Truck lost power while driving

[Roadie103]

This past Friday our truck lost power while driving. My wife, with toddler also in the truck, was pulling onto a highway on-ramp when the driving power cut out. She still had power steering and was able to coast downhill to a safe spot to pull off the road. A message briefly popped up saying something along the lines of 'front motor: no power', or something like that. She was more focused on getting the truck off the road and couldn't capture the exact message. Fortunately this was just a few miles from home, and I was able to drive over and swap vehicles with her. By the time I arrived the truck was just displaying the "stop safely now" alert and would not turn on. As I waited for a tow truck I tried disconnecting the 12v battery to reset the truck, but no luck. Accessory power was still available and I was able to open/close the frunk and keep the dash/lights on. I had to use the emergency tow procedure to get the truck into neutral to load onto the flatbed tow truck.

Very scary situation to have it completely cut out like that while driving, and I'm very grateful it did not occur in a more dangerous spot. We regularly drive on remote rural highways here in northern California, and we could have been really stranded had this happened in an area without cell service hours away from a dealership.

The dealership was able to run diagnostics before they closed on Friday and determined that the BECM needed to be replaced. The part is currently expected to arrive tomorrow. They say it will take two days to do the repair since they have to drop the battery.

Sad to say my local dealership doesn't have a loaner vehicle program, and the rental car place they partner with was closed for the weekend by the time the truck was diagnosed. I am disappointed by my dealership's nonchalant attitude regarding such a catastrophic failure. I had to actively question what little information I have out of them. They didn't even bring up any kind of rental car offer until I asked about it hours after the vehicle arrived dead on a tow truck. I feel fortunate to have a friend who had a vehicle I could borrow for the week. I did hear from Ford customer service. The woman on the phone was much more sympathetic to the situation and is waiting to get a more compete diagnostic report from my dealership to better understand what happened. She didn't really have anything to offer.

Truck is a 2023 XLT ER with ~28,500 miles. My favorite vehicle I've owned. Hoping I will be able to trust it to go on road trips again.

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[TaxmanHog]

Sorry this has happened to your family, as you look around the forum, you'll see that you're not alone with this experience.

 

[Heliian]

Sometimes vehicles break down.

Glad your dealer seems to be on the ball.

 

[BlakeGJ]

It ended up being a 22 day experience for me. BECM led to 2 modules being replaced. It's been fine since.

 

[loschopper]

Definitely scary. Do you know if your BECM was updated? Thought that I read that Ford updated it so if something went wrong the truck would go into a limp / low power mode. I could be wrong though.

 

[MidAtlanticLightningClub]

I am disappointed by my dealership's nonchalant attitude regarding such a catastrophic failure.

Really sorry this happened to your wife and I'm sure it was a scary experience. However, I'm not convinced catastrophic is an appropriate term here. Vehicles have been losing power suddenly as long as there have been vehicles. It's fortunate that she only lost propulsion power and had functioning steering and brakes.

Wheels suddenly lock up? Yes, catastrophic. Suddenly lose bakes or steering. Yes, catastrophic. Power dies and the driver can gently pull off onto the shoulder, bad but hardly catastrophic.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

This past Friday our truck lost power while driving. My wife, with toddler also in the truck, was pulling onto a highway on-ramp when the driving power cut out. She still had power steering and was able to coast downhill to a safe spot to pull off the road. A message briefly popped up saying something along the lines of 'front motor: no power', or something like that. She was more focused on getting the truck off the road and couldn't capture the exact message. Fortunately this was just a few miles from home, and I was able to drive over and swap vehicles with her. By the time I arrived the truck was just displaying the "stop safely now" alert and would not turn on. As I waited for a tow truck I tried disconnecting the 12v battery to reset the truck, but no luck. Accessory power was still available and I was able to open/close the frunk and keep the dash/lights on. I had to use the emergency tow procedure to get the truck into neutral to load onto the flatbed tow truck.

Very scary situation to have it completely cut out like that while driving, and I'm very grateful it did not occur in a more dangerous spot. We regularly drive on remote rural highways here in northern California, and we could have been really stranded had this happened in an area without cell service hours away from a dealership.

The dealership was able to run diagnostics before they closed on Friday and determined that the BECM needed to be replaced. The part is currently expected to arrive tomorrow. They say it will take two days to do the repair since they have to drop the battery.

