On your travels, if you see a 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning with fogged up windows, it may not be that something exciting is happening within. Rather, the occupants may simply have one of the 931 examples that are currently being recalled over an issue that affects the cabin heating system.
Since the F-150 Lightning is an electric vehicle and can’t scavenge waste heat from an engine, it needs an electronic cabin coolant heater system in order to keep occupants warm. As hinted at above, the system is also responsible for defogging its windows, meaning that the lack thereof amounts to an imminent safety issue, not just a comfort problem.
Ford first became aware of the defect in September, when an F-150 Lightning was brought to its Critical Concern Review Group for review. The vehicle was found to have an issue at the factory, and showed a diagnostic trouble code, indicating a loss of communication with the cabin coolant heater.
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Ford determined that the problem lay with a printed circuit board that was made by its supplier, Borg Warner. It found that a missing solder joint on one of the three low voltage connectors led to intermittent or non-existent cabin heating.
Fortunately, only circuit boards printed at Borg Warner’s secondary, low-volume production line were affected, because the company did not have the processes in place to catch improperly soldered connections on it.
As a result, just 931 F-150 Lightnings need to be recalled in the U.S., and Ford is not aware of any injuries or accidents relating to this issue. However, with the colder months approaching, owners of those vehicles may be glad to hear that Ford is initiating a recall campaign and will reach out to them starting on November 6.
They will be asked to return their vehicle to a nearby dealership, where the electronic cabin coolant heater will simply be replaced for one with properly soldered joints.
