Battery Electrical Arching In Certain 2023 F-150 Lightning Trucks

In certain instances, select 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning trucks may face electrical arcing issues at the busbars. This problem stems from inadequately tightened fasteners securing the junction box bus bars within the high-voltage battery pack.

An investigation was initiated in December 2023, by Ford’s Critical Concern Review Group (CCRG)after receiving a report from a warranty claim concerning a 2023 model year F-150 BEV. The vehicle halted unexpectedly, refusing to restart. Inspection at the dealership revealed a missing nut on the high voltage (HV) battery bus bar affixed to the High Voltage Battery Junction Box, also known as the Bussed Electrical Center (BEC), inside the HV battery pack. Upon evaluation, engineers confirmed that the damage observed correlated with the absence of the nut. This absence led to increased resistance, causing arcing at the joint, which in turn triggered diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs), disabling the HV system and resulting in a loss of motive power without the possibility of restarting.

Subsequent scrutiny of plant process records at the high voltage battery assembly facility aimed to ascertain if the installation of a retention nut might have been overlooked during assembly. It was established that all bus bar joints in the BEC assembly are initially secured during assembly using Direct Current (DC) nut runners with torque and angle verification. The investigation revealed a potential scenario where a bus bar retention nut was inadvertently removed during a rework operation for an unrelated issue. Records indicate that the high voltage battery assembly for the concerned vehicle underwent rework on March 15, 2023. Following this rework, there was no additional verification of retention nut torque during the remaining assembly process. The affected vehicle population comprises batteries built from February 1 through March 31, 2023, which underwent rework and were reintroduced to the assembly line after the BEC fastener rundown operation.

As of February 14, 2024, Ford Motor Company is aware of one field report (received September 18, 2023) and one warranty report (received October 9, 2023) associated with this concern. Subsequently, on February 16, 2024, Ford’s Field Review Committee deliberated on the matter and sanctioned a field action.

Affected owners will be notified to return to their dealerships for an inspection of the busbar fasteners and replacement of any damaged components as required. The recall identification number assigned by Ford is 24S11, and the NHTSA campaign number is 24V-144.