RECENT TEST EXPOSES A FORD F-150 LIGHTNING FLAW

The Ford F-150 Lightning is a revolutionary vehicle for the brand, as well as the industry, being one of the first readily available electric trucks that’s not just tailored to the well-heeled tech-bro crowd, but the pragmatic contractor, plumber, electrician, and carpenter. However, there’s a soft spot in the armor, based on a recent instrumented test.

According to a Car and Driver road test with a brand new 2022 F-150 Lightning Platinum, problems started to pop up just halfway through brake testing. Six times in a row the truck was stopped from 70 mph, and the brakes began to overheat very quickly.

“After the third one a warning light came on to indicate the brakes were overheating, along with significant fade and smoke, to the point that the truck couldn’t keep ABS engaged on the later stops,” the review states.

President Biden didn’t seem to gripe about the brakes when he drove it. Just saying.

Because of the added heft of the battery pack, the Ford F-150 Lightning electric truck adds a bunch of weight compared to a standard F-150 for a total weight of 6,855 pounds (3,062 kg), which is a lot of heft to try and slow down. This is extra concerning considering that the truck was tested while completely unloaded, so a truck and trailer combo could likely be even more difficult to stop.

It doesn’t help that the all-electric F-150 Lightning is also considerably quicker than its gasoline counterpart, and that includes the awesome F-150 Raptor. In fact, as Car and Driver reports, the electric pickup will also dust a Mustang Mach-E GT in a sprint to 60, and a real Mustang Mach 1 would also struggle to hold its own against the formidable BEV truck, as well.

Officially, the Lightning can do the 0-60 run in 4.0-seconds, which is 1.8 seconds quicker than the Raptor. It’s not the quickest pickup on the market, however, as the Rivian R1T with a time of 3.3 seconds, while second place goes to the 702 hp Ram 1500 TRX at 3.7 seconds. The 1,000 hp GMC Hummer EV Edition 1, meanwhile, can do it in 3.0-seconds flat. And that’s with off-road tires.