F-150 Lightning major charging issues on road trip

[perpetuality]

I've been hesitant to take the Lightning on any road trips due to concerns about charging and support if I encounter issues. For whatever reason, I finally decided to take the plunge...and unfortunately it did not go well. It was smooth sailing on the way out, but on the way back, that's when the trouble started. I couldn't get the truck to charge at a Tesla supercharger. The light ring next to the charging port lit up red, I got a message and the little yellow wrench popped up on the dash. No worries, went ahead and tried another 2 fast chargers (one Tesla, one EV Connect), but no luck. I then tried disconnecting the 12V battery for about 25 minutes, that didn't work either unfortunately. Ford roadside assistance directed me to a local dealer, but, by that point, it was too late, so I stayed at a hotel overnight. The next morning I showed up to the service department first thing hoping I could get my issue resolved and get back on the road, but was told they were "a few months out on EVs." Obviously that wouldn't work, so I headed to another dealer, but they were also behind on EVs. Turned out every dealer in this major metro was behind on EVs, so I had no choice but to leave the truck there.

I was able to get in touch with someone in Ford's EV department who was more helpful. They pulled some information on my truck and saw that my charging port was overheating with both DCFC and level 2. They recommended that I rent a car and Ford would reimburse me up to $60 per day for the vehicle. This was better than nothing, but one thing I did find strange was that they said my rental car had to be a Ford in order for them to reimburse. I understand wanting to promote your brand, but what if there wasn't a Ford available? In fact, there wasn't when I first showed up. When I explained my situation to the rental agency, they made sure to get a Ford to me (thanks, Enterprise), but it still seems like a strange requirement, especially when my new truck has left me stranded.

I'm still waiting to hear back regarding the truck. Sounds like it'll be several weeks before I know anything, but I'll update this as things come along.

And one thing I will add is that my friend has a Rivian and had a similar issue when the vehicle was new. Rivian's customer service was fantastic. They arranged a vehicle for my friend, and it was one that was similar to the Rivian he was driving (Rivian R1S SUV to a Chevy Tahoe rental), while I went from a fairly luxurious electric truck to whatever $60 per day would get me. They also paid to have his vehicle flatbed towed back to a dealer in his hometown, which was several hours away. I imagine I will have to drive the 6 hours back to the dealer that currently has my truck. Just wanted to throw this in there to show differing levels of service from different companies.

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[Shmoe]

I've been hesitant to take the Lightning on any road trips due to concerns about charging and support if I encounter issues. For whatever reason, I finally decided to take the plunge...and unfortunately it did not go well. It was smooth sailing on the way out, but on the way back, that's when the trouble started. I couldn't get the truck to charge at a Tesla supercharger. The light ring next to the charging port lit up red, I got a message and the little yellow wrench popped up on the dash. No worries, went ahead and tried another 2 fast chargers (one Tesla, one EV Connect), but no luck. I then tried disconnecting the 12V battery for about 25 minutes, that didn't work either unfortunately. Ford roadside assistance directed me to a local dealer, but, by that point, it was too late, so I stayed at a hotel overnight. The next morning I showed up to the service department first thing hoping I could get my issue resolved and get back on the road, but was told they were "a few months out on EVs." Obviously that wouldn't work, so I headed to another dealer, but they were also behind on EVs. Turned out every dealer in this major metro was behind on EVs, so I had no choice but to leave the truck there.

I was able to get in touch with someone in Ford's EV department who was more helpful. They pulled some information on my truck and saw that my charging port was overheating with both DCFC and level 2. They recommended that I rent a car and Ford would reimburse me up to $60 per day for the vehicle. This was better than nothing, but one thing I did find strange was that they said my rental car had to be a Ford in order for them to reimburse. I understand wanting to promote your brand, but what if there wasn't a Ford available? In fact, there wasn't when I first showed up. When I explained my situation to the rental agency, they made sure to get a Ford to me (thanks, Enterprise), but it still seems like a strange requirement, especially when my new truck has left me stranded.

I'm still waiting to hear back regarding the truck. Sounds like it'll be several weeks before I know anything, but I'll update this as things come along.

And one thing I will add is that my friend has a Rivian and had a similar issue when the vehicle was new. Rivian's customer service was fantastic. They arranged a vehicle for my friend, and it was one that was similar to the Rivian he was driving (Rivian R1S SUV to a Chevy Tahoe rental), while I went from a fairly luxurious electric truck to whatever $60 per day would get me. They also paid to have his vehicle flatbed towed back to a dealer in his hometown, which was several hours away. I imagine I will have to drive the 6 hours back to the dealer that currently has my truck. Just wanted to throw this in there to show differing levels of service from different companies.

Did you happen to try AC charging at a level 2 charger? I had this same issue, it wound up being the actuator pin that is basically there as a safety measure so you don't pull out a live cable. There is also a TSB on this very issue.

