Another audio amplifier install (with alternate under cab wiring).

[digitaldad]

TL;DR: amp install going under cab, through the body frame for 12v, avoiding the firewall; utilizing an existing grommet under passenger-side, rear-cab.

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There are so many helpful threads here on this subject that I was just going to tack onto an existing thread but since I didnt see this exact path shared in pictures (and I took some, too), I'm deciding to share in case anyone else wants to possibly go this route, later.

So many mods to do and attempting to save some dollars (temporarily, at least) where I can, I'm utilizing an Alpine amplifier and ported sub box from one of our previous vehicles.

Once all wired, the amp ended up being dead, even though I had voltage to it...I think I recall dropping it from about 6-7' while moving it in the garage some time ago. So, had to use the other, Kicker (even older, but its a D class) amp I had laying next to the Alpine.

I've installed a lot of amps and gone through many firewalls over the years, but some fine folks suggested going under the cab and once I looked under the front and inside/under the frunk tub, I decided to avoid the firewall.

While looking under the cab, I found an existing grommet under the rear 40 seat, in front of the jack holder. I then (also) decided to feed through the body frame since I didnt see or trust the length of run with zip ties. This probably isnt the most ideal setup but its better than hanging cables coming loose.

Here are the pics of the main fuse & wiring path, ground, distribution block and keyloc. I didnt take pics of the sub box or amp but the amp is under the seat of the 60' side in that little cubby so I can reaplce down the road with a different amp/or add another amp for door speakers since I have the room on the distribution block, ready to go.

1. Existing grommet under rear-passenger seat. In front of jack/holder.

2. Laying down under truck, passenger-front wheel, toward frunk. Stuck a fish-tape here going back towards the bed of the truck.

3-4. Fish-tape, slid easily down the next two pics and hit at a raise before the bed.

5-6. Pulled fish-tape back to pull down from the "up arrow" in this pic, pulled wire through here up to the front. Once enough slack @ frunk/battery, then pushed the wire through and out of the "left arrow" slot.

Note, there is a flush piece of outside carpet under the cab where that grommet is so you need to push in and up a couple of inches here, going towards drivers-side of cab.

7. Go back to front of frame under frunk area where fish-tape was pushed in, push wire through opposite side of hole in frame (towards driver-side), and route up into frunk area to route to battery/fuse-holder.

8-10. Place whatever loom tubing you are going to use and zip tie in multiple places to secure to wire and mounting locations. I shoved about a foot inside each frame entry/exit hole to inhibit any snagging of the wire's outside coating. If I wasn't alone, I probably would have had the whole wire in the frame inside the split-tubing.

I forgot to take a pic of the loom above the grommet inside the cab but it was done.

11. I was advised to run the ground wire all the way to the battery but others provided their success in using the cab ground behind the driver-side, rear seat next to the rear seat latch. I took off the existing ground and sanded this area to get better contact and secured back onto cab with my ground.

12. Routed the main wire inside frunk to the far left of battery and secured with zip ties along some of the other wires/loom that exist. Added some velcro on the front angled flap of the battery tray to hold the fuse-holder.

13. Since I am leaving the stock sub in place (but disconnected) and I'm using a ported box that takes space in the rear cab...until I get an under seat box, I can remove the sub box and re-connect the stock sub if/when need to.

I placed the power distribution block under the stock sub to then wire to the driver-side cubby hole for new amp. I can access this area pretty easily by lowering rear-seats to the stowed position. Velcro added under the block assembly and rather simple to pull forward for lug access.

14. I mounted the Kicker Keyloc under the B&O amp on the existing mounting bracket. This orientation looks upside-down from the main Kicker wording but the operational/display lights are easily seen from under the seat when looking back in, while troubleshooting (also, the soundsgood harness stayed on the right side, correctly).

RCA's were connected to amp after this picture.

I also ran a bass knob from the amp, through the driver-side channel, from rear-seat to front, then placed under driver's seat (existing holes in carpet made this simple. Only had to remove the two kick plates on this, no side panels/weatherstripping.

