Ford Recalls 29,000-Plus F-150 Lightnings Over Front Control Arm Concerns

More than 29,000 examples of Ford’s all-electric F-150 Lightning have been recalled because their drivers may not be able to steer them. An investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the United States has found that the front upper control arm ball joint on up to 29,501 examples of the Lightning may not have been properly tightened during production.

As this issue can lead to “a partial loss of directional control,” a recall has been called on safety grounds for all potentially affected examples of the F-150 Lighting built between 15 February 2024 and 14 April 2025. Of those 29,501 examples, 20,528 are 2024 models, while ‘just’ 8,973 were built for 2025. Tellingly, though, Ford estimates that only 1 percent of that total could have a similar defect.

This issue is believed to be separate from the combustion-powered F-150, for which a steering-related recall was also announced last month.

What The Problem Is, And How Ford Will Fix It

Interestingly, this issue first came to light through just one customer complaint in March earlier this year. The owner of a 2024 model is said to have experienced a right front wheel failure while driving after just 634 miles (the report does not state precise details of the failure). During repairs, the vehicle’s front right upper control arm nut was found to be missing, causing the control arm to detach from the knuckle – i.e., a critical element of the front suspension and steering assembly. An investigation by Ford itself quickly found that the front upper control arm ball joint may not have been tightened properly – or “improperly torqued,” as the report officially notes – leading to the loss of steering.

This issue is believed to have slipped through the net as Ford’s assembly plant in Dearborn, Michigan, “did not have a process in place to provide a secondary validation.” This gap has since been closed, no doubt as part of Ford’s push to improve quality.

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Ford technicians will test the torque on the left and right upper control arm ball joint nuts of all recalled models. If the unit passes inspection, the control arm nut will be replaced for safety. For those models where the torque is insufficient, both the nut and the knuckle will be replaced completely.

Good Start To 2025 For America’s Best-Selling Electric Pickup

Recalls aside, 2025 has proven a decent year so far for Ford’s flagship pickup truck. The Ford F-150 Lightning recently reclaimed the ‘best-selling electric truck in the United States’ title from the Tesla Cybertruck, despite estimated sales for the Lightning not being quite as high as Ford’s bean counters were expecting.

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Fans of the Ford Maverick Lobo, meanwhile, will also be pleased to hear that a similar, street performance version of the F-150 Lightning is in the works.

Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration