2022 Ford F-150 Electrical System Problems

On three occasions when I have started the truck, there is a deafening sound from the speaker system that sounds like a pop with glass shattering. Then it had a loud static sound that can't be silenced and the volume button does nothing. After turning the truck off for 5-10 minutes the problem resolves, though it does continue for several minutes after turning the truck off.

I am writing to formally document a recurring and dangerous safety defect involving the B&O audio system. On multiple occasions, the vehicle has emitted an ear-shattering popping noise followed by high-decibel electrical static. This issue is not merely a "speaker glitch"; it is a violent acoustic event that persists even after the ignition is turned off. Critical Safety Concerns: Driver Incapacitation: The volume is loud enough to cause immediate disorientation and potential hearing damage. If this occurs at highway speeds, the risk of a collision is extreme due to the "startle response" and inability to hear sirens or road cues. Electrical Instability: The static is accompanied by a sensation of electrical discharge throughout the cabin. To stop the noise, I am forced to manually disconnect the battery—which itself emits static popping during the process. Repeated Component Failure: The vehicle has already exhausted two batteries and requires a third. I suspect a faulty amplifier is creating a parasitic draw and low-voltage condition, triggering this catastrophic system failure. Lack of Professional Response: Despite SSM 51663 addressing this exact issue, dealerships have refused to perform the software/hardware fix due to the "sporadic" nature of the problem. Furthermore, when I contacted Ford Customer Service, my concerns regarding a potential crash were met with derision. I am requesting an immediate escalation, a formal inspection of the B&O amplifier, and the application of the relevant TSB/SSM software updates. I no longer feel safe operating this vehicle, and I am documenting this for the purpose of a Lemon Law evaluation and an NHTSA safety report.

Submitted the vehicle for recall repairs under recalls 25v315, 25v455, 25v104 and 25v517. Maintenance was scheduled to last less than a day. When I returned for the vehicle, I was informed the update had caused several module components to "brick." They informed me they had to receive authority from form to order new components and attempts another repair. I called March 17 for an update and was told the new components bricked again and that the issue was elevated to Ford engineering. Called Ford customer service and was given a case number [XXX]. Call Ford customer service March 30 and was told there is no update, fix or estimate of when a repair might be available. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Driving home last night looking in my rear view mirrors I noticed it looked dark at the back of my F150. Once home I noticed I had no rear running lights, no brake lights, no rear turn signals. Not sure related but 2 days earlier I noticed that about 5 indicator lights on my dashboard were activated all relating to driver assist lane changing, backing up assist, hill parking assist, traction control and so on.

My 2022 Ford F150 wouldn’t start one morning. There was power and a lot of codes came up on the dash pod. I had it towed to the Ford dealer and they confirmed a no start situation. They replaced the under hood fuse box (warped from heat) and ultimately found a chaffed wiring harness with corroded and broken wires. It’s my opinion that a wiring harness is not a wearable item and this was caused by a friction situation. It’s my opinion that this could potentially be a safety issue if I was driving the vehicle and this happened it would be a total loss of power. The Ford dealer repaired the 2 wires and re-taped the harness.

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2022 Ford F-150. The contact stated that the vehicle was purchased from the local dealer. Upon purchase, the dealer's Odometer Disclosure Form indicated that the odometer mileage reading was 82,823. However, after obtaining a Carfax Report, the contact discovered that the last odometer mileage reading was 126,170.

So I was walking back to my truck and could hear a really loud humming/buzzing. As I approached my truck in the parking lot, I realized it was my truck. It was SUPER loud, like the radio was turned all the way up. It had a consistent rhythm to it also. I was wondering if maybe the alarm had tried to go off since I was a QT, but it was just blasting through the internal speakers, nothing over the external speaker. I started it hoping it would stop. It did not, I shut it back off, and restarted it. It was making the super loud noise this entire time. I turned off the radio, turned off the display, disconnected my phone from the connection, and nothing worked. I had to drive home about 15 minutes with it making this horrible and loud pulsating noise the entire time. I parked, turned it off and was going to get tools out of the garage to take off the battery terminal and as I walked back towards it, the noise just stopped. It was so loud, my ears were ringing for a couple of hours afterward. I looked in my ford pass app and it doesn't show any faults or anything. The video/audio does not do it justice for how insanely loud it was..... But you can hear the rhythm that it had. My daughter had a panic attack and ended up vomiting. The vehicle was not on, the phone was not connected as it was not in the truck. There were no warning lights or signs that I could see because it was making the noise as I was approaching the truck. I have a short video of it with the audio noise.

The drivers side window will at times stay in the down position. The safety issue is during rain, snow or very cold conditions the driver is distracted by the down window. I did call a dealer who said this happens and I need to go thru a crazy procedure to get window up. No one has looked into this problem. The Ford dealers are well aware of this problem and there are many videos out that describe the problem. There is no for warning of a problem.

My vehicle has continued to have major issues with the radio/audio system. The radio will experience an extremely loud distorted sound when I start the vehicle. It is extremely unsafe since the vehicle can't be operated while this is going on. During the worst situation, I've had to disconnect the battery in order to make the sound stop. I had the first issue happen less than 3 weeks after purchasing the truck in 2022. I had to take it to 3 different dealers in my local area, with NO REPAIR action, before I returned it to the original dealer. The Metter Ford dealer put me in a loaner vehicle while the technical engineer researched the problem. During that first problem, the software was reprogrammed and the APIM module was replaced. However, the problem has continued to this day. The last time it occurred was today, on 12/3/2025. I believe Ford released a recent software update for the BlueCruise 1.4 that possibly addressed a radio problem, but it has NOT FIXED my issue.