Still a lot of work but not having to route the main wire through the firewall and across the channels, might have saved some time. Regardless, tried something new.

Sponsored

 

[Bombero]

That’s impressive. Nice work and hope it all works out.

 

[BennyTheBeaver]

Very nice.

You might consider this for your unused subwoofer:

https://soundsgoodstereo.com/produc...ck-off-plate-for-rear-wall-includes-unleashed

 

[Tom Jensen]

TL;DR: amp install going under cab, through the body frame for 12v, avoiding the firewall; utilizing an existing grommet under passenger-side, rear-cab.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There are so many helpful threads here on this subject that I was just going to tack onto an existing thread but since I didnt see this exact path shared in pictures (and I took some, too), I'm deciding to share in case anyone else wants to possibly go this route, later.

So many mods to do and attempting to save some dollars (temporarily, at least) where I can, I'm utilizing an Alpine amplifier and ported sub box from one of our previous vehicles.

Once all wired, the amp ended up being dead, even though I had voltage to it...I think I recall dropping it from about 6-7' while moving it in the garage some time ago. So, had to use the other, Kicker (even older, but its a D class) amp I had laying next to the Alpine.

I've installed a lot of amps and gone through many firewalls over the years, but some fine folks suggested going under the cab and once I looked under the front and inside/under the frunk tub, I decided to avoid the firewall.

While looking under the cab, I found an existing grommet under the rear 40 seat, in front of the jack holder. I then (also) decided to feed through the body frame since I didnt see or trust the length of run with zip ties. This probably isnt the most ideal setup but its better than hanging cables coming loose.

Here are the pics of the main fuse & wiring path, ground, distribution block and keyloc. I didnt take pics of the sub box or amp but the amp is under the seat of the 60' side in that little cubby so I can reaplce down the road with a different amp/or add another amp for door speakers since I have the room on the distribution block, ready to go.

1. Existing grommet under rear-passenger seat. In front of jack/holder.

2. Laying down under truck, passenger-front wheel, toward frunk. Stuck a fish-tape here going back towards the bed of the truck.

3-4. Fish-tape, slid easily down the next two pics and hit at a raise before the bed.

5-6. Pulled fish-tape back to pull down from the "up arrow" in this pic, pulled wire through here up to the front. Once enough slack @ frunk/battery, then pushed the wire through and out of the "left arrow" slot.

Note, there is a flush piece of outside carpet under the cab where that grommet is so you need to push in and up a couple of inches here, going towards drivers-side of cab.

7. Go back to front of frame under frunk area where fish-tape was pushed in, push wire through opposite side of hole in frame (towards driver-side), and route up into frunk area to route to battery/fuse-holder.

8-10. Place whatever loom tubing you are going to use and zip tie in multiple places to secure to wire and mounting locations. I shoved about a foot inside each frame entry/exit hole to inhibit any snagging of the wire's outside coating. If I wasn't alone, I probably would have had the whole wire in the frame inside the split-tubing.

I forgot to take a pic of the loom above the grommet inside the cab but it was done.

11. I was advised to run the ground wire all the way to the battery but others provided their success in using the cab ground behind the driver-side, rear seat next to the rear seat latch. I took off the existing ground and sanded this area to get better contact and secured back onto cab with my ground.

12. Routed the main wire inside frunk to the far left of battery and secured with zip ties along some of the other wires/loom that exist. Added some velcro on the front angled flap of the battery tray to hold the fuse-holder.

13. Since I am leaving the stock sub in place (but disconnected) and I'm using a ported box that takes space in the rear cab...until I get an under seat box, I can remove the sub box and re-connect the stock sub if/when need to.

I placed the power distribution block under the stock sub to then wire to the driver-side cubby hole for new amp. I can access this area pretty easily by lowering rear-seats to the stowed position. Velcro added under the block assembly and rather simple to pull forward for lug access.

14. I mounted the Kicker Keyloc under the B&O amp on the existing mounting bracket. This orientation looks upside-down from the main Kicker wording but the operational/display lights are easily seen from under the seat when looking back in, while troubleshooting (also, the soundsgood harness stayed on the right side, correctly).

