- Ford is recalling its F-150 Lightning over a problem with the front suspension.
- A ball joint nut on 29,501 trucks from 2024-25 might not have been tightened.
- Dealers will check upper control arm nuts and replace the whole arm if needed.
Ball joints are the unsung heroes of the car world. They’re the mechanical glue that holds the various bits of your vehicle’s suspension together and keeps you on the road. But now Ford is recalling thousands of their popular F-150 trucks because of fears that ‘glue’ might come unstuck.
Also: Ford Tells Three Lightning Owners Their EVs Might Be Missing A Nut Or Two
A total of 29,501 Ford F-150 Lightning electric trucks built for the 2024-25 model years are being recalled to check the front upper control arm ball joint nuts. Ford thinks some of the nuts haven’t been correctly tightened and could come loose, even come off altogether. And if that happens, the steering knuckle could potentially part company with the control arm, leading to a loss of control.
A Loose Nut Is More Than Just a Metaphor
Ford has a specified torque setting for the ball joint nuts, but says some might not have been torqued properly due to a variation in alignment between the nut and the fancy wrench. If the nut were to come loose, there’s a good chance owners would have plenty of warning before the suspension components head off in opposite directions. Ford says drivers need to listen out for unusual vibrations, clunks or rattles when crossing bumps and uneven surfaces.
According to Ford, it first became aware of the problem on March 6, 2025, when it received a report about a missing right front upper control arm nut on a 2024 F-150 Lightning built just three days earlier. The truck had roughly 634 miles on the odometer when the customer reported a front wheel failure while driving. It was towed to a dealership, where a technician confirmed the nut was missing and the control arm had detached from the knuckle.
This Isn’t the First Time
Getting a sense of déjà vu? Ford already announced a recall for an identical problem in December 2024 for Lightnings built for the 2023-24 model years. It introduced a secondary torque verification step into the production process, but in March of this year received a field report about a Lightning suffering a major suspension collapse while driving. When the truck was towed to a dealership, technicians discovered that the right front upper control arm nut was completely missing.
Owners of the 20,528 MY24 and 8,973 MY25 Lightnings at risk will be asked to take their trucks to a dealership to let technicians check the torque on their nuts. If the nut passes the test, it’ll be replaced anyway, but if it fails, Ford will pony up for an entirely new knuckle.