They replaced the actuator and everything is back to normal. But when it happened I was at least able to hang out at a level 2 charger for 6 hours or so and get enough to head home.

Good luck!

 

[perpetuality]

Did you happen to try AC charging at a level 2 charger? I had this same issue, it wound up being the actuator pin that is basically there as a safety measure so you don't pull out a live cable. There is also a TSB on this very issue.

They replaced the actuator and everything is back to normal. But when it happened I was at least able to hang out at a level 2 charger for 6 hours or so and get enough to head home.

Good luck!

Yes, I did try a level 2. It worked for a little bit and got my hopes up, but then it stopped working. The rep I was speaking with said it was overheating the charging port as well.

When the level 2 first started working, my plan was to sit there for 17 hours to let it charge to 100%, then drive home as slowly as possible

 

[CD4TNF]

Sorry your having charging issues and happened when you're doing your first road trip. Definitely not normal. Definitely shakes confidence.


Last year, my first drive with the Lightning was picking it up and driving it back home 2,000 miles. I learned a lot about the Lightning. Definitely a comfortable road trip truck. Charging infrastructure has gotten better over the year and continues to get better with PilotFlyingJ/EVGo, bpPulse, Arco, Sheetz, Ionna, Walmart.


Once your truck is repaired, you'll be in good shape.

 

[Maquis]

That’s really odd as the thermal sensors for L2 and DCFC are totally separated. It will be interesting to see what the culprit cause is.

 

[Duke_239]

That’s really odd as the thermal sensors for L2 and DCFC are totally separated. It will be interesting to see what the culprit cause is.

Not just the sensors, but the pins themselves, so it's not as simple as corrosion on the pins.

 

[Baja Lightning]

Not just the sensors, but the pins themselves, so it's not as simple as corrosion on the pins.

Corrosion as in rust? How would one prevent that from happening?

 

[FirstF150InCasco]

$60 a day allowance for a rental sounds prett good to me. The fact they insisted a Ford be rented makes perfect sense to me.

 

[perpetuality]

$60 a day allowance for a rental sounds prett good to me. The fact they insisted a Ford be rented makes perfect sense to me.

I'll admit, I wasn't in the best mood when I typed that up. $60/day is sufficient. It likely doesn't get you into an equivalent vehicle, but it's not a big deal. The Ford rental requirement is not reasonable in my opinion, though. As soon as they told me that, I started worrying about what I would do if a Ford wasn't available. I've been to many rental car agencies that have very few cars on hand. Again, just my opinion, a Ford should be encouraged, but not required. Taking care of the inconvenienced customer, regardless of brand, should be top priority.

 

[Maquis]

Corrosion as in rust? How would one prevent that from happening?

https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/how-to-clean-and-inspect-your-charge-port.29901/

 

[RickLightning]

I'll admit, I wasn't in the best mood when I typed that up. $60/day is sufficient. It likely doesn't get you into an equivalent vehicle, but it's not a big deal. The Ford rental requirement is not reasonable in my opinion, though. As soon as they told me that, I started worrying about what I would do if a Ford wasn't available. I've been to many rental car agencies that have very few cars on hand. Again, just my opinion, a Ford should be encouraged, but not required. Taking care of the inconvenienced customer, regardless of brand, should be top priority.

Ford has always had this requirement, they're not going to change.

This is a great example of why, before going on your first trip, ensuring you can successfully DC fast charge is important.

 

[tls]

I've had the surprising experience of a small "pop" when disengaging the J1772 cable once or twice in the past few months. Inspecting the cable and port, I haven't seen any arc damage, but I might have caught a whiff of ozone. Sounds like I need to have that actuator and pin checked out.

 

[perpetuality]

Ford has always had this requirement, they're not going to change.

This is a great example of why, before going on your first trip, ensuring you can successfully DC fast charge is important.

Very good point, Rick. Always make sure you can DCFC before heading out on road trips. In my case, the truck had never had issues DC fast charging before this. I charged at multiple Tesla stations during the outbound leg of my trip, and once on the return leg. After that is when I ran into trouble.

 

[Shmoe]

I've had the surprising experience of a small "pop" when disengaging the J1772 cable once or twice in the past few months. Inspecting the cable and port, I haven't seen any arc damage, but I might have caught a whiff of ozone. Sounds like I need to have that actuator and pin checked out.

You don't love the smell of ozone in the morning?

 

[Maquis]

I've had the surprising experience of a small "pop" when disengaging the J1772 cable once or twice in the past few months. Inspecting the cable and port, I haven't seen any arc damage, but I might have caught a whiff of ozone. Sounds like I need to have that actuator and pin checked out.

If everything is working properly, there’s no way to unplug while energized.

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