some time to flush through, causing the level to drop.

 

[hturnerfamily]

[NEW ISSUE]

after 62,000 miles and over 3 years, I've now had the same exact issue arise this morning:

- never any issue before now
- the truck has been driven several times over the last week, at maybe 4-5 miles each time.
- the truck was at 70% this morning, after not being charged for maybe a week, if I remember correctly

Today:
- went to plug in the truck with my 30a 240v EVSE, as normal, to get ready for a trip tomorrow
- RED RING OF DEATH showed itself, and for the first time I can ever remember, as I've only seen YELLOW.

- well, I'll try my Ford EVSE 120v option - still RED RING
- o.k., no worries - I'll pull the NEGATIVE battery terminal - still RED RING
- maybe the sudden cold weather has sapped this 3 year-old Original battery, I put my 12v battery charger on it for several hours - still RED RING
- decided to drive it for several miles - still RED RING
- stopped by Tesla Supercharger open to 'Other EVs', with adapter, Plug-N-Charge - still RED RING

oh my

- stopped by my local FORD DEALER, thinking I might need a simple 12v battery change

Ford DEALER:
- said my 12v battery was at 97%
- said my HV battery was at 67% - correct
- then said I had MULTIPLE ELECTRICAL-related ALERTS, with several as 'Hybrid/EV' Battery related
- said they could schedule me in Monday a.m. and would need it for several days : /

I realize, also, that I may not have driven the truck, or plugged it in, since the 'App Update'

 

[Schmitty]

Update: Everything seems to be on the right track for recovery. I set my charge limit to 80% on Saturday and it charged to that level with no issues for the first time. I will gradually increase the charge percentage so I have it set to charge to 85% tonight and will see if it will allow me to get there. Ford did state that my battery module imbalance will take longer than the 22 days which is fine for me but hoping the shed some light on anyone else having this happening to their Lightning after a battery module replacement. I will continue to do weekly updates until my truck is back to normal or if something else comes up. Thank you!

 

[Tfarrell73]

Don't forget to charge to 100% occasionally. I usually do it every 3 or 4 months

 

[chl]

78% seemed like a lot of module difference to me (22%) and 22 days for the BMS to adjust it is a long time...that is something I would not be happy about either.

I would also worry about the effects on longevity, though that is hard to quantify. There are well-known negative effects from large-ish cell/module imbalances on Li batteries.

That Ford finds this level of imbalance acceptable is concerning to me. It certainly is not ideal.

I guess that makes me a 'perfectionist' when it comes to engineering, alas.

 

[jwrezz]

Any update?

 

[Schmitty]

Update 12/22/2025:

When I first picked up my truck from the Ford dealership after the battery module was replaced, I was able to charge it to 76% the first overnight charge back. Within a few weeks it charged to 78% which is when I created this thread to ensure everything was safe and that I was not the only one. Now, 10 weeks later after the battery module install I have had no issues or codes come up and the battery is on its way to a full recovery and now charges to 87% which is an 11% increase over the past 10 weeks. It is very consistent at a 1% increase every week since I normally charge it to 80% during the week and every Sunday, I will set it to charge to 100% (knowing it won't charge to that yet but want to see where it is at). I have been very happy with the truck and glad to see the battery well on its way to a full recovery in the next 3 months/13 weeks with it gaining a 1% increase each week. I will continue to post on this thread every few weeks to give updates but so far everything is healthy and on track.

 

[RickLightning]

This is crazy. I had cells/packets replaced, and had no issues like this.

 

[Maquis]

This is crazy. I had cells/packets replaced, and had no issues like this.

Your dealer correctly performed the cell balancing procedure.

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