2023 F-150 Lightning Safety

The Ford F-150 Lightning's safety standards have not been comprehensively tested by the NHTSA or IIHS, although the former safety agency did give it a four-star rating for the rollover test, with a lower rollover risk than its gas-powered F-150 Crew Cab sibling.

Considering that the regular F-150 was a recipient of the IIHS' Top Safety Pick award for 2022 and that EVs are generally exceedingly safe, we expect the F-150 Lightning to return great results when it is eventually subjected to a crash test.

2023 F-150 Lightning Key Safety Features

The F-150 Lightning comes with all the expected safety features, such as LED headlights, a rearview camera, ABS braking, and traction and stability control. All Ford F-150 Lightning models also feature a full complement of airbags, including dual-stage front passenger airbags, front side airbags, and first and second-row roof airbags.

Ford's Co-Pilot360 2.0 suite includes pre-collision assist with automatic emergency braking, collision warning, a lane-keeping aid with an alert, auto high beams, and a reverse sensing system. Even the Pro has a blind-spot information system with cross-traffic alert and trailer tow coverage. Higher up in the range, the Lightning adds a 360-degree camera system, a forward sensing system, and the expanded Co-Pilot360 Assist 2.0 suite with adaptive cruise control, lane centering, and speed sign recognition.

Finally, the Platinum comes with Ford's BlueCruise hands-free driving system that is compatible with over 130,000 miles of divided highways in North America. This model also comes with the Tow Technology Package with its pro trailer backup assist, trailer reverse guidance, trailer brake controller, and smart trailer tow connect.

2023 F-150 Lightning Reliability

Still quite early in its life, the Ford F-150 Lightning's reliability has been far from perfect. The 2022 model was already recalled eight times for a windshield wiper motor that could fail, flickering parking lights, improper airbag deployment, wheel lug nuts that are not properly tightened, a damaged driveshaft that could fracture (two separate recalls were issued for this flaw), steering column wiring that's too short, and trailer brakes that could fail. At the time of writing, 2023 models weren't affected by any recalls.

If anything goes wrong, the 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning's warranty is there to protect you. Ford will cover the Lightning with a three-year/36,000-mile basic warranty, an eight-year/100,000-mile hybrid/electric component warranty, and roadside assistance for five years or 60,000 miles.

Warranty