- Vehicles
- 148
- Built between
- Not published
- Models
- 4
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 31 May 2023
- Repaired
- 0%
- Unrepaired
- 138
Does this affect my vehicle?
The manufacturer did not publish a build-date range for this recall, so the model and year list below is the only way to tell whether your vehicle is covered.
- 2019-2021 Lightning Emotors FE4-129
- 2020 Lightning Emotors FE4-86
- 2020 Lightning Emotors FT3-43
- 2019-2022 Lightning Emotors FT3-86
Repair progress
138 of 148 vehicles in this recall had still not been repaired as of Q3 2023.
0% repaired — 0 of 148 reported
- Scrapped or exported
- 10
Manufacturers file these figures with NHTSA each quarter. Vehicles the manufacturer could not trace, or that have been scrapped or exported, are counted separately and are not included in the unrepaired figure.
What the defect is
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 could happen
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 gets fixed
Lightning will replace the battery pack, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 31, 2023.
Parts involved
- Traction Battery, eMatrix811-010TRACTION BATTERY; Ematrix; 43.2KWh; 352V; M36
- Traction Battery, eMatrix811-011TRACTION BATTERY; Ematrix; LG MH1 cells; MH-1
- Traction Battery, eMatrix811-012TRACTION BATTERY; Ematrix; 42.6KWh; 375V; M48
- Traction Battery, eMatrix811-09TRACTION BATTERY; Ematrix; 43.2KWh; 352V; M35E
Part numbers are as filed by the manufacturer and are listed for reference. Your dealer will confirm the correct part for your vehicle.
Timeline
- Recall reported to NHTSA7 April 2023
- Owners notified31 May 2023
- Latest repair reportQ3 2023 — 0% repaired
Your rights
A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.
That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 7 April 2023.
To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.
Manufacturer contact
Owners may contact Lightning customer service at 1-970-744-7241. Lightning's number for this recall is 2023-001.
Official source
- Manufacturer's recall number
- 2023-001
- Recalling manufacturer
- Lightning eMotors Inc.
- Recall initiated by
- MFR
Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Additional notes
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.
Check your own vehicle
This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.
A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.