Cars are increasingly complex in many regards, and this increasing complexity is best highlighted by the millions of lines of code that go into a modern vehicle's control modules. Unfortunately, it also means that automakers can make honest mistakes.
Dearborn's favorite son, for example, identified a safety concern with over-the-air software update 6.3.0 for the F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck. In combination with SYNC software version 1.9.4 (that was installed by said update), the software logic of the electronic stability control system had been altered in the sense that it prevents the vehicle from resetting ESC to the default mode after each ignition cycle. Why is that such a big deal?
Imagine driving your truck off the beaten path in off-road mode, with said mode reducing ESC intervention to zero. Rather than reverting back to ESC on at restart, the iffy software logic disables electronic stability control at restart. In addition to increasing the risk of a crash, disabled stability control at startup goes against the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard no. 126.
126 requires the stability control system to return to the default mode (fully on) with each and every ignition cycle. Ford became aware of this bug on October 27, yet the Critical Concern Review Group didn't take this issue seriously until November 9.
The subsequent investigation determined that over-the-air software update 6.3.0 for SYNC 1.9.4 causes the ESC to remain off. An estimated 5,118 vehicles manufactured for the 2022 and 2023 model years received the update. Ford ultimately deployed a smaller update to correct said problem, yet certain owners may not have installed it due to… reasons. Think no Wi-Fi, poor 4G coverage, and so forth.
Photo: Ford
Although most of the owners are believed to have performed the aforementioned update, Ford was required to file a recall with the federal watchdog due to the noncompliance with FMVSS no. 126. Those who haven't updated yet can either do it over the air or by visiting the nearest authorized Ford dealer.
The remedy, which bears part number PU5T-14G682-EL in Ford's parts system, tells the accessory protocol interface module to reset the drive mode settings to default with every ignition cycle. Owners can expect to be informed about this problem via first-class mail no later than December 22, 2023.
Affected vehicles were manufactured between October 14, 2021 and April 18, 2023 for the US market. It's easy to forget that Ford's work-oriented F-150 Lightning Pro once started at less than $40,000 (sans destination), yet now retails at $49,995. The better-equipped XLT is $54,995 with the Standard Range Battery, whereas the larger pack balloons the suggested retail price to a staggering $69,995.
That's not all, though. At the other end of the spectrum, the Extended Range Battery-only Platinum starts at $91,995 before taxes and options. Make that $97,995 plus $1,995 for the Platinum Black, a special edition limited to 2,000 examples of the breed.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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