Ford Recalls F-150 Lightning for the First Time — Is There a Safety Issue?

Ford recalls the F-150 Lightning for the first time since it started its deliveries by the end of May due to a safety issue, which could end up crashing the all-electric pickup truck.

The giant American automaker had to issue its first safety compliance recall for the F-150 Lightning after learning that there appears to be a problem with its tire pressure sensor.

Ford Recalls F-150 Lightning

As per the news story by Electrek, the all-new 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning is the first-ever all-electric pickup truck from the renowned automaker.

Its debut has been particularly popular in the United States, garnering more than 200,000 reservations even before the electric vehicle (EV) started its deliveries.

But this time, the blue oval automaker announced its first-ever safety compliance recall, which affects early owners of the F-150 Lightning.

However, Electrek notes in its report that the latest recall does not affect all customers of the Ford electric pickup. Instead, the issue only applies to F-150 Lightning with certain sizes of wheels.

Ford F-150 Lightning's Tire Pressure Monitoring Issue

Ford recalls its electric pickup trucks with 22-inch and 20-inch all-season tires. Not because their tires are faulty, but rather due to an issue with their tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS).

The TPMS on these Lightning pickups has a problem with its light indicator, wherein it fails to warn its users when the tire pressure of their EV starts to go to alarmingly low levels.

The renowned carmaker says that "low tire inflation pressure may lead to poor vehicle handling and a possible loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash."

Apparently, the issue with the tire inflation system of the Lightning is that it has been incorrectly set to 35 psi, which is significantly low from recommended tire pressure of 42 psi.

So, the low tire pressure light will only illuminate when it goes lower than 35 psi. As such, it leaves owners of these Lightning units unaware that their tire pressure has gone far too low from what's actually recommended.

In the meantime, Ford told affected Lightning owners to go the old school way of doing things - back when tire inflation monitoring systems were not as ubiquitous as it is these days.

The giant carmaker encouraged them to check the "Tire and Loading Information label located inside the driver-side front door jamb," and follow the psi figures from there.

F-150 Lightning Safety Recall

Ford says its first Lightning recall affects around 2,666 electric trucks in the United States, plus 220 more in Canada.

Owners could bring their vehicles to the nearest Ford dealership to have them fixed. But if they are willing to wait, a Ford Power-Up update is rolling out in the next 30 days.