Stranded in Seattle Without Fast Charger

[daletron]

My wife and I had a perfect getaway planned for Victoria BC. Made hotel reservations etc. We left from Spokane and were going to fast charge in Elensburg. The first Tesla charger through errors so we went to an Electrify America charger - same problem. We went to the first Ford dealer that could work on it in Yakima. They did some kind of programming overide that allowed us to fast charge with no guarantees. We got close to Seattle on the charge. We went to another Tesla fast charger and got the same results. We took the 2024 Flash to another dealer where they spent 3 days ordering parts and repairing it. $3500 of warranty covered repairs and a loaner lightning for the wee. I had to drive back from spokane to get it. Since our destination was out of the country we had to cancel our hotel. Now my wife is afraid to take another long trip in this lightening. Is this a common problem? Should I be worried? Other than the BIG disappointment we love this pickup.

Sponsored

 

[abcut973]

Any idea of what your problem is/was? Fault code?

 

[daletron]

The chargers showed errors and I don’t remember what the error code was on the vehicle. I known they had to order replacement parts from out of state. I believe it might have been the lock interface.

 

[Heliian]

98000kms with no major issues.

Just did 750 kms today in the cold and snowy Canada. 5 dcfc sessions.
3 Tesla, 1 Chargepoint(Petrocanada) and 1 Ivy.

That's all after my truck sat for a week in the cold.

The LIGHTNING is the best truck ever.

 

[DNap4]

I had a few errors with the Tesla Superchargers not connecting…but most of them resolved when I switched up how I connected the adapter.

#1. Plug the Tesla Supercharger into the Adapter
#2. Plug the Adapter into the Lightning
#3. Start Charger within 15 seconds of the connection

 

[B177y]

Is this a common problem? Should I be worried? Other than the BIG disappointment we love this pickup.

I can't accurately say if it's common or not, but in 46,000 miles with trips from far NW WA to Spokane, through Spokane to ID, MT, and ND, with a couple trips to OR, 40-50 fast charges mostly on Tesla, some EA, and some other networks, no problems so far
🪵

 

[abcut973]

The chargers showed errors and I don’t remember what the error code was on the vehicle. I known they had to order replacement parts from out of state. I believe it might have been the lock interface.

You mean dealer changed your charging port?

 

[daletron]

You mean dealer changed your charging port?

Yes the dealer replaced the charge port.

 

[Pacific.NW]

I had the same problem on my '22 - I wasn't charging at all on either AC or DC. Dealer thought they had it solved on the first visit (but didn't properly confirm the battery was actually receiving power), and subsequently took a couple of weeks to tear the truck apart and finally diagnosed the charge port as the fault, and replaced it. Everything has been peachy since.

 

[Dee]

Did you start a case with the Ford BEV team? If not, do so to document the event. Hopefully the dealer service personnel provided you with documentation of the work completed.
As others have stated here, I to agree. My 2022 LER is the best vehicle I have ever owned.
Drove my 2022 for three years with absolutely no problems. In the past year it's bricked twice. Both times the dealer got it running. But frankly, I am now gun shy of this thing being able to always get me home.
My advice is start documenting every quirky thing that happens to your Lightning with the Ford BEV team.
If you haven't already, Purchase a Ford Extended Service Plan. They are available at a discount from Granger Ford and Ziegler Ford. Use your Ford Pass points received when you purchased your Lightning.
Good luck, and listen carefully to your Wife. Her instincts are correct.

 

[daletron]

Thanks for that information. I did not know about the Ford BEV team. I kept the receipts of all the work that was done. I could post a copy so everyone can see what was replaced. How do you contact the BEV team?

 

[CD4TNF]

My first drive of my Lightning was a 2,000 mile trip back home from the dealer. Got it home safe and sound. Learned a lot about the truck.


The past two years I've taken it up and down the West coast. Vancouver BC, Richmond BC. Along the Columbia River to Spokane and Yakima in Washington. Along the coast in Oregon. Down to the California Bay Area. ~500-1,000 mile road trips.

I'm confident in my truck.

My recommendation is build up some confidence with shorter smaller trips first. Test the limits in bite sizes pieces.


Go to a neighboring city, fast charge there just to see it work, then go home. Not that you need it.

Next take a trip that gets you down to ~20%-30% battery, fast charge, visit the town, then go back home.

Etc and keep pushing the experience adding that next layer. Understandable confidence is on the floor now, but with new experiences it'll get better.

 

[daletron]

Great advice thanks.

 

[carys98]

If this were a gas truck and the fuel pump had failed on a trip would you consider never taking it on a trip again?

 

[explosive0]

Sounds like the same issue I am experiencing and it's been an absolute nightmare dealing with Ford. Four repair attempts, ~30 days out of service, and major gaslightning from dealer and Ford corporate telling me I was either using a bad charger or not plugging the charger in properly. Replacing the charge port has not resolved the issue.

Thankfully (sad to look at it this way), the charging error occurred again while in the possession of Ford's Field Service Engineer. Ford still refuses to acknowledge this is a defect, and are saying it could have been the charger the FSE used.

Good luck, you're going to need it if it's anything like my issue.

Sponsored