CerebralPrimate
Well-known member
- Thread starter
- #1
If ya didnt read the full thread here a body/paint shop ran the truck down to 0% and I honestly did not know what to do in that case because I never would have ignored all those warnings and didn't expect a rational person would either. I was ill prepared, so I am hoping my hard lessons can short cut the learning curve of others and maybe even stop others from experiencing the frustration of having to figure these things out on the fly. The summer heat and people short on patience (including me) made this worse than it needed to be- emotional self regulation and self control aren't easy when the fecal matter is impacting the air oscillation device in your life. Had I just known what to do, the situation would've been extremely manageable.
1- Using a fast charger requires the use of the battery management system (BMS). That system does not work when there is less than a 2% charge. The last time I checked, 0% is less than 2% so towing/moving the dead vehicle to a nearby fast charger will do no good- ask me how I know.
. For this reason, when taking the vehicle on a road trip, always have the mobile charger and the 110 adapter for it. Not everyone will have a NEMA 14-50 plug, but 110 plugs are everywhere.
2- If you do hook up a truck to a fast charger and the BMS is not working due to the battery being dead, there is a good chance you will fry your 12V battery. Not the end of the world, but why waste the $150? Just hook the truck up to a level 1 or 2 power source and you'll be fine.
3- There is a process to get a bricked Lightning out of Park. You need a jump pack, so maybe keep one of those under the rear seat. Use the hard key (hopefully ya have it- the fob contains a hard key shaft if ya pull it open) to open the door if it's locked. Use the emergency release in the cab to get into the frunk area. Remove the panel to access the 12V battery and give it a little juice with a jump pack. Press both the brake pedal and the gas at the same time to override the shift lock. Put the truck into Neutral, then press the Tow Mode button next to the shifter twice- note this only works for about 30 minutes, but the process can be repeated if need be. If the touchscreen is actually working for some reason, go to settings -> Vehicle -> press and hold Emergency Tow. All of this avoids needing wheel dollies. I was ignorant of this process, so the tow driver had to go fetch dollies just to get the truck to a place he could hook it.
4- Should your truck end up at a dealership, they have to tell you approximately how much a repair should be before doing that repair. Most states have a Motor Vehicle Repair Act of some kind, which requires a written estimate and your expressed approval. They can't just say what they are going to do, then figure out a price later. Also of note, if they are going to exceed the initial estimate by 10%, typically they again need your express approval. In my case, the work quoted was for the battery, but the hood/frunk would not lock down. They asked me over the phone if I wanted them to figure out why. I said yes. When I got the invoice, I saw they charged me a $300 diagnostic fee just to tell me the frunk module was dead, and asked a further $1,150 to replace that module. I said no to the repair and pointed out that they never quantified how much they would charge to figure out the hood latch. I didn't expect it for free, but $300 was ridiculous. We settled on $100- which in hindsight was wasted money due to point #5
5- There is a reset procedure for the frunk' latching system. With the hood all the way open, press and hold the glowing anti-kidnap button until you hear a series of beeps. That's it. Very complicated. Then press the button, or use the app, or your hands to close it. Of course, I could have spent the $1,450 the dealership wanted... and almost did as I was worn down by my whole experience by then... but luckily this simple procedure saved my day.
Lastly, although we all know and love these trucks, bear in mind that most people are pretty ignorant about them. Even the dealership service centers really dont see them all that often. So there's every chance you, or someone on this forum, or someone in one of the several FB Groups for Lightning owners, knows more than an avg service tech does. As such, leverage the knowledge base here before agreeing to any crazy repairs. No harm in asking around to see if anyone else has dealt with the issue you're facing. One of the biggest benefits of this forum and the FB Groups is being able to crowd source solutions... and most people are willing to help if they can.
1- Using a fast charger requires the use of the battery management system (BMS). That system does not work when there is less than a 2% charge. The last time I checked, 0% is less than 2% so towing/moving the dead vehicle to a nearby fast charger will do no good- ask me how I know.
. For this reason, when taking the vehicle on a road trip, always have the mobile charger and the 110 adapter for it. Not everyone will have a NEMA 14-50 plug, but 110 plugs are everywhere.2- If you do hook up a truck to a fast charger and the BMS is not working due to the battery being dead, there is a good chance you will fry your 12V battery. Not the end of the world, but why waste the $150? Just hook the truck up to a level 1 or 2 power source and you'll be fine.
3- There is a process to get a bricked Lightning out of Park. You need a jump pack, so maybe keep one of those under the rear seat. Use the hard key (hopefully ya have it- the fob contains a hard key shaft if ya pull it open) to open the door if it's locked. Use the emergency release in the cab to get into the frunk area. Remove the panel to access the 12V battery and give it a little juice with a jump pack. Press both the brake pedal and the gas at the same time to override the shift lock. Put the truck into Neutral, then press the Tow Mode button next to the shifter twice- note this only works for about 30 minutes, but the process can be repeated if need be. If the touchscreen is actually working for some reason, go to settings -> Vehicle -> press and hold Emergency Tow. All of this avoids needing wheel dollies. I was ignorant of this process, so the tow driver had to go fetch dollies just to get the truck to a place he could hook it.
4- Should your truck end up at a dealership, they have to tell you approximately how much a repair should be before doing that repair. Most states have a Motor Vehicle Repair Act of some kind, which requires a written estimate and your expressed approval. They can't just say what they are going to do, then figure out a price later. Also of note, if they are going to exceed the initial estimate by 10%, typically they again need your express approval. In my case, the work quoted was for the battery, but the hood/frunk would not lock down. They asked me over the phone if I wanted them to figure out why. I said yes. When I got the invoice, I saw they charged me a $300 diagnostic fee just to tell me the frunk module was dead, and asked a further $1,150 to replace that module. I said no to the repair and pointed out that they never quantified how much they would charge to figure out the hood latch. I didn't expect it for free, but $300 was ridiculous. We settled on $100- which in hindsight was wasted money due to point #5
5- There is a reset procedure for the frunk' latching system. With the hood all the way open, press and hold the glowing anti-kidnap button until you hear a series of beeps. That's it. Very complicated. Then press the button, or use the app, or your hands to close it. Of course, I could have spent the $1,450 the dealership wanted... and almost did as I was worn down by my whole experience by then... but luckily this simple procedure saved my day.
Lastly, although we all know and love these trucks, bear in mind that most people are pretty ignorant about them. Even the dealership service centers really dont see them all that often. So there's every chance you, or someone on this forum, or someone in one of the several FB Groups for Lightning owners, knows more than an avg service tech does. As such, leverage the knowledge base here before agreeing to any crazy repairs. No harm in asking around to see if anyone else has dealt with the issue you're facing. One of the biggest benefits of this forum and the FB Groups is being able to crowd source solutions... and most people are willing to help if they can.
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