RCA's were connected to amp after this picture.

I also ran a bass knob from the amp, through the driver-side channel, from rear-seat to front, then placed under driver's seat (existing holes in carpet made this simple. Only had to remove the two kick plates on this, no side panels/weatherstripping.

Still a lot of work but not having to route the main wire through the firewall and across the channels, might have saved some time. Regardless, tried something new.

This is impressive as heck. I actually took your chain and a couple of others to a very solid local car stereo outfit here in Northern VA to ask if they’d do something similar for my ‘23 Lariat. The owner’s response was disappointing but also added to my already positive impression of his business. He said he’d done a couple of major upgrades to the BO 8 speaker systems in Lariats and a Platinum Lightnings. He strongly encouraged me to reconsider doing the upgrade because one of his customers — after shelling out $7K+ and enjoying his new system for a couple of months — had to take his truck in to the dealer for service involving a serious problem with the instrumentation panel and 12v system. The dealer refused to honor the warranty because of the mods to the electrical system associated with the stereo upgrade — even though the mods didn’t cause the problems he was experiencing. Apparently, in that dealer’s view, any mods involving the electrical system can/will invalidate the relevant features of the warranty. My stereo guy said, in essence, we can do the work, and you’ll love the new sound, but it’s really not worth the risk of losing or weakening your warranty coverage. I was disappointed, but definitely respected his advice. The OEM sound system isn’t so bad to my ears that I’m ready to mess with the warranty. I’d be interested if anyone else has run into this cautionary situation?

 

[SoundsGoodStereo]

This is impressive as heck. I actually took your chain and a couple of others to a very solid local car stereo outfit here in Northern VA to ask if they’d do something similar for my ‘23 Lariat. The owner’s response was disappointing but also added to my already positive impression of his business. He said he’d done a couple of major upgrades to the BO 8 speaker systems in Lariats and a Platinum Lightnings. He strongly encouraged me to reconsider doing the upgrade because one of his customers — after shelling out $7K+ and enjoying his new system for a couple of months — had to take his truck in to the dealer for service involving a serious problem with the instrumentation panel and 12v system. The dealer refused to honor the warranty because of the mods to the electrical system associated with the stereo upgrade — even though the mods didn’t cause the problems he was experiencing. Apparently, in that dealer’s view, any mods involving the electrical system can/will invalidate the relevant features of the warranty. My stereo guy said, in essence, we can do the work, and you’ll love the new sound, but it’s really not worth the risk of losing or weakening your warranty coverage. I was disappointed, but definitely respected his advice. The OEM sound system isn’t so bad to my ears that I’m ready to mess with the warranty. I’d be interested if anyone else has run into this cautionary situation?

This is not true about the warranty, but the system must be installed properly. Little things like not using the factory ground point on the rear wall and ensuring the signal is grabbed properly will ensure the warranty stays intact. That's why our packages are so elaborate to ensure we meet all of the guidelines for the customer if they were to ever have a warranty issue. Here is what protects you:

 

[SoundsGoodStereo]

The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (MMWA) is a federal law enacted in 1975 to protect consumers by regulating written warranties on consumer products, including vehicles like the Ford Lightning (an electric F-150 variant). It ensures transparency in warranty terms and prevents manufacturers from unfairly denying warranty coverage. When upgrading the stereo system in a Ford Lightning, the MMWA provides specific protections that are relevant if the upgrade affects the vehicle's warranty. Below is a detailed explanation of how the MMWA applies in this context:
Key Provisions of the MMWA Relevant to Stereo Upgrades

