My feelings on the stalk have gone from "confusing" to "dangerous"

[StevenC56]

There’s a “Customer Satisfaction Program” to replace the shifter on the Lightning (and ICE F150s). It’s not just the folding and unfolding. It’s also the automatic moving itself to Park if you turn it off or open the door while not in Park. It’s a very complicated solution to a problem they created for themselves. They could have just used the dial or an electronic column shifter like the 2025 Mach-E.

I much prefer the 2025 Mach-E shifter over the Lightning anyways. The Lightning is harder to switch between Drive and Reverse (eg 3 point turn or repositioning while maneuvering a trailer) because you have to deliberately count the notches and move it carefully or you will overshoot and get into Park.

I've been on the Lightning Forum a bit. Sure don't recall there being a huge issue with the shifter. Maybe I missed it, I'll have to explore. I have no issue with mine which is a 2024.

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[StevenC56]

I only know 2 people with Lightning’s out here and both have had trucks leave them stranded because of the issues with the truck refusing to start after unfolding the shifter. It’s also a familiar theme in the subreddit. Is it common? No, almost guaranteed not. But it was ill thought out.

As for the heat pump it was a bad decision, it benefits an extremely narrow cross section of owners. The frunk is significantly smaller and is, for many, quite unstable now. It won’t, for example, hold my rather small toolbox.

The stalk shifter isn’t fine. Saying it is doesn’t make it so. It was a solution to a non existent problem and change for the sake of change.

What trim level is your 2025?

 

[Jimrpa]

It’s not the heat pump or the plumbing that required shrinking the frunk.

They made the condenser larger which necessitated mounting it at an angle instead of vertical.

Dumb question: isn’t the condenser part of the HVAC system? If not, what system is it part of?
Side note: various authoritative people have directly confirmed that the heat pump addition is why Ford had to reduce the frunk volume to that of a manilla envelope.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

There are two major threads on the Lightning forum about converting the shifter to a dial: a 35-page, 520-comment discussion of how to do the conversion and a 7-page, 97-comment thread about part numbers of the shifters that work/don’t work and are motorized or non-motorized.

I’m in the process of replacing the goofy shifter in our 2023 Lightning with a dial. I don’t love the dial, but the shifter (specifically the solenoid within the shifter motor assembly) has flaked out on us and we do too many road trips to want to bother with it.

I would have considered swapping to a column shifter if it was a real column shifter, but the Lightning column doesn’t have the mounting brackets that the ICE F-150s have. I’m not about to take on a project of removing the column to replace or modify it.

I would never choose the wiper stalk for a shifter.

 

[StevenC56]

There are two major threads on the Lightning forum about converting the shifter to a dial: a 35-page, 520-comment discussion of how to do the conversion and a 7-page, 97-comment thread about part numbers of the shifters that work/don’t work and are motorized or non-motorized.

I’m in the process of replacing the goofy shifter in our 2023 Lightning with a dial. I don’t love the dial, but the shifter (specifically the solenoid within the shifter motor assembly) has flaked out on us and we do too many road trips to want to bother with it.

I would have considered swapping to a column shifter if it was a real column shifter, but the Lightning column doesn’t have the mounting brackets that the ICE F-150s have. I’m not about to take on a project of removing the column to replace or modify it.

I would never choose the wiper stalk for a shifter.

I was just checking those threads out. Hadn't been there for a few months. I wonder why there hasn't been an NHTSA recall if the problem is as widespread as the Forum owners are reporting.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

I was just checking those threads out. Hadn't been there for a few months. I wonder why there hasn't been an NHTSA recall if the problem is as widespread as the Forum owners are reporting.

It's across the range of trucks, not just Lightning. But...I would be careful about translating the high rate of complaints on a forum to a high rate across all the vehicles sold.

 

[E90alex]

As for the heat pump it was a bad decision, it benefits an extremely narrow cross section of owners.

That’s not true at all. The heat pump will be more efficient than PTC heater anytime heat is required, except for very cold temperatures (eg below freezing). In most parts of the US that’s at least 1 or 2 seasons.

You’re the one actually in the narrow cross section of customers where a heat pump will not make much difference. Along with like Florida and maybe Southern California.

We all see those range posts pop up in the winter where people freak out because they lose like 40+% of their range. We have yet to have 2025s go through winter, but it should be a significantly lower hit on energy usage.

 

[E90alex]

Dumb question: isn’t the condenser part of the HVAC system? If not, what system is it part of?
Side note: various authoritative people have directly confirmed that the heat pump addition is why Ford had to reduce the frunk volume to that of a manilla envelope.

Yes the condenser is part of the HVAC system. So it’s not technically the heat pump itself that is taking up more space, but rather the larger condenser they needed for it.

 

[Jimrpa]

That’s not true at all. The heat pump will be more efficient than PTC heater anytime heat is required, except for very cold temperatures (eg below freezing). In most parts of the US that’s at least 1 or 2 seasons.

