Recall · 23V207000
Lightning eMotors recalled 4 models over electrical system
148
Vehicles covered
4
Models
9
Model years
April 7, 2023
Filed with NHTSA
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:TRACTION BATTERY
- The defect
- Lightning eMotors Inc. (Lightning) is recalling certain 2020 FE4-86 and FT3-43, 2019-2021 FE4-129, and 2019-2022 FT3-86 vehicles. The battery packs may have defective structural welds and experience an internal radiator leak, causing battery failure.
- What it can cause
- Battery failure can cause a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash. Battery failure can also increase the risk of a fire.
- What the dealer does
- Lightning will replace the battery pack, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 31, 2023. Owners may contact Lightning customer service at 1-970-744-7241. Lightning's number for this recall is 2023-001.
- NHTSA's note
- Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov. Please be reminded of the following requirements: You are required to submit a draft owner notification letter to this office no less than five days prior to mailing it to the customers. Also, copies of all notices, bulletins, dealer notifications, and other communications that relate to this recall, including a copy of the final owner notification letter and any subsequent owner follow-up notification letter(s), are required to be submitted to this office no later than 5 days after they are originally sent (if they are sent to more than one manufacturer, distributor, dealer, or purchaser/owner). Please be reminded that under 49 U.S.C. § 30112(a)(3), it is illegal for a manufacturer, to sell, offer for sale, import, or introduce or deliver into interstate commerce, a motor vehicle or item of motor vehicle equipment that contains a safety defect once the manufacturer has notified NHTSA about that safety defect. This prohibition does not apply once the motor vehicle or motor vehicle equipment has been remedied according to the manufacturer's instructions. As stated in 49 U.S.C. § 30118(f), submission of 8 consecutive quarterly reports is required. As described in 573.7, submission of the first of eight consecutive quarterly status reports is required within one month after the close of the calendar quarter in which notification to purchasers occurs. Therefore, the first quarterly report will be due on, or before, 30 days after the close of the calendar quarter.
The repair is free, whatever the age or mileage of the vehicle, and whether or not you are the original owner.
Which vehicles
A recall reaches a range of VINs inside these model years, not every car built in them. Yours may not be covered even if it is listed here, and the only way to find out is NHTSA's own VIN lookup .
| Vehicle | Model years | Safety record |
|---|---|---|
| Lightning EmotorsFE4-129 | 2019 to 2021 | Not published here |
| Lightning EmotorsFE4-86 | 2020 | Not published here |
| Lightning EmotorsFT3-43 | 2020 | Not published here |
| Lightning EmotorsFT3-86 | 2019 to 2022 | Not published here |
How this campaign compares
At 148 vehicles this is a small campaign: 65% of the 19,818 vehicle recalls filed since 1995 whose size NHTSA published are as large or larger. The middle campaign on file covers 472. It covers model years 2019 to 2022, so the oldest vehicles on it were 4 model years old when the defect was reported to NHTSA.
Lightning Emotors vehicles have been recalled over the electrical system once before this, most recently in December 2022 as 22V934000. That is not evidence the earlier repair failed.
Check your own car
A VIN check is the only answer for a specific vehicle, and it also shows every other open recall on it, which is usually the reason it is worth doing rather than reading one campaign.
Filed by Lightning eMotors Inc. with NHTSA on April 7, 2023 as campaign 23V207000. Every word of the defect, consequence and remedy above is NHTSA's published record of that filing, not a summary of it.
Compiled and maintained by guarledes . Data last checked 2023-04-07.
Independent developer and analyst