Sad to say my local dealership doesn't have a loaner vehicle program, and the rental car place they partner with was closed for the weekend by the time the truck was diagnosed. I am disappointed by my dealership's nonchalant attitude regarding such a catastrophic failure. I had to actively question what little information I have out of them. They didn't even bring up any kind of rental car offer until I asked about it hours after the vehicle arrived dead on a tow truck. I feel fortunate to have a friend who had a vehicle I could borrow for the week. I did hear from Ford customer service. The woman on the phone was much more sympathetic to the situation and is waiting to get a more compete diagnostic report from my dealership to better understand what happened. She didn't really have anything to offer.

Truck is a 2023 XLT ER with ~28,500 miles. My favorite vehicle I've owned. Hoping I will be able to trust it to go on road trips again.

I'm so sorry to hear this! I'll send you a DM to help ensure that we get you sorted.

 

[chl]

Definitely scary. Do you know if your BECM was updated? Thought that I read that Ford updated it so if something went wrong the truck would go into a limp / low power mode. I could be wrong though.

Good memory!

There was a Customer Satisfaction Program (CSP) 23B57 :

The software update is designed to detect faulty battery modules and, in the event of an issue, change the vehicle's response from a "STOP SAFELY NOW" condition to a more manageable reduced performance mode. A smaller percentage of trucks require physical replacement of one or more battery modules to correct a manufacturing defect.

 

[RLXXI]

Breakdowns happen to everyone eventually, electric or gas doesn't matter. If it's man made it will break, man fix, rinse/repeat.

It usually happens at the most inopportune times and places, that's just the way it goes.

 

[MaintGrl]

I'm so sorry to hear this! I'll send you a DM to help ensure that we get you sorted.

Hey, I just wanna say, It's nice to see you chiming in a lil bit more. I/(we) appreciate it.
Please be a good advocate for Ford, Us, Our Lightnings, Our Purchase.

 

[Ford Motor Company]

Hey, I just wanna say, It's nice to see you chiming in a lil bit more. I/(we) appreciate it.
Please be a good advocate for Ford, Us, Our Lightnings, Our Purchase.

Thank you! Doing what I can to support and provide useful information when possible!

 

[MountainAlive]

Good memory!

There was a Customer Satisfaction Program (CSP) 23B57 :

The software update is designed to detect faulty battery modules and, in the event of an issue, change the vehicle's response from a "STOP SAFELY NOW" condition to a more manageable reduced performance mode. A smaller percentage of trucks require physical replacement of one or more battery modules to correct a manufacturing defect.

Interesting. I never saw that CSP for my 2023 Lariat ER. It was built in Dec 2023 so maybe they had already sorted that out. In any case, glad everyone was ok and got the truck off the road safely.

 

[chl]

Interesting. I never saw that CSP for my 2023 Lariat ER. It was built in Dec 2023 so maybe they had already sorted that out. In any case, glad everyone was ok and got the truck off the road safely.

My 2023 Pro built in OCT 2023 or so had 23B57 originally scheduled for May 2024 along with 23B70, but then they (Ford) put a hold on 23B57 for some reason and the Dealership did not install 23B70 until July 22, 2024 because they had to order the part.

For some reason 23B57 wasn't completed until July 31, 2024, but it is/was in my records.

Originally the message I got was:
---
"Description High voltage battery module replacement and or battery energy control module becm software update Campaign# 23B57 Next Steps Contact your local dealer for next steps."
---
But then it came as an OTA:

---
Automatic Updates: On
Recurring Schedule: Wed at 8:30 AM Sat at 8:30 AM
Last successful software update completed on:
07/31/2024
What's in This Update?

​

Priority Update- Powertrain
Your vehicle has been updated with following:
Customer Satisfaction Program 23B57
We updated the Battery Energy Control Module (BECM) software strategy to adjust the way your vehicle performs if a voltage deviation is identified within the high voltage battery. This completes customer satisfaction program 23B57. There is nothing more you need to do to complete this customer satisfaction program.
SYNC Navigation
SYNC navigation has been updated to anticipate conditions along your route and schedule battery cooling to meet the unique demands of your trip.
Software updates are designed to help make your vehicle better over time.
23-PU1129-CBC-ODP
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