Multiple Error messages and bricked: Post #41

[Jim Lewis]

Only the connector port is at the front exterior, while the actual BMS modules is inside

But potentially the multiple openings there, sealed by gaskets, provide an entry point for corrosive salty liquid to get into the front of the HVB battery pack "casket" and act on BMS components inside. @Nomoregas has implied that salt and water corrosion is the problem:

as I was thinking if water and salt could destroy this in just 3.5 years

But he hasn't said where it might be coming from: winter road salting, driving on the beach, boat launching, or plowing through swampy salt marshes. The Lightning should be designed to withstand road salt. A defect there is a warranty defect, IMHO, of material, design, or manufacturing, whereas I don't think off-roading that deliberately exposes the vehicle to salt could be considered a warranty issue by any stretch of the imagination (although some might consider beach boat launching a normal use for a truck).

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[Nomoregas]

I can say we had a brutal winter in Toronto Canada and it snowed 4-5 times a week so there was salt dumped on the roads constantly which will turn to a liquid mixture at the right temps. I have to assume the BMS at 1100 and 950 labour is not that little component off the 12 volt or the service manager has used the wrong terms but he said the words battery management system but he is new there at 1 month so who knows, when I get the bill I can see the exact wording.

I was hoping to be able to seal that up better than ford did if possible.

 

[Jim Lewis]

I was hoping to be able to seal that up better than ford did if possible.

I wouldn't do that, as it would mess with the vehicle's design and give Ford an excuse to void any future Ford warranty claims. Ask Ford and your dealer for a repair that can stand up to Canadian winters for the service life of the vehicle.

FWIW, here's an MS Copilot analysis of why it should be considered a Ford manufacturing/design issue covered under the 8-year/100,000-mile EV drivetrain warranty:
https://copilot.microsoft.com/shares/eABtvDPXx9W6cFXsFwuJu

And here's why, according to the same AI, failure of any connector gaskets on the front of the HVB battery pack, leading to leakage into the front interior of the pack where the HVB BMS is located, is not equivalent to a Nissan Stanza head gasket failure I had in the 1980s that was not covered under an extended warranty. The head gasket was considered an item subject to normal wear and excluded in the fine print of the warranty, whereas a connector gasket seal is not a wear item - it's expected to last the service lifetime of the vehicle.
https://copilot.microsoft.com/shares/pn6BbAfkkNt6wNz7p4ayB

Maybe @Ford Motor Company can say something about how Ford Lightnings are designed to stand up to winter road salt in the U.S. and Canada and whether there is a potential EV design/warranty issue here that needs to be addressed, both to save the owner a $2050 repair cost and avoid other Lightning owners in salty winter road environments from experiencing the same as time goes by.

 

[Nomoregas]

I have 135,000 KM on the truck I think the normal warranty is 60,000 and the battery is 160,000

 

[Jim Lewis]

I have 135,000 KM on the truck I think the normal warranty is 60,000 and the battery is 160,000

The 160,000 KM on the battery would be the drivetrain warranty (battery to electric motors), and it seems that if you're "only" at 135K KM, you're still within that warranty period. I haven't read the fine print on the drivetrain warranty, but, for $2050, it's worth looking into, IMHO.

Just to spread the AI wisdom around, the following link below is Gemini's take on the warranty applicability. It mentions that Ford has a specific road salt exclusion warranty clause, but it is generally understood to apply only to cosmetic corrosion of frame surfaces or body panels. It is agreed that the failure of a battery pack seal within 3.5 years might well be considered a defect in material or workmanship. One thought is whether you were routinely plowing through hubcap deep snow that might have had some icy debris that was periodically whacking your undercarriage. That might show up as impact damage on the affected components. Without evidence to support such a failure mode, a warranty claim of a defect in material or workmanship should be favored by default, IMHO.
https://gemini.google.com/share/4b822852469f

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