- Almost 12,000 Ford F-150 Lightnings manufactured in 2023 and 2024 could be affected.
- The issue is an insufficiently torqued ball joint nut that could cause suspension and steering components to come loose
- This has so far only been the source of one accident attributed to this flaw and Ford will begin notifying owners in early February.
Ford ended 2024 with an F-150 Lightning recall highlighting a serious issue that could cause a loss of steering while driving. The problem stems from front suspension components that may have been improperly tightened at the factory and could come loose and separate, potentially leading to a serious accident.
Only one known accident has been attributed to this defect, and it saw the truck veering into a highway barrier while traveling at around 60 mph. When Ford investigated the vehicle, it found that the truck, which was brand-new and had covered less than 700 miles, was missing an upper control arm nut, which caused the steering knuckle to separate. This prompted a broader investigation that resulted in a recall.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which quotes information from the manufacturer, “the nut on the upper control arm ball joint may not have achieved the correct torque due to variation in the alignment or orientation between the fastening tool and the fastener that may have induced lateral forces on the tool, preventing it from properly seating on the fastener.”
The number of potentially affected vehicles is 11,922, and they were built between November 6, 2023, and February 12, 2024—all will need to go to a dealer for an inspection. “Dealers will inspect the upper control arm ball joint nut and replace the nut and/or the knuckle assembly, as necessary, free of charge.” Ford intends to send notification letters to the owners of the affected vehicles starting in early February.
The Ford F-150 Lightning was one of the first commercially available electric pickup trucks, so it’s not surprising that it’s been the subject of several previous recalls. Another recall also involved an improperly fastened or missing nut, but not one holding the suspension together—it was on the battery bus bar and could result in a battery pack fire.
Photo by: Ford
If your Lightning is among the nearly 12,000 affected vehicles, some of the symptoms caused by the defect could be looseness and lack of steering precision or even a shudder sent up through the steering column. You may also hear noises coming from the front suspension while driving the truck normally or when applying steering lock while stationary.
Some Lightning owners on the F-150 Lightning Forum have reported an inexplicable steering judder that they couldn’t fix by changing or rebalancing the tires. If you are experiencing any of this, you can do a quick visual inspection of the affected part by looking inside the wheel well behind the wheel and looking for looseness in the nut highlighted in the diagram above. If you see it’s not done up all the way, it’s probably not a good idea to drive your truck until you have it checked by a dealer.
