Strange, frunk opened, truck unlocked??

[WLSB Lightning]

So, I woke up to something strange this morning. I walked out my front door, and my frunk was wide open and my doors were unlocked. Key fob was in a drawer. Opened Ford app and (for the first time) it indicated that it could not connect because the truck was in “battery saver mode“ and had to be manually started (even though I have 55%)? Anyone have ideas as to what happened to cause all this? I suppose at some point when I had my fob in my pocket yesterday the frunk *might* have been activated, but that is my only guess. Nothing taken.

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[TaxmanHog]

Opened Ford app and (for the first time) it indicated that it could not connect because the truck was in “battery saver mode“ and had to be manually started (even though I have 55%)?

Your traction HVB has nothing to do with the SOC of the 12v battery SOC which governs the trucks decision to go into battery saver mode, odd to see a 2025 Lightning with 12v battery issues, do you have any aftermarket devices running ? Overnight running of the Frunk lamps might have been enough load to cause this issue.

 

[RLXXI]

I wonder if they built in a strategy that auto opens the frunk/unlocks the doors when it detects a low 12v battery? That would be pretty forward thinking of them considering you need the frunk open before the last drop of juice drains away to get at the 12v battery.

Yeah I know about the manual release inside but still, I had to try it when I first got my truck to be sure it'll work when actually needed and it was tight but yeah, having the funk open in the "event of" kind of deal would be nice.

Just spitballing here.

 

[RLXXI]

Your traction HVB has nothing to do with the SOC of the 12v battery SOC which governs the trucks decision to go into battery saver mode, odd to see a 2025 Lightning with 12v battery issues, do you have any aftermarket devices running ? Overnight running of the Frunk lamps might have been enough load to cause this issue.

My other trucks battery died at 9 months, over the years dealing with them daily, I stopped trying to guess how long they'll last, it's a crap shoot and I'm not much of a gambler. I always recommend buying the best battery warranty one can afford.

 

[TaxmanHog]

I wonder if they built in a strategy that auto opens the frunk/unlocks the doors when it detects a low 12v battery? That would be pretty forward thinking of them considering you need the frunk open before the last drop of juice drains away to get at the 12v battery.

I hope not, the way I park my truck in the garage, the Frunk could be damaged hitting the staircase to the second floor of my garage if it were to open under such a strategy.

 

[RLXXI]

I hope not, the way I park my truck in the garage, the Frunk could be damaged hitting the staircase to the second floor of my garage if it were to open under such a strategy.

Good point.

 

[chl]

So, I woke up to something strange this morning. I walked out my front door, and my frunk was wide open and my doors were unlocked. Key fob was in a drawer. Opened Ford app and (for the first time) it indicated that it could not connect because the truck was in “battery saver mode“ and had to be manually started (even though I have 55%)? Anyone have ideas as to what happened to cause all this? I suppose at some point when I had my fob in my pocket yesterday the frunk *might* have been activated, but that is my only guess. Nothing taken.

For battery saver mode "deterrence," get a 12v battery maintainer with an AGM mode and use it daily, whenever the truck is parked, overnight, etc.

The Frunk opening by itself has been an issue with Tesla's so I have read anyway, for a variety of reasons.
Putting on my electrical engineer hat...

You had a 12v battery issue AND door and frunk opening/unlocking, so what could cause both?

A wiring issue with the opening controls is one possibility and/or a software glitch.

If it was JUST a low 12v battery issue, I'd expect the opposite problem, i.e., inability to unlock/open things.

The suggestion above that the frunk light drained the battery is another possibility for the 12v battery warning - but doesn't the light turn off after 30 minutes or so? Maybe that was enough for the warning?

So if there was some kind of radio interference nearby that triggered both the unlock and the funk opening, that could be another possibility - that is sometimes what causes the Tesla frunk to open they say.

A more worrisome possibility is someone 'cloned' your key FOB and was trying to rob things out of the truck.

Or is using one of the hacking programs that can give then the ability to open things - yes, that's a thing. Then they left the frunk open and the light drained the battery.

I'd be checking my security cameras if it were my truck to rule that out!

 

[chl]

Note: it's a good idea to keep your key FOB wrapped in aluminum foil or other Faraday cage to lower the chance of some hacks.

The phone as a key is another vulnerability.

But so is the telemetrics in general, and the only way to avoid that is to disable the modem or telemetry modules of the truck.

The truck might be vulnerable to using the wiring with CAN injection by accessing some of the external lights/cameras/sensors, but I'm not positive of that.

EDIT: just looked it up and apparently that IS a possibility with the Lightning.

 

[chl]

Phone as a key hack article form 2022:

https://carbuzz.com/news/ford-f-150-lightning-is-vulnerable-to-hackers/

 

[Red_Lightning]

Yeah I know about the manual release inside...

Manual release?

 

[RLXXI]

Manual release?

Down by where an ice truck has its hood latch there is a red loop, that is the frunk release.

 

[chl]

Just be sure you have a key handy to get into the truck when the 12v battery goes dead...otherwise you'd have to find a way to jump/charge the battery externally.

Of course if you added a battery maintainer wire (like I did) and used a maintainer daily, no problemo.

 

[chl]

OK, happened to me today while using PPOB with the truck OFF - tweaked my 2023 with a FORscan change yesterday and was testing the PPOB with the truck OFF.

My 12v battery is usually on a maintainer, but was not on the maintainer during the PPOB use for several hours.

Very disconcerting!

Also, the PPOB shut off before the reserve level had been reached - are these related somehow?

Could the update PT-25.8.5 be the culprit for both of these problems?

PPOB worked fine since June 2025 before this recent update.

This is the first time I have seen the Frunk open by itself since the update which I got around March 6, 2026.

Was it because my 12v battery ran down during the PPOB testing?

I also noticed at one point the APP stopped reporting the change in HVB SOC and range during the PPOB test. That's when I saw the Frunk was open. That seems to suggest a 12v battery issue while testing the PPOB with truck OFF.

A mystery.

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