Ford is recalling 18 units of its F-150 Lightning truck over fears that they might spontaneously catch on fire. The danger is directly related to one such pickup truck that unexpectedly went down in a blaze on a Ford holding lot back in February. The Blue Oval has since said that it’s fixed the potential problem.
Back on Valentine’s day, we told you about how Ford had shut down production and deliveries of the F-150 Lightning over battery concerns. What we didn’t initially know was that Ford found the issue because one of the trucks burnt to the ground. By February 19th, Ford spokesperson Emma Bergg clarified that Lightning customers didn’t need to worry.
“I can confirm one vehicle fire. Let me reiterate, we have no reason to believe F-150 Lightnings already in customer hands are affected by this issue,” she said. Today, we’re learning that on March 2nd, Ford determined that 18 completed Lightning trucks are out there with suspect battery cells. The automaker doesn’t say whether or not any have made it into customer’s hands but did confirm that dealers will replace the high-voltage battery pack at no cost to the customer.
More: Ford’s EVs To Be Offered With Two Different Battery Chemistries
At the heart of the issue are cathode aluminum tabs in the battery pack that can improperly contact anode electrode material. Should that occur while the battery is at a high level of charge it can create a short circuit and ultimately lead to a fire.
According to its review, the flawed battery packs were only built by the supplier from December 14th, 2022 through January 17th, 2023 and only the 18 included in the recall made it into the wild. In this case, Ford even included the 18 VIN numbers included in this recall as part of the filing so those concerned that they have an affected vehicle can find out immediately.
Of course, they can also call their local dealership or the NHTSA directly. Ford isn’t aware of any injuries or accidents related to this recall it says.
Affected Vehicle VIN List
1FTVW1EL0PWG09271 • 1FTVW1EL5PWG11047
1FTVW1EL0PWG10095 • 1FTVW1EL6PWG09338
1FTVW1EL0PWG11005 • 1FTVW1EL7PWG08599
1FTVW1EL1PWG08985 • 1FTVW1EL7PWG09266
1FTVW1EL2PWG09451 • 1FTVW1EL8PWG08143
1FTVW1EL2PWG11054 • 1FTVW1EL8PWG08904
1FTVW1EL3PWG09569 • 1FTVW1EL8PWG09244
1FTVW1EL3PWG09605 • 1FTVW1ELXPWG07639
1FTVW1EL5PWG09167 • 1FTVW1ELXPWG09925