The electric motors in the hybrid system intermittently fault and fail completely. I get an error saying there's a powertrain/4wd system failure. There's no clear cause. I've had this in for service numerous times. I've paid for a repair that did not resolve it. They had me pay for a repair for a new alternator-generator unit ($1500). When I get this fault, the truck operates only on gas power and does not use any electric motor power. I go from ~21 mpg highway (which is lower than when new) to ~18 mph highway.

Daytime running light fails to illuminate.

My truck continues to have the radio distortion problems that it has had after numerous software updates and repair actions. Approximately the first week of November in 2022 is when the first radio problem occurred. I only had the vehicle for about a month. The radio played an extremely loud distortion sound, close to an alarm tone, immediately after starting the truck. 3 different Ford dealers attempted software updates and replacing the APIM module, but the issue came back several times. After the last Over the Air software update on SEP 17, 2025, the radio distortion has happened at least 6 times since then. The SEP 17 update specifically addressed the audio issues while using android auto. My warranty expired on July of 2025. I did not take delivery of the truck until late September because of shipping issues. Even with the delayed delivery of the truck, Ford told me that my warranty term was from JUL of 2022 to JUL of 2025. I always keep a 10mm socket in my truck in case I have to disconnect the battery in order to stop the radio distortion. In some cases, I'm able to change the radio source and the distortion will stop. Since the software update on SEP 17, the radio distortion has happened every 3 - 4 weeks. The original dealer that I purchased the truck from recommended that 2 other modules could be causing the problem. The DSP module and the ACM module could also cause the radio distortion. My truck has been out of warranty since July of 2025, but it seems like this issue should be addressed by the Ford team.

9/17 driving home. Light rain. Put the truck in slippery mode prior to starting my drive. Truck was actually slipping and seemed to be shutting off and on. Prior to me being able to pull off to the side of the road, the truck stalled and spinned out across five lanes slamming into the barrier.

I recently ought a 2022 Ford F-150 off of a private seller. It had a clean Carfax when I bought it. About a month after I bought the truck, on July 24, 2025, the following warning lights appeared on my dash all on the same day. Blind Spot Assist Not Available, Cross Traffic Assist Not Available, and Reverse Brake Assist Not Available. Also, my drivers side window would not roll down, and my drivers side lock/unlock buttons would not work. There were not any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. So I took my truck into Gary Smith Ford in Fort Walton Beach, FL. on July 25, 2025 and they came back with the file I have uploaded below with the diagnosis and estimate. Of course the warranty has just expired a few months ago. We tried to make a claim with our insurance company and that was denied. I have also reached out to Ford Customer Service and they refused to help in any way. We were also never offered a loaner vehicle and my truck has been at the dealership for three weeks now. I am currently Active Duty Military and this is now effecting my ability to report for duty, and causing my leadership to question me. It is also effecting my family as we now only have one vehicle. As you can see in the link below, the estimate is quite high. and it is extremely frustrating that Ford has refused to help in any way, and will not provide any logical reason as to why except that the warranty is expired. Especially since this isn't my fault at all. Any help in rectifying this issue would be greatly appreciated. Thank You.

The vehicle produces an extremely loud static or popping blast from the speakers at startup or during operation. The volume controls do not respond and the noise can only be stopped by shutting the vehicle off. The sound is ear-piercing, leaves ringing in the ears, and startles the driver. This has occurred more than once. One incident happened while driving on the freeway and nearly caused a loss of control due to the sudden and extremely loud noise. Another occurrence was captured on video while the vehicle was being operated at low speed. The condition occurs without warning and cannot be reproduced on demand. The vehicle is equipped with the B&O Unleashed audio system. No warning lights or messages appear prior to the event. A dealer acknowledged the condition and indicated that a module reprogramming is required to correct it. Ford has issued Special Service Message (SSM) 51663 addressing loud static from the audio system in affected vehicles. Despite the vehicle being under an extended warranty, the corrective repair is being classified as a software update and quoted as a customer-paid repair. This unexpected loud audio blast presents a safety concern due to driver distraction and potential hearing harm.

See attached document for complaint.

Speakers with B&O unleashed made pop sound and loud static. 5th time this has happened twice almost causing accident due to how loud and abrupt it was.

The daytime running light on the passenger side of the vehicle has failed very prematurely - before even reaching 40000 miles. This is an issue as it puts me at risk if other drivers cannot see my lights. The problem is permanent and the entire headlight must be replaced. No warnings were present, I only happened to notice when approaching my truck one day.

Stereo blasted static at full volume at decibels dangerously exceeding healthy limits while driving and would not turn off. Had to stop the vehicle and turn off in the middle of the road. Sound was so loud that my hearing was impacted and there is now ringing in both ears. If children were present, it would have been devastating. I was stuck in the middle of the road while traffic routed around my vehicle. If this happens to someone else, the noise/volume is so disorienting it could cause involuntary breaking or steering, resulting in a car accident. Please help, this is unacceptable.

The contact owns a 2022 Ford F-150. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the instrument cluster intermittently failed to function properly. Due to the failure, the speedometer, fuel gauge, and MPH were inoperable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.