First Ford F-150 Lightning Recall Affects 2,900 Electric Trucks
The issue will be rectified via an over-the-air update.
Ford will issue a safety recall for approximately 2,900 F-150 Lightning electric pickups sold in North America. The automaker revealed the details of the recall on Monday, noting that the truck's software may fail to provide a low tire pressure warning in some cases.
According to the recall, the tire cold inflation pressure warning threshold in the body control module (BCM) was incorrectly set. Rather than being set at 42 psi, the pressure warning was instead set to be tripped at 35 psi, or seven pounds lower than what should trigger a warning light. That being said, drivers may fail to be notified that the tire pressure drops below the lowest recommended value and could result in "poor vehicle handling and a possible loss of vehicle control."
This is the first safety recall issued for the Ford F-150 Lightning and affects 2,666 trucks in the United States and 220 in Canada. Ford affirmed that it is not aware of any accidents or injuries related to the issue, though it is being proactive with this recall to prevent any.
It's worth noting that only F-150 Lightning trucks equipped with the 20-inch and 22-inch wheels are affected by this recall. The lower Pro and XLT trims come standard with 18-inch wheels and are not affected by the programming mistake.
Ford says that its dealers can install a quick 20-minute update to the truck's BCM to fix the issue, but it will also be pushing out an over-the-air update within the next 30 days to fix the problem remotely. In the meantime, Ford recommends that owners manually check the tire pressure to make sure that it matches the factory information label inside of the door jamb.
Despite this seeming like a relatively minor issue, it's certainly a lesson on how going through the proper channels can avoid a regulatory headache. Ford issued a formal recall for its vehicle rather than just pushing a software update, which is something that has been frowned upon by the NHTSA in the past. It is, however, a good look at how OTA updates are becoming increasingly common in the connected car era, and how simple mistakes that once required trips to the dealership can be fixed remotely.
