Update 8/22/2025: F-150 Lightning major charging issues on road trip

[jjupi91897]

I've been hesitant to take the Lightning on any road trips due to concerns about charging and support if I encounter issues. For whatever reason, I finally decided to take the plunge...and unfortunately it did not go well. It was smooth sailing on the way out, but on the way back, that's when the trouble started. I couldn't get the truck to charge at a Tesla supercharger. The light ring next to the charging port lit up red, I got a message and the little yellow wrench popped up on the dash. No worries, went ahead and tried another 2 fast chargers (one Tesla, one EV Connect), but no luck. I then tried disconnecting the 12V battery for about 25 minutes, that didn't work either unfortunately. Ford roadside assistance directed me to a local dealer, but, by that point, it was too late, so I stayed at a hotel overnight. The next morning I showed up to the service department first thing hoping I could get my issue resolved and get back on the road, but was told they were "a few months out on EVs." Obviously that wouldn't work, so I headed to another dealer, but they were also behind on EVs. Turned out every dealer in this major metro was behind on EVs, so I had no choice but to leave the truck there.

I was able to get in touch with someone in Ford's EV department who was more helpful. They pulled some information on my truck and saw that my charging port was overheating with both DCFC and level 2. They recommended that I rent a car and Ford would reimburse me up to $60 per day for the vehicle. This was better than nothing, but one thing I did find strange was that they said my rental car had to be a Ford in order for them to reimburse. I understand wanting to promote your brand, but what if there wasn't a Ford available? In fact, there wasn't when I first showed up. When I explained my situation to the rental agency, they made sure to get a Ford to me (thanks, Enterprise), but it still seems like a strange requirement, especially when my new truck has left me stranded.

I'm still waiting to hear back regarding the truck. Sounds like it'll be several weeks before I know anything, but I'll update this as things come along.

And one thing I will add is that my friend has a Rivian and had a similar issue when the vehicle was new. Rivian's customer service was fantastic. They arranged a vehicle for my friend, and it was one that was similar to the Rivian he was driving (Rivian R1S SUV to a Chevy Tahoe rental), while I went from a fairly luxurious electric truck to whatever $60 per day would get me. They also paid to have his vehicle flatbed towed back to a dealer in his hometown, which was several hours away. I imagine I will have to drive the 6 hours back to the dealer that currently has my truck. Just wanted to throw this in there to show differing levels of service from different companies.

I do a lot of road trips and haven't had any problems thus far. Yeah, Ford must provide better service in these type situations.

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[Duke_239]

Corrosion as in rust? How would one prevent that from happening?

It's electrical gear, so I wouldn't recommend owners taking any steps themselves. However, any high current mechanical connection is subject to a corrosion layer that can cause heating.

 

[perpetuality]

Got an update and now I'm looking for advice.

I reached out to the dealership for an update and the rep told me that it was a software issue and that the truck was charging properly now. I asked if they had confirmed that it could charge on a level 3 charger since I was coming from 6 hours away. They said they were unable to do that since they only have a level 2 at the dealership and all level 3 chargers require a credit card. I let them know that the truck had charged temporarily on a level 2 before the charging port finally overheated and I repeated that I had to know that everything was functioning properly before I take time off work to make the 12 hour round trip, and that I was going to reach out to Ford to see if they had any ideas on how to verify that the level 3 charging is working.

Yesterday morning, I emailed the rep in the EV division that helped me out when the issue first started, but haven't heard back yet, so I'm going to call them today. They were great to work with by the way.

Has anyone else dealt with this situation? Or does anyone have any ideas for me?

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