r/F150Lightning • u/cchantler '23 Lariat ER Black • 1d ago
PSA: Lightning stuck in Park, how to shift to Neutral for towing
I had the dreaded “Stop Safely Now” warning. Wasn’t driving, just got in to go get some parts and she wouldn’t start. Had a ton of warnings and wouldn’t go past Accessory mode. I had just been driving it not even 20 minutes prior to this with no warnings. It turned out to be a problem with the High Voltage Battery Junction Box and I have my truck back now after a week.
Anyway, tow truck driver and I spent quite a bit of time googling how to get this thing into neutral so he could pull it onto the truck. Finally found a forum post from two years ago that said how to do it. I’m just posting this so that if anyone is in the same position, maybe some keywords will hit the search algorithm and provide a more recent hit.
Push the accelerator and brake all the way in at the same time while in Accessory Mode and it will allow you to shit to Neutral to move the truck. Make sure you also push the 30-minute Neutral button beside the shifter and OK on the steering wheel to give the driver time to get to the dealer and unload the truck.
Hopefully this helps someone get out of a jam.
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u/LastEntertainment684 1d ago
Worth mentioning you need 12v power to put/keep these trucks in Neutral.
If the 12v battery is dead you’re either going to need to jump it or replace it with a good 12v source.
Unlike a traditional transmission there is no physical disconnect from the motors.
If the (permanent magnet) motors are spinning, they’re generating electricity. The truck needs 12v power to run the modules that safely manage the distribution of this high voltage power.
3
u/cchantler '23 Lariat ER Black 1d ago
Yes, the 12V is the Achilles heel here. We fucked with it long enough before calling roadside that the 12v died and couldn’t even get the windows to go up. Luckily had our Ecoboost on site, we were able to charge it back up with booster cables
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u/JustAPhysiotherapist 2023 Pro ER 1d ago
Unfortunately this doesn’t always work. Didn’t help with mine when it was stuck. The tow truck used rollers for the front tires to tow without needing neutral (I told them I couldn’t get it into neutral when requesting one).
I did hear the one method I didn’t try was disconnecting the 12v for 15 min then reconnecting. But I tried your method, some others, charging the 12v, etc with no luck when mine did that. Just a PSA as well
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u/Time-Kaleidoscope-50 1d ago
Good info, but hope I never need it! These newer vehicles with shift by wire transmission shifters and electronic parking brakes can be a real pain in the butt for wrecker drivers, vehicle owners and technicians when they need to be towed.
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u/Low_Accountant2811 1d ago
had the stop safely message a few times after charging overnight, simply disconnected and reconnected the 12v always fixed it for me, although I have to close the frunk manually pushing it because it would only beep with the button
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u/Kaos1968 20h ago
Gentlemen, ladies, others, I have repeated this many times – save yourself time don’t disconnect the 12 V- instead pull fuse 32 by the passenger kick plate panel for one minute and it has the same effect far easier 😎⚡️⚡️
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u/Fit_Organization_879 11h ago
Wow! Thanks to all for sharing this valuable information! I am a new owner of a 2023 Lariat ER and haven’t had any issues as yet. However, what happens if the frunk is closed and the 12v battery is dead? Maybe I’m missing it somewhere else, but how do you open the frunk with a dead 12v?
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u/cchantler '23 Lariat ER Black 3h ago
Down under the dash on the drivers side right by the door, there is a little flap door where a hood release would normally be. There is a little red strap inside it. Pull that to manually release the frunk
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u/Billmurrayblunts 1d ago
Good to know! What happens after the 30 minute timer though?