1. Prohibition on Voiding Warranties for Aftermarket Parts or Modifications
   The MMWA prevents manufacturers (like Ford) from automatically voiding a vehicle's warranty simply because a consumer installs aftermarket parts, such as an upgraded stereo system. Specifically:
   • Section 2302(c) of the MMWA prohibits "tie-in" provisions, meaning manufacturers cannot require consumers to use only manufacturer-approved parts or services to maintain warranty coverage.
   • This means Ford cannot void the entire vehicle warranty (or even the warranty on the audio system) just because you install a third-party stereo system, unless Ford can prove the aftermarket part caused damage.
2. Application to Ford Lightning Stereo Upgrades:
   If you install an aftermarket stereo (e.g., new speakers, amplifier, or head unit), Ford cannot deny warranty coverage for unrelated components (e.g., the battery, motor, or infotainment system) unless they demonstrate that the stereo upgrade directly caused the issue. For example:
   • If your new stereo wiring causes an electrical short that damages the vehicle's battery management system, Ford could deny warranty coverage for the battery repair, but they must provide evidence of the causal link.
   • If the battery fails due to a manufacturing defect, Ford cannot refuse to cover it simply because you upgraded the stereo.
3. Burden of Proof on the Manufacturer
   Under the MMWA, the burden lies with the manufacturer to prove that an aftermarket part or modification caused the damage or failure for which warranty coverage is sought.
   • Ford must show through technical evidence (e.g., diagnostic reports or engineering analysis) that your stereo upgrade directly caused the problem.
   • This protects you from arbitrary warranty denials based on vague claims about "modifications."
4. Application to Ford Lightning Stereo Upgrades:
   If you experience an issue with the Ford Lightning’s electrical system after installing a new stereo, Ford cannot assume the stereo is at fault. They must conduct a thorough investigation to prove the stereo caused the issue. For instance:
   • If the new stereo draws excessive power and damages the vehicle’s wiring harness, Ford can deny coverage for that specific repair but must document the cause.
   • If the issue is unrelated (e.g., a defective touchscreen display), the MMWA ensures Ford cannot use the stereo upgrade as an excuse to deny coverage.
5. Clear Warranty Terms
   The MMWA requires manufacturers to provide clear, conspicuous, and easily understandable warranty terms (Section 2302(a)). This ensures consumers know what is covered and what actions might affect the warranty.
   • Ford’s warranty for the Lightning must explicitly state any limitations or conditions related to modifications, including stereo upgrades.
   • If Ford’s warranty documents are vague or overly restrictive (e.g., claiming all modifications void the warranty), they may violate the MMWA.
6. Application to Ford Lightning Stereo Upgrades:
   Before upgrading your stereo, review Ford’s warranty documentation (typically found in the owner’s manual or warranty booklet). The MMWA ensures that Ford cannot impose blanket restrictions on aftermarket parts unless they are clearly disclosed and justified. If Ford’s warranty suggests that any stereo upgrade voids coverage, you can challenge this under the MMWA, as such a clause is likely unenforceable unless Ford proves damage.
7. Right to Remedies for Warranty Violations
   If Ford wrongfully denies warranty coverage due to your stereo upgrade, the MMWA allows you to seek remedies, including:
   • Repair or replacement of the defective part under warranty.
   • Legal action for damages, including repair costs and attorney’s fees (Section 2310(d)).
   • The MMWA encourages manufacturers to resolve disputes fairly to avoid litigation.
8. Application to Ford Lightning Stereo Upgrades:
   If Ford denies warranty coverage for an issue (e.g., infotainment system failure) and blames your aftermarket stereo without evidence, you can:
   • File a complaint with the dealership or Ford’s customer service, citing the MMWA.
   • Escalate to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which enforces the MMWA.
   • Pursue legal action in state or federal court, where Ford would need to prove the stereo caused the issue.

