Is Anybody Happy With Their Lightning?

[GoodSam]

Really like the Lightning, hate the dealer delays, lack of techs, and @Ford Motor Company part in those problems.

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[Mache_Enrique]

I dId not read all of the prior posts but just gonna tell you my lightning is the best vehicle I have ever owned and I have no regrets. I knew what I was getting into with an EV so I had no surprises in a bad way just a good way. My advice is to study up about an EV truck and make sure the lightning fits your bill, test drive it and if you love it, then go take advantage of the loss of all the negative people you read about and buy a used one so you don’t have to eat all the depreciation.

 

[Lukewv]

I absolutely love mine. I bought it because I needed a new tow vehicle (I have a 6500 lb, 30' travel trailer), but I didn't want to buy another gas guzzler. The lightning tows beautifully.

The thing is, it's such a great vehicle, that even if I didn't need a tow vehicle, I'd still want my lightning.

I think you see a lot of the complaints on this forum because those are the people who are seeking help (or wish to vent their frustrations). Those of us that love our lightnings are just out driving our trucks, rather than here posting on the forum. Having said that, there are some threads where you can see a lot of that positivity, like the 'What did you do to your lightning today' thread or the 'Pics of Lightning Trucks Doing Truck Things. Post Yours!' thread.

Can you tell how much does your trailer cut down your range, I have a 4600 lb 21 ' travel trailer about ready to take a longer trip Im going to assume it will be cut range in half of my LR battery. Would appreciate some imput.

 

[WXman]

I absolutely love mine. I bought it because I needed a new tow vehicle (I have a 6500 lb, 30' travel trailer), but I didn't want to buy another gas guzzler. The lightning tows beautifully.

Can you tell how much does your trailer cut down your range, I have a 4600 lb 21 ' travel trailer about ready to take a longer trip Im going to assume it will be cut range in half of my LR battery. Would appreciate some imput.

So, yes that's the type of trailer that really cuts down on range. The wind drag with that huge frontal area really sucks down the power.

In the testing I did with mine recently I found that SteuLight is correct, the Lightning tows beautifully. It has so much power that it truly feels exactly like the 6.7L Powerstroke I traded for it. The problem is going to be range. He said he "didn't want to buy another gas guzzler" but when I do the math on mine, towing my camper/toy hauler trailer results in 0.7 mi/kWh or less which is the equivalent of a gasoline truck getting 4 MPG. So, the Lighting is actually the worst "guzzler" that you can possibly purchase when it comes to towing....it's just that you're putting electricity (from fossil fuels) into the "tank" instead of directly putting fossil fuels into the tank.

At the end of the day you just have to decide which powertrain would work best for your situation. If you're talking short trips to campsites, the Lightning will be amazing. If you're talking long trips (several hours or more each way) to campsites, then personally I would advise you to stick with a gasoline or diesel truck. It will make your life much less of a hassle.

 

[jlferg0509]

Can you tell how much does your trailer cut down your range, I have a 4600 lb 21 ' travel trailer about ready to take a longer trip Im going to assume it will be cut range in half of my LR battery. Would appreciate some imput.

I own a '23, ER, w/Tow Package. I have over 55k miles on it, with probably about 1/3 of those are from towing our 7,200 lb trailer. We just finished a 1,300 mile trip around Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Planning a southern route trip for the Spring, possible, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. There are a few limitations that you have to adjust for, but I have to say that I'm totally happy with my Lightening and will never go back to an ICE vehicle. The future is bright...

 

[Lightning Rod]

I'm a petrol head at heart and I really miss the sound. I don't miss the constant visits to the pump and the bills that came with it, but I do miss the sound.

This is exactly what I DON'T miss. I love the quiet, smoothness and comfort of my Lightning. I installed an elaborate sound system and that quietness goes a long way.

Several months ago, my dealer had my Lightning for 3 days because of a front sensor update they had trouble with. Anyway, they gave me a brand new ICE F-150 loaner and I told myself that I was about to hop into a brand new truck with 2000 miles on it and it's going to be a super treat! I couldn't wait to give that thing back! I forgot how annoying the noise, vibration, the gear shifting was! I hated it. I got back into my Lightning days later and really came to appreciate how sweet i have it with my Lightning.

I will NEVER go back to an ICE vehicle again.

Just like another member here once said....


"No more gas powered cars for me. They‘re like going back into the Stone Age……noise, vibration, heat, fumes, rev-ing, shifting, drive train slack, brake dust, oil changes, tune ups and gas pumps. NO Thanks!"

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

I can’t remember if I already responded, but might as well do so again.

2023 Lariat ER with 23k miles on it. Best vehicle we’ve ever owned. One tiny problem with the shifter which I haven’t fixed yet, but it’s intermittent and not a big deal.

We’ve never been Ford people. We bought the Lightning because the Mustang Mach-E was the best vehicle we’d ever owned.

We are so happy with both of our vehicles and will never buy another ICE.

 

[21st Century Truck]

I own a '23, ER, w/Tow Package. I have over 55k miles on it, with probably about 1/3 of those are from towing our 7,200 lb trailer. We just finished a 1,300 mile trip around Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Planning a southern route trip for the Spring, possible, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina. There are a few limitations that you have to adjust for, but I have to say that I'm totally happy with my Lightening and will never go back to an ICE vehicle. The future is bright...

Ditto. Just did an 8-week+, 9,300+ mile coast-to-coast trip this past Summer, over mountains and across deserts and all that... while towing a teardrop. Did a similar although much shorter camping trip with younger kids in tow the Summer of 2024. I drive this truck all the time, all over... got almost 76 thousand miles on the odometer and have visited more than half the states and with zero, as in "none whatsoever" mechanical problems. Best darn vehicle I've ever owned, beats the BMW and the Fusion and the several Toyotas and before that, a bunch of old clunkers in my early driving days which included an old GMC pickup...

 

[NW Ontario Ford Lightning]

The main problem with the Lightning: - it's just too damn FUN to drive.
I mean really, I've only had the truck since February and I just rolled 40,000km on it today *25,000 miles.

This is ridiculous in only 9 months of ownership.

They should make some chages to the truck like cut the torque in half, make it a lot louder, they should make it puff out fumes, stink, leak oil on the ground and rattle down the highway - that way I wouldn't be jumping in the damn thing every chance I get and rack up all this mileage.
I mean, What were they thinking ??!!

 

[fhteagle]

To answer the topic question, a qualified yes here.

Electric is awesome. I was in an EREV before this and honestly do not miss having a combustion backup at all. Even out here in Colorado's low population Western Slope, there's enough charging infrastructure to meet most of my needs (even while towing reasonable loads and distances) now. Takes a tiny bit of planning and thought but my career well prepared me to do range planning. Fueling at home for $1.10/gallon equivalent is nearly priceless lol

The fact that it shares parts, accessories, etc with the rest of the F150 fleet is huge. Diff lock has already gotten me out of mud in the recent near record rains. That feature alone is why I picked the Lightning over the competitors.

Downside is it's a shared platform with gobs of wasted space all over the place. After seeing what TELO has done to utilize absolutely all of the available volume, the Lightning feels like it's missing 30% of the vehicle somewhere...

Ford, especially software, has been a mixed bag. 1 year BC trial + free BC 1.4 upgrade were very very very nice. But overall software / UI / UX / app, especially with the recent unannounced deleting of backup passcodes, has me questioning whether this is just a bridge truck until the 20k towing rating GM EVs come out, or if the Lightning really is my usual decade-ish keeper....

 

[BluesClues]

Buy a used lightning and Granger warranty.

At full MSRP, I doubt I could square it up but it’s a great vehicle at residual

 

[Discwizard70]

I have a Maverick on order, but started having reservations about the size and utilitarian interior a couple weeks ago, so I started looking at the Ford Lightnings. I read about the tech and features and was pretty excited. But there are so many negative reviews online. There's maybe 1 positive review for every 9 that say "I hated my Lightning and sold it and a huge loss" reviews. Even here it seems like the majority are unhappy with their purchase. Am I making a huge mistake even looking at the Lightning?

Best truck I have ever owned. I travel for a living, and have always had a truck, although different brands and the Lightning is way better for me. It's easy and comfortable to drive, little maintenance and surprisingly economical over the big picture. My wife loves it, and we both agree that we no longer want gas vehicles, so our 2nd vehicle is a Mustang Mach E.
Like others have said, it's best to charge at home as often as possible, best to plan well for road trip charging, and best to make sure the larger truck fits your needs.... Check all those boxes and you are set for a happy ownership.

 

[StevenC56]

Best truck I have ever owned. I travel for a living, and have always had a truck, although different brands and the Lightning is way better for me. It's easy and comfortable to drive, little maintenance and surprisingly economical over the big picture. My wife loves it, and we both agree that we no longer want gas vehicles, so our 2nd vehicle is a Mustang Mach E.
Like others have said, it's best to charge at home as often as possible, best to plan well for road trip charging, and best to make sure the larger truck fits your needs.... Check all those boxes and you are set for a happy ownership.

When I started this thread over a year ago I had no idea it would be so active and stay active. But as you know there's a good reason for that. We ended up buying a new 2024 Lightning Lariat last October 1st. We quickly learned to love it so much that we ordered a 2025 Mach E GT to replace my wife's 2017 Explorer Platinum and took delivery of it on June 5th. So just like you we have the Lightning/Mach E combo!

 

[Discwizard70]

When I started this thread over a year ago I had no idea it would be so active and stay active. But as you know there's a good reason for that. We ended up buying a new 2024 Lightning Lariat last October 1st. We quickly learned to love it so much that we ordered a 2025 Mach E GT to replace my wife's 2017 Explorer Platinum and took delivery of it on June 5th. So just light you we have the Lightning/Mach E combo!

Awesome!
I actually have seen quite a few people buy one, then the other like we did because of how great their 1st vehicle experience is. I admit that there is more to set up and learn buying EVs, but once you get everything set, ownership is great, easy, and economical.
Congrats on your 2 vehicles, glad you like them as much as I do!

 

[RLXXI]

it's just that you're putting electricity (from fossil fuels) into the "tank" instead of directly putting fossil fuels into the tank.

Depends on region. My truck gets nuked from Waterford 3 reactor and what I harvest from the sky. No dino in my truck just pure unadulterated electrons.

I actually got to tour that plant before it opened, back when I was taking an electronics/electrical class in college 44 years ago. This country/world needs more reactors, a lot more.

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