Ford has gotten about 100 complaints from F-150 truck owners who say the speakers in their vehicles are emitting a loud, annoying noise that sounds like static, or glass shattering, and which cannot be shut off.
The automaker confirmed the complaints and said it has come up with a software fix that addresses the problem. But it has yet to issue a full recall to notify owners of the potential problem and the fix.
“We know it may be startling and frustrating for customers who have had the problem, but, based on what we’ve analyzed to this point, we don’t believe it rises to the level of a recallable safety defect,” the company said in a statement.
Ford said its software update is available for customers who contact their dealers and that it will be distributing the fix in over-the-air software that automatically updates all potentially affected vehicles “in the coming weeks.”
The company said the models affected by the problem include the 2021-2023 F-150 pickup, both the hybrid and gas versions, the 2022 electric version of the F-150, the F-150 Lightning, and the 2021-2023 model years of the Expedition SUV. The company said complaints have come primarily from owners of the gas and hybrid versions of the F-150, which is the auto industry’s best-selling US vehicle.
A spokesperson for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the agency is “aware of the issue and to date has received multiple vehicle owner complaints. We will continue to closely monitor and evaluate the issue for safety and take action if necessary.”
The problem was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, which quoted complaints from several owners who described the noise as “ear piercing.” The article said that some owners reported the noise continued for 15 minutes or more, persisting even after the car was shut off.
It said some owners recorded a noise as loud as 109 decibels, according to a reading on their Apple watches, a level that the Journal reported is similar to that of a loud concert or a car horn, according to the American Academy of Audiology.
