Suspension issue behind electric ute recall “already rectified” in Australian imports

Iconic American automaker Ford has been forced to recall almost 30,000 F-150 Lightnings, its electric pickup/ute sold in the United States, but the reason has nothing to do with it being an electric vehicle (EV), and models imported to Australia have already addressed the issue.

Originally unveiled in May of 2021, the Ford F-150 Lightning was probably one of the most highly anticipated EVs of this decade. Boasting 433kW of power, up to 515km of range, acceleration of 0-100km/h in just 4 seconds, and dual motors providing 1,050Nm of torque and towing capacity of 4.5 tonnes, the Lightning has been a hit with customers.

And while Ford has not officially brought the F-150 Lightning to Australia, local distributor AusEV has stepped in to fill the gap, importing the vehicle, while Brisbane based Advanced Manufacturing Queensland (AMQ) performs the conversion from left- to right-hand-drive.

Towards the end of May, the US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a recall notice for just under 30,000 F-150 Lightnings due to the front upper control arm ball joint not being properly secured during assembly.

As a result, Ford has had to issue the recall total of 29,501 vehicles – including 20,528 model year 2024 and 8,973 model year 2025 units, equating to units produced between February 14, 2024, and April 14, 2025, at which point tooling with an improved design was implemented.

However, the good news for Australian owners of an F-150 Lightning imported by AusEV is that the issue has already been addressed.

A spokesperson for AusEV told The Driven that “We have seen this particular issue amongst our vehicles, and it has already been rectified by our dedicated 24/7 onsite support and warranty team.”

“As part of our obligations under the Road Vehicle Standards Act, we are responsible for managing recalls on all vehicles we import and convert to right-hand drive,” the spokesperson added.

“Before any vehicle is remanufactured or complied in Australia, we check for and complete all open Ford recalls.

“Additionally, we conduct weekly checks for new recalls on vehicles that have already been complied and delivered to customers. If a new recall is identified, we follow a structured recall process to notify affected customers and arrange for the necessary work to be completed.”

While Australian F-150 Lightning drivers can rest easy, the same cannot be said for American owners.

Following a single reported incident, Ford determined that the front upper control arm ball joint on some vehicles “may not have been properly secured during assembly.”

This means that certain vehicles “may have an improperly torqued nut on the ball joint which secures the front upper control arm to the knuckle assembly” which could “result in separation of the front upper control arm from the knuckle assembly.”

“If the upper control arm ball joint nut is loose or missing, the front upper control arm can separate from the knuckle assembly, which can cause the driver to experience a partial loss of directional control, increasing a risk of a crash.”

According to the NHTSA safety recall notice, “If the ball joint nut is loose or missing, the driver may experience vehicle vibration and hear a clunk or rattle noise during suspension jounce and rebound.”

Ford Australia may not yet have any information about when a purpose-built right-hand-drive F-150 Lighting will make it to Australia, but AusEV and AMQ are filling a gap in the mean time – and making sure that all its cars are safe for Australia’s roads.

“We take vehicle safety and compliance seriously and remain committed to delivering the highest standards of service and support to our customers,” the AusEV spokesperson concluded.