You’re the one actually in the narrow cross section of customers where a heat pump will not make much difference. Along with like Florida and maybe Southern California.

We all see those range posts pop up in the winter where people freak out because they lose like 40+% of their range. We have yet to have 2025s go through winter, but it should be a significantly lower hit on energy usage.

I live in the midlantic region, outside Philadelphia, and I would not trade the seasonal allegedly slight efficiency increase for the loss of a practical frunk that’s usable year-round.

 

[Jimrpa]

Yes the condenser is part of the HVAC system. So it’s not technically the heat pump itself that is taking up more space, but rather the larger condenser they needed for it.

So, if we must be pedantic, then instead of saying just “heat pump”, you really want me to say “HVAC system incorporating heat pump technology”?

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

That’s not true at all. The heat pump will be more efficient than PTC heater anytime heat is required, except for very cold temperatures (eg below freezing). In most parts of the US that’s at least 1 or 2 seasons.

You’re the one actually in the narrow cross section of customers where a heat pump will not make much difference. Along with like Florida and maybe Southern California.

We all see those range posts pop up in the winter where people freak out because they lose like 40+% of their range. We have yet to have 2025s go through winter, but it should be a significantly lower hit on energy usage.

You’re entitled to your opinion no matter how wrong it is. Go read Ford’s own comments on the heat pump.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

What trim level is your 2025?

The ones on the dealer’s lot ranged from Premium ER AWD to a Rally. They may have had selects, I didn’t bother looking at those. I was there on other business (Picking up our Raptor from a recall service) and the lead salesman is an an acquaintance I’ve done business with in the past, personal and ranch related, and he had nothing better to do at the time. Comparison was simple. I walked over to my Mach-e opened the frunk grabbed my tool box, a grocery bag (the reusable type not paper or plastic), and my swim bag (goggles, defog, sunblock, deflated swim buoy) and walked back to the cars and checked. The swim bag fits, the tool box doesn’t and all groceries will need to go elsewhere.

Now, if someone’s idea of a frunk is the spot you’ve never looked at, this isn’t an issue. If you don’t use it, it could be a BMW i series or Kia for all the difference that would make. If you do use it even a bit, it’s a big issue.

Interesting note. All the GTs were spoken for as was the Rally. I didn’t bother asking about the premiums because trim wise that’s a sideways trade I’m not really interested in. 100% of the new Lightnings are also sold, including those not yet built. Most, but not all, of this was people trying to beat the September tax credit deadline. The Lightnings have been consistently high demand vehicles on the island. Sales talks statewide for all vehicles start at MSRP plus $8,000 adm now too.

 

[StevenC56]

The ones on the dealer’s lot ranged from Premium ER AWD to a Rally. They may have had selects, I didn’t bother looking at those. I was there on other business (Picking up our Raptor from a recall service) and the lead salesman is an an acquaintance I’ve done business with in the past, personal and ranch related, and he had nothing better to do at the time. Comparison was simple. I walked over to my Mach-e opened the frunk grabbed my tool box, a grocery bag (the reusable type not paper or plastic), and my swim bag (goggles, defog, sunblock, deflated swim buoy) and walked back to the cars and checked. The swim bag fits, the tool box doesn’t and all groceries will need to go elsewhere.

Now, if someone’s idea of a frunk is the spot you’ve never looked at, this isn’t an issue. If you don’t use it, it could be a BMW i series or Kia for all the difference that would make. If you do use it even a bit, it’s a big issue.

Interesting note. All the GTs were spoken for as was the Rally. I didn’t bother asking about the premiums because trim wise that’s a sideways trade I’m not really interested in. 100% of the new Lightnings are also sold, including those not yet built. Most, but not all, of this was people trying to beat the September tax credit deadline. The Lightnings have been consistently high demand vehicles on the island. Sales talks statewide for all vehicles start at MSRP plus $8,000 adm now too.

We have the Ford mobile charger, NASC adapter, Destination adapter and lift pucks in our Frunk. There's room for a Costco chicken and a bit more even with all that. So it's fine for us. If we need more Frunk space, we'll take the Lightning. Your dealer is gouging everyone $8K over MSRP? So until 9/30 you can get the $7500 tax credit, but they are charging you more than that over MSRP. Forget that crap. How much does it cost to ship a vehicle from the mainland to Hawaii?

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

Your dealer is gouging everyone $8K over MSRP?

You misread that. Every car dealer in the state. Ever single manufacturer’s dealership is charging $8000 adm as the starting price for negotiations. All of them. It’s not just Ford.

 

[StevenC56]

You misread that. Every car dealer in the state. Ever single manufacturer’s dealership is charging $8000 adm as the starting price for negotiations. All of them. It’s not just Ford.

Even more of a ripoff then.

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