Ford F 150 Super Crew Lightning Bev
Problems & Worst Years

Electrical complaints define the Ford F-150 Lightning's early record, which is roughly what you'd want to check first on a battery-electric truck anyway. The 2022 model year is the heavier of the two files at 155 reported occurrences versus 84 for 2023, and its top problems are stereo system malfunctions (39 reports), battery module failure (28), and general electrical system glitches (27). One mechanical item stands out amid the electronics: 25 reports of axle bolt failure. A handful of owners — eight — also reported airbag deployment failures, low in count but worth noting because of what it involves.

The 2023 file is lighter and skews toward displays and driver aids. Instrument cluster failure leads at 25 reports, followed by 13 reports of the truck refusing to start while showing a "Stop Safely Now" message. Twelve owners reported water intrusion into the rear light bar, and the remainder concern malfunctioning back-over prevention and forward collision avoidance systems.

Taken together, the data points a buyer toward a specific inspection routine: run the infotainment and instrument cluster through their paces, ask for any battery module service records, check the rear light bar for moisture, verify the driver-assist features operate, and have the axle hardware looked at on a 2022.

Keep the scale honest, though. These are complaint counts filed with NHTSA, not measured failure rates, and both years are recent enough that reports are still accumulating — 2023's smaller file partly reflects less time on the road. Neither year's totals are large in absolute terms. A thorough pre-purchase inspection and the individual truck's service history will tell you more than the model-year difference will.