A software issue has forced a recall of F-150 Lightning electric pickups. Ford is recalling certain 2022-2023 F-150 Lightning vehicles. The SYNC software may fail to activate the electronic stability control (ESC) system at the beginning of each ignition cycle. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 126, “Electronic Stability Control Systems.”
Failure to reset the ESC to active may result in the driver unknowingly operating the vehicle without electronic stability control, increasing the risk of a crash. 5,118 of the EVs could be subject to this recall.
Remedy
The Accessory Protocol Interface Module (APIM) software will be updated by a dealer or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed December 18, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford’s number for this recall is 23C38.
F-150 Lightning recall notes
Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.
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I recall the days folks had skill to drive a vehicle and even park or backup their RV without any electronic interfaces to protect them from themselves or others. Now operating a vehicle with a known defective air bag, battery, or driver interface becomes a liability for the owner of the vehicle who must park it until repaired.
I almost long for the days of crank-up windows, three on the tree, trunks that you raised by hand, car doors that opened with a key, no computers to go bad, and engines you could lean over the fender and work on – because you could. Sigh. Old f@rt memories . . .
Thank you, Russ and Tina! I don’t have one of these, but our DP just got a needed software update that ensures our windshield wipers wil work on demand. 🙂