Practical Considerations for Upgrading a Ford Lightning Stereo System
The Ford Lightning’s electrical and infotainment systems are complex, with components like the SYNC 4A system, touchscreen display, and battery management system potentially interacting with the stereo. Here’s how to ensure MMWA protections apply effectively when upgrading:

1. Choose Reputable Aftermarket Parts
   • Use high-quality stereo components from trusted brands to minimize the risk of electrical issues.
   • Ensure the stereo system is compatible with the Lightning’s 12V electrical architecture and does not overload the system.
   • Poorly designed or incompatible parts could give Ford a valid reason to deny warranty coverage if damage occurs.
2. Professional Installation
   • Have the stereo installed by a certified technician familiar with electric vehicles (EVs) like the Lightning. Improper installation (e.g., faulty wiring) could cause electrical issues, which Ford could use to justify a warranty denial.
   • Keep receipts and documentation of the installation to show it was done professionally, strengthening your case under the MMWA if Ford challenges the warranty.
3. Document Everything
   • Retain records of the stereo components purchased, installation details, and any communications with Ford or the dealership regarding warranty claims.
   • If Ford denies coverage, request a written explanation detailing how the stereo caused the issue. This forces Ford to comply with the MMWA’s burden-of-proof requirement.
4. Understand the Ford Lightning Warranty
   • The Ford Lightning typically comes with a 3-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, an 8-year/100,000-mile warranty for EV components (e.g., battery and electric motors), and a 5-year/60,000-mile warranty for powertrain components.
   • The stereo and infotainment system are generally covered under the bumper-to-bumper warranty, but modifications could complicate claims. The MMWA ensures Ford cannot deny coverage for unrelated components without proof.
5. Potential Risks of Stereo Upgrades
   • The Lightning’s electrical system is sensitive, and an improperly installed stereo could affect the 12V battery, wiring harness, or infotainment integration.
   • If the upgrade involves tapping into the vehicle’s CAN bus (Controller Area Network) or modifying the SYNC system, it could inadvertently cause errors that Ford might attribute to the modification.
   • To minimize risks, consult with a technician experienced in EV audio upgrades and avoid invasive modifications that alter critical systems.

Hypothetical Example: Applying the MMWA
Scenario: You install an aftermarket stereo system in your 2024 Ford Lightning, including new speakers and an amplifier. Six months later, the vehicle’s touchscreen display stops working, and Ford denies warranty coverage, claiming the stereo upgrade voided the infotainment system warranty.
MMWA Protections:

1. Challenge the Denial: Under the MMWA, Ford cannot void the warranty simply because you installed an aftermarket stereo. Request a detailed explanation of how the stereo caused the display failure.
2. Demand Evidence: Ford must provide technical proof (e.g., diagnostic logs showing the stereo’s wiring caused a short in the display). If they cannot, the MMWA requires them to honor the warranty.
3. Escalate if Necessary: If Ford refuses to comply, file a complaint with the FTC or pursue legal action. The MMWA allows you to recover repair costs and legal fees if Ford’s denial is unjustified.
4. Protect Unrelated Components: Even if the stereo caused the display issue, Ford cannot deny coverage for unrelated repairs (e.g., battery or motor issues) unless they prove a connection.

Additional Protections and Resources

• FTC Oversight: The Federal Trade Commission enforces the MMWA and provides resources for consumers facing warranty disputes. You can file a complaint at ftc.gov if Ford violates the MMWA.
• State Lemon Laws: If warranty issues persist, some states’ lemon laws may apply to the Ford Lightning, offering additional remedies like vehicle replacement or refunds.
• Ford’s Customer Service: Contact Ford’s customer service or the dealership to resolve disputes before escalating. Reference the MMWA to strengthen your case.
• X Platform Insights: Searching posts on X may reveal other Ford Lightning owners’ experiences with stereo upgrades and warranty disputes, providing practical tips or warnings. If you’d like, I can search X for relevant discussions.

Summary
The Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act protects Ford Lightning owners upgrading their stereo systems by:

1. Preventing Ford from voiding the warranty for using aftermarket parts unless they prove the stereo caused damage.
2. Requiring Ford to provide evidence if they deny warranty coverage due to the upgrade.
3. Ensuring warranty terms are clear and fair.
4. Offering legal remedies if Ford wrongfully denies coverage.

To maximize MMWA protections, choose compatible stereo components, use professional installation, and document all modifications. If Ford denies warranty coverage, demand evidence and escalate to the FTC or legal action if necessary. By following these steps, you can confidently upgrade your Lightning’s stereo while safeguarding your warranty